News
April 6, 2000 Update
- Added another 400+ names, mainly in the LEAR and JACOBS family lines and almost all in Australia
- Submitted the complete family history (GEDCOM file) to Rootsweb for publishing on their WorldConnect site
- URL for this website submitted to Cyndi's List - one of the most extensive genealogical website indexes on the Web.
(see the Links page to access these sites)
March 18, 2000 Update
- Over 400 names have been added to the database. Major new contributions include many new JACOBS relations in Australia and a significant number of new LEAR relatives.
- All Australians worth their salt have a convict in their past and we are no exception. Until recently our only known convict ancestor was William Lear, convicted in Gloucester Assizes August 31, 1818 and sentenced to 7 years transportation. William arrived in Van Diemen's Land (Tasmania) on the supply ship "Dromedary" January 28, 1820. Recently we have not only discovered William's parents (John Lear & Jane Fry) in Gloucestershire, England but we also discovered that William had at least two brothers who migrated to Australia: Stephen, also a convict who was convicted of theft in Van Diemen's Land while serving a life sentence and executed on February 26, 1825 and Isaac who appears to have emigrated to Van Diemen's Land as a free settler in the early 1830s. Isaac married Margaret Maitland, also a convict. Jane Lear, the mother of William, Stephen and Isaac also came to Australia, dying in Tasmania in 1842. Hopefully, more of this story will unfold as we discuss and research with our Lear relatives.
- Progress has been made on the WATTS research, with the discovery of the arrival details of Theresa WATTS. Theresa arrived Port Phillip (Melbourne, Victoria, AUS) on the "Alexander" December 1841 with her mother, Margaret NELSON. An interesting discovery was that John WATTS, husband of Margaret NELSON was listed as a passenger but a note follows this entry in the manifest indicating that John WATTS died in London prior to the ships departure. So, Margaret WATTS and daughter Theresa arrived alone.
* See the Links page for web sites with additional information on LEAR and KELLAWAY families
