Year: 1984
Type: article
Abstract: of Wahroonga , has kindly presented to the Society copies of articles written by him regarding ancestors and relatives who figured in the early history of this district-some of them founders of very well-known lllawarra families .We thank Mr. James for permission to publish these articles, further instalments of which will appear in subsequent Bulletins].William Whitehill was born in 1794 in Dublin , Ireland of parents unknown.On 14 July 1825 he was found guilty at Drogheda in County Louth of "cow-stealing" and , although he had no previous conviction, was sentenced to imprisonment for life.Subsequently he was transported to New South Wales with 129 other malefactors on the "Regalia," which left Dublin on 16 March 1826 and, coming via Rio de Janeiro, arrived at Port Jackson on 5 August 1826, a voyage of 144 days.All the company were issued with a grey cloth jacket, a waistcoat, a pair of "trowsers ," a pair of shoes , a shirt, two pairs of stockings , a handkerchief, a cap , a brush, a comb, a towel, a thread and needles and a bag "to hold spare Articles."The Indents state that Whitehill was married with a wife and three children, was a cotton-weaver by trade , able to read and write and a Protestant (in fact, a Presbyterian) .In appearance , he was 5'4 ~" tall with brown eyes, brown to grey hair and a dark and sallow complexion featuring a scar over his left eyebrow.His conduct on the voyage was " very good" and he was immediately disposed to James Stares Spearing who had a grant of 1,000 acres at Paulsgrove on the slopes of Mount Keira .His duties there included cutting cedar and tending the gardens which, in 1832, consisted of 15 acres "well stocked with fruit trees and vegetables and two water mills."In May 1827, Whitehill and another gave information against a fellow assignee who had murdered one of their number on "Paulsgrove" at the site in Byarong Valley consequently named "Hell Hole."On 6 March 1828 they were granted the reward of £20 which had been offered but slow payment prompted the following letter to the Colonial Secretary:-29th March , 1828.Sir, 1 William Whitehill and las Grace A sined Servants to Mr. Spearing is in Town Since tuesday at the Police 0/]ice Waiting for the Reward of twenty pounds and we would take it as a great fa~•our if your honour Would fon1•ard us as tlze(y) Say the Money is not Come from this office and our pays is out and our money likewise.We remain your most obedient Servants, Wm.Whitehill las.GraceWhitehill made five petitions between
Author: Alfred P. James
Language: English
Subfield: Sociology and Political Science
Field: Social Sciences
Domain: Social Sciences
Open Access status: green
OpenAlex ID: W17845754