JOHN THOMAS OTTON & PATIENCE ANN SMALRIDGE

John Thomas OTTON and Patience Ann SMALRIDGE are my 4^th Great Grandparents.

They are the parents of my 3^rd Great Grandmother, Sarah Ann OTTON who married James LANG.

OTTON FAMILY NAME INFORMATION:
Early medieval English origin, from the Middle English given name "Ode". Spelling variations of this family name include: Oates, Oats, Otes, Otis, Oaten, Otten, Oadt, Otton, Oton and many more. First found in Cornwall where they were seated from early times and their first records appeared on the census rolls taken by the ancient Kings of Britain to determine the rate of taxation of their subjects.

John Thomas OTTON

Patience Ann SMALRIDGE

John Thomas OTTON was an English convict arriving in Sydney, Australia aboard the convict ship "Burrell" on the 19^th December 1830. The ship left Plymouth, England on 27^th July 1830.John was baptised on 26^th October 1789 in Broadclyst, Devonshire, England. John's offence was horse stealing, and he had no former convictions. His trial was held at Exeter, England in 1830. John OTTONs convict records advised that he was 5 foot 7 3/4 inch tall, with a dark complexion, brown hair, grey eyes, and a perpendicular scar on the right side of his upper lip and right side of his chin.

John gained his farming experience with his father in Alphington, Devonshire, England. He was a skilled horse husbandman. At maturity, John moved to a farming life in Bridford, Devonshire, England just north of Exeter and here met Patience Ann SMALRIDGE, a young lady of the farming community. They were married in Bridford, Devonshire England on July 8, 1818, at the encouragement and with the special permission of her father for she was under the age of consent.

Patience Ann SMALRIDGE followed her husband to Australia aboard the ship "Layton" arriving in Sydney, Australia on the 17^th December 1833 with her children.
Patience was born on the 25^th January 1795 in Bridford, Devonshire, England to John SMALRIDGE & Sarah WOODLEY.

John and Patience OTTON settled in the Bega area on the NSW South Coast.

CONVICT INFORMATION:
On 16^th Nov 1829, John was arranged under controversial circumstances for theft of a mare, valued at 10 pounds, stated as property of one John SOPER, deceased. John OTTON pleaded his innocence stating that the mare had been loaned to him by Yeoman SOPER, for the purpose of training as a plough horse. Unfortunately, SOPER died without leaving a witness or supporting papers before the horse had been returned. Nevertheless, at the Exeter, Devon Court Assizes, 1830 John OTTON was found guilty by a jury of his peers and sentenced to be hanged. The sentence was immediately commuted to Life Imprisonment and he was assigned for Transportation to Australia. As a convict he was forced to leave his young wife and family in the care of her father in Bridford, Devon, England. John was shipped out on the "Burrell" and along with 188 other convicts arrived in Sydney Cove on 19^th Dec 1830. Occupation: Ploughman shears and sows. Because of exemplary behaviour, after serving only one year in Woolstonecraft workhouse, Berry St, Sydney, John was given a transfer and the relative freedom of farm work at Jamboree, NSW. Here, under care of master Alexander Berry of Illawarra, John was given the opportunity to work at his life's skill. Through his good work and behaviour he so impressed his proprietor guardians that they payed the transport of his wife, Patience Ann, and the 5 children (Emma 16yrs, Sarah Ann 14yrs, Abraham 12yrs, Salome 8yrs, and Nicodemus 6yrs). They arrived in Sydney aboard the "Layton" on 17^th Dec 1833 and after 3 years separation, the family were reunited at the Jamboree NSW estate.

Continuing his good work a "Ticket of Leave" was granted in 8^th April 1839 with freedom to set up pioneer ranch in Gerringong & Bega NSW. Subsequent surviving children born in Australia were John 1835, Henry Augustus 1838 and Maria Rosina 1841. A Conditional Pardon for exemplary behaviour was granted in Jan 1847, some 17 years after his conviction. After a couple of false starts at ranching that was disrupted by floods and natural disasters, permanent ranches were established. The first was built at "Numerella" by son John and his wife, Mary JAUNCEY, a property that remains to his day in the hands of his Great Great Grandson, Richard OTTON. A second ranch was established by another son Henry Augustus OTTON and Elizabeth JAUNCY and named "Ottonville". The 1837 Muster advises that John OTTON was aged 47; his convict sentence was Life; he was tried at Exeter, Devonshire, England; his occupation a Ploughman; and his master/employer was Alexander Berry in the Illawarra district

Convict Pardon:

Surname	First Name	Vessel	Year	Pardon No	Pardon Type	Date of Pardon
OTTON	John	Burrell	1830	47/062	CP	16 Jan 1847

John Thomas OTTON died at "Greendale" Bega on the NSW South Coast, Australia on the 9^th Aug 1864 and is buried at Bega Cemetery. (NSW Death Reg. 1864/368)

Patience Ann OTTON (nee SMALRIDGE) died on the 6^th June 1874 in Bega NSW Australia, and is buried also at Bega Cemetery. (NSW Death Reg. 1874/3919)

I have 11 children listed for John & Patience OTTON:

- Sarah Ann (born c1818 died c1819 England);

- Emma (born c1819 England, she married Robert SHARPE in 1860 Eden NSW);

- Sarah Ann (born c1820 England, my 3^rd Great Grandmother who married James LANG);

- Abraham (born c1822 England, he married Isabella Patison in 1855 Sydney);

- John (born c1823 England);

- Ephraim (born c1824 England);

- Salome (born c1836 England, she married William HOPKINS in 1852 in NSW);

- Nicodemus (born c1827 England);

Then in Australia they had

- John (born 1835 Wollongong area NSW, he married Mary JAUNCEY in 1862 Eden NSW);

- Henry Augustus (born 1838 Bodalla NSW, he married Elizabeth JAUNCY in 1865);

- and Maria Rosina Smalridge (born 1841 Dapto NSW, she married William McGREGOR in 1862 Eden NSW).

Henry Augustus

OTTON

Contributors to the information this page:

Lesa Harris	Michelle Patient	Narelle Woodhall
Margaret Cameron	Jan Petersen	Norman Speed
Kerry Harding	Dr David Otton	Jack Earnshaw
Karen Otton	Dr Paul Otton

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Webpage established: 30^th October 2005
Last Updated: 23^rd February 2011