SAMUEL THOMAS WHITEHALL &

JOHANNA VICKERY

Samuel Thomas WHITEHALL and Johanna VICKERY are my maternal 5^th Great Grandparents.

Their son, Thomas Samuel WHITEHALL, is my 4^th Great Grandfather who married Mary Anne BENFIELD.

VICKERY: early medieval English origin, and is either an occupational name for one employed at the vicar's residence, or a patronymic surname denoting "son of the vicar". The derivation is from the Middle English "vicare, vickere" (Old French "vicaire"), ultimately from the Latin "vicarius", substitute, deputy, one who carried out pastoral duties on behalf of the absentee holder of a benefice.

WHITEHALL: locational surname is of Olde English pre 7th century origins. It derives from a place called originally 'Whit-halgh' which may have been in Lancashire, but could equally apply to the London 'Whitehall' or to other now lost locations of the same name.

Map of Ireland showing County Cork	Map of County Cork

Samuel Thomas WHITEHALL

Johanna VICKERY

Samuel Thomas WHITEHALL was apparently born about 1790 at Hartlebury, Worcester, England to John WHITEHALL & Ann GLOVER. (not proven as yet)

Samuel could have been baptised on 28^th November 1790 at Hartlebury, Worcester, England (not proven)

Samuel worked as a labourer in 1810 in Kidderminster, Parish of Kidderminster, Worcester,

England. Whitehall is a Welsh name, meaning White Hill.

Other names used for Samuel were: Samuel Whithall, and Thomas Whittall, Thomas Whittal.

Map of England showing Worcestershire

Samuel was tried 10^th March 1810 for burglary - sentenced to death then to life. He was tried at Worcester (Worcestershire Lent Assizes) in the 50^th reign of George 3rd, on 19^th November 1810. Listed as a labourer, he was charged with robbery by force with arms. Evidence was given by James Knowles, Joshua Albut, Nancy Taylor and John Taylor as well as a confession by Samuel himself. His alias is given as Thomas Whittal, the name he was to give one of his sons. "At about 2am Samuel Whittal armed, forced his way into the home of James Knowles and stole 500 pennies (valued at 40 shillings), 500 halfpennies (valued at 20 shillings), one cow's tongue valued at 5 shillings and 3 lbs of meat valued at 2 shillings". He was found guilty and sentenced to hang.

Later a court commuted his sentence to transportation. Samuel, together with John Bold and Thomas Lane were extended his Majesty's Royal mercy on condition they be transported to the coast of NSW or one of the adjacent islands for the term of their natural lives. They were ordered to be delivered by the gaoler of Worcester (in whose custody they were at the time), to the person contracted to undertake this transportation. On 12^th May 1811, Samuel sailed aboard the male convict ship "Admiral Gambier 2" which arrived in Australia on 29^th September 1811. The ship left Portsmouth, England on the 15^th May 1811 with 200 males on board and arrived 140 days later in Sydney with 197 males on board. The ships master was Ed Sindrey. The ship also had a detachment from the 73^rd Regiment on board.

Name	Arrived	Ship	Trial Place	Year	Sentence	Age
Whittal, Samuel	1811	Admiral gambier (2)	Worcester	1810	Life

Session:Assize

Date: 10 Mar 1810

Once in Australia, Samuel served John Palmer from 1814-1816 in the Bringelly and Bathurst areas. In 1817 Samuel was transferred from the Gaol Gang to the Town Gang, an order signed by Governor Lachlan Macquarie.

Johanna VICKERY was born 1798 in County Cork, Ireland. I haven’t as yet got any pedigree family data on Johanna. She was a servant girl in England.

At the age of 15 years, as Johanna Vickery, she was indicted at Middlesex, England on 21^st June 1815 before Justice Bailey for feloniously stealing on the 28^th May, a silk gown and three silver teaspoons , the property Peter Daniel in his dwelling-house. At the trial the evidence was this:

Peter Daniel --- I live at No 3 Meard street, Soho. The prisoner lived servant with me two days, I detected her in stealing some of my property, and sent for a constable, and on her were found, two silver spoons and a duplicate of a third; and the silk gown was in her pocket. I have had them ever since, and know them to be my property. I have counted the number of the spoons and find three are wanting. The spoons are marked. When we took her, she said it was not her intention to steal them. She said, she was sweeping the floor, and found them, wrapped them up in a piece of paper to keep them clean, and intended to have put them in the closet. I asked her whether she found the gown sweeping the floor; she said no; her young mistress had brought it down for her to try on, and if it did not fit her it was to be taken up again.

Benjamin Hoyle --- I am a pawnbroker. The prisoner came to our house on the 27th May, and pawned a silver spoon, in the name of Mary Flannagan, and this is the spoon.

Peter Daniel --- That is my spoon; here are the other two, and here is the silk gown; they are all my property.

Johanna was found Guilty and sentenced to be transported for seven years.

Johanna arrived in Sydney, Australia aboard the female convict ship "Mary Ann I" on the 19^th January 1816.

Master: John R Arbuthnot and Surgeon James Bowman.

103 females embarked in England and 101 females landed in Sydney

The ship "Mary Ann I" was a 479 ton ship built in Bavaria in 1807.

UK Convict - Thief (7years).

Name	Arrived	Ship	Trial Place	Year	Sentence	Age
Vickery, Joanna	1816	Mary Anne (1)	Middlesex	1815	7	17

On 3^rd May 1817, Samuel WHITEHALL was given permission to marry Johanna VICKERY [Keary]. (source: Reel 6005; 4/3496 p.141)

They married on 23^rd June 1817 St John's Anglican Church, Parramatta, Sydney NSW Australia by the Rev. Samuel Marsden. Witnesses at marriage - Edward Stanton & Catherine Armstrong.

(source: NSW Marriage Certificate Reg no.1817/795 Vol: 147B)

Johanna & Samuel had three children at Windsor before Samuel died in 1821.

The first two children died as infants and Johanna was carrying her third child at the time of Samuel's death.

Samuel was a witness at an inquest into the death of his son Robert on the 26th Dec 1820 at Windsor.

Samuel died on the 26^th August 1821 in Sydney. (NSW Burial Reg. 1821/5196 Vol 2B)

He was buried on the 28^th August 1821 at St Phillips Churchyard cemetery, Sydney NSW Australia

Occupation given as - Convict / Labourer

The 1828 Sydney census has Johanna living with (but not married to) Thomas Collins. A 3 year-old Eliza and 4 month-old Thomas are named Collins. They lived on land in the Punchbowl, Cooks River area.

There is no sign of Johanna's death in the NSW records as Whithall, Whittal, Whitehall, Vickery or Collins but there is a death of Johanna Fitzgerald, as a pauper at the Hyde Park Asylum, in 1877.

There is a record of a Joanna FITZGERALD being witness to the marriage of Eliza COLLINS to Dennis CURTIN in 1845.

Also the baptism of Eliza COLLINS has the parents as Thomas COLLINS and Elizabeth FITZGERALD.

Looks like Johanna used a lot of different names throughout her life - Joanna Keary, Johanna/Joanna Vickery, Johanna Whittall, Joanna Whitehall, Hannah Whittle, Elizabeth Fitzgerald, Johanna Fitzgerald.

Thomas COLLINS born 1800 Waterford, Ireland. Thomas was convicted on April 18th, 1814 at Bristol Assizes and sentenced to 7 years transportation. He was transported aboard the male convict ship "Baring", leaving England on 20^th April 1815 and arriving Port Jackson, Sydney on 7^th September, 1815.

Thomas was an "Errand Boy" and was described as being 4'10.5" tall, fair complexion, brown hair with grey eyes, he was fifteen. (This may be questionable as on his death there appeared a Death Notice in the Sydney Morning Herald stating that he died in his 50th year, which if true would mean that he was only 11 or 12 years old at his trial, having been born 1803-1804). It is likely that Thomas was well short of maturity at the time he was measured at 4'.10 & a half" but he was likely still short as a man, but more like 5'2".

On arrival in the colony Thomas was sent to Windsor for assignment. He caused some problems there and in 1817 was sentenced to a further 2 years which he served at Newcastle, were he resided at the time of the 1821 muster. He is listed as prisoner sent to Newcastle per "Elizabeth Henrietta" on 20^th Nov 1817. He was then transferred to Windsor where he served out his time.

In about 1821 Thomas COLLINS took up with Johanna WHITEHALL (nee VICKERY) who was carrying Samuel WHITEHALL's child and had nobody to look after her, as Samuel had died. At the time of Samuel WHITEHALL's death, Thomas COLLINS was about to head for Sydney Town with his freedom and the two of them travelled there together. Thomas found work as a timbergetter on Robert Townson's property in the St George district. The couple were not in a position to bring up a child; and probably Thomas was not keen to raise someone else's child; so when Thomas Samuel was born Johanna gave up the child to be adopted by a neighbouring childless couple, Robert and Jane GARDINER. The couple changed his name to Thomas Samuel Gardiner WHITEHALL.

In 1827 Thomas COLLINS applies for a land grant. He mentions that he is living with Hannah Whitehall and they have one child. In an accompanying letter from a referee about his character it mentions that he has 2 children living with him. As he says he only has one child with Hannah the other child is presumed to be Thomas Samuel Whitehall.

Thomas got married in 1837 to Alice Ryan (aged about 18 at the time) and had another family her. The 1841 census shows his earlier children living with his new wife and their new children. Johanna seems to have just disappeared some time around the mid 1830's...

Thomas COLLINS died on the 9^th June 1854 at Mt Lewis, Irish Town (Bankstown), Sydney NSW Australia.

Samuel & Johanna WHITEHALL had 3 children:

- James born 29^th December 1818 at Windsor NSW Australia. James died on 12^th January 1819 at Windsor NSW. The entry in the St Matthews Windsor Burial reads: James Whittle died 12^th January 1819, buried 14^th January 1819, age 15 days - son of Samuel and Johannah Whittle, died at Windsor & buried at St. Matthews Church of England, Windsor. Minister - Robert Cartwright.

- John Robert born 28^th October 1820 at Sydney NSW Australia. He died on 26^th December 1820 at Windsor, Sydney NSW Australia. Died of suffocation as a result of his mother rolling on him in bed. An inquest was held.

- Thomas Samuel Gardiner born 5^th December 1821 in Sydney NSW Australia after his father, Samuel, died in the August. Thomas is my 4^th Great Grandfather. He was adopted by another convict and his first wife: Robert GARDINER & Jane GRAY, as the GARDINER's appear to have been childless. Whilst Thomas was christened Thomas Samuel, he was given the name Thomas Gardiner WHITEHALL by his adoptive parents. Thomas married Mary Anne BENFIELD on 6^th January 1840 at St Lukes Church of England, Liverpool, Sydney NSW Australia. He married for a second time after Mary Anne died to Margaret IBBOTSON on 29^th October 1855 at St James Church, Enfield, Sydney NSW Australia. Thomas died on 16^th August 1862. He drowned in the Georges River returning from work. His ferry overturned and 5 drowned. The jury found that the occurrence was caused by allowing too many men to enter the boat, for the purpose of crossing the river.

Thomas & Johanna COLLINS had 2 children:

- Eliza born 26 Jul 1826 at Sydney, NSW Australia. Eliza married Dennis CURTIN on 15 Sep 1845 at Church of England, Cooks River, Petersham, Sydney NSW Australia. She then married a second time to Charles LOCKHART on 01 Feb 1864 at Cooks River, Petersham, Sydney NSW Australia. Eliza had children to both husbands. She died on 01 Aug 1894 at Kogarah, Sydney NSW Australia.

- Thomas born in 1828 at Sydney, NSW Australia. Thomas apparently married 3 times. The first to Sophia Matilda MARCHANT in 1845 at Scots Presbyterian Church, Sydney NSW Australia. The second to Mary HENNESSY in 1865. The third to Maria Jane JONES in 1877 at Brisbane Water NSW Australia. Thomas died in 1905 at Kangi Angi NSW Australia. He had children with each wife.

Contributors to the information on Samuel WHITEHALL & Johannah VICKERY & their descendents:

Lesa Harris	Ian Whitehall	Jane Walther
The Convict Ships: 1787 - 1868 by Charles Bateson	Ron Harper	Michele Maher
Paul Greenfield	Robyn Shimmen	Dorothy Exon
Joan Hutson	Sandy Avis	Greg Wadeson
John Whitehall	Annette Forster	Vicki Tolhurst

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Webpage established: 11^th February 2007
Last Updated: 23^rd February 2011