My relatives were Joseph STUBBS, Sophia STUBBS, Geoffrey STUBBS and their father Thomas STUBBS. Thomas was the actual father to Sophia and Geoffrey, and stepfather to Joseph. Sadly, these children were all infants when they died.
From the spreadsheet:
#2114
Joseph Stubbs was born on 29 December 1799 to John Fitz and convict Esther Spencer, and baptised as Joseph Clark Fitz on 2 February 1800 in Sydney (NSW BDM V1799855 1A). He died age nine months as Joseph Stubbs (NSW BDM V18001008 4 and V18001515 2A). No records can be found regarding John Fitz after the baptism of Joseph, so presumably Esther had begun a relationship with Thomas Stubbs before October 1800.
#2115 Sophia Stubbs was born to Thomas Stubbs and Ester Spencer on 18 June 1803 and baptised on 03 July 1803 in Sydney (NSW BDM V18031168 IA). Her father was Thomas Stubbs and her mother was convict, Esther Spencer. Sophia died at age three months and was buried on 27 September 1803 (NSW BDM V18031825 2A).
#2116 Godfrey Stubbs was born on 09 October 1814 and baptised at St Philip’s Church of England, Sydney, on 23 October 1814 (NSW BDM V18143435 IA). He was baptised as the son of Thomas and Esther Stubbs. He died on 02 November 1814 in Sydney, and was buried four days later (NSW BDM V18143284 2A), age 24 days. I can find no record of his name ever being Geoffrey. Possibly this is a transcription error. According to this table his age at burial was two years three months, but according to NSW BDM records there were no children of that name (or similar) being born in 1812, or dying in 1814. The only Stubbs death in 1814 was a Godfrey, NSW BDM 304/1814 V1814304 7 and 3284/1814 V18143284 2A.
#2117: Thomas was the father of Sophia and Geoffrey. He was a convict and builder/bricklayer. Born in 1774 in London, he was convicted at the Justice Hall, Old Bailey on 26 May 1790 to seven years was “indicted for stealing, on the 8th of March, a cloth coat, value 42 s. a pair of velvet breeches, value 16 s. two shirts, value 6 s. a pair of silver knee-buckles, value 3 s. the property of William Cook; two coats, value 4 l. a waistcoat, value 10 s. a pair of breeches, value 10 s. the property of John Weyman, in the dwelling house of the said John Weyman”.
Thomas sailed on the Third Fleet’s Albemarle, which departed Portsmouth on 27 March 1791. The Albemarle sailed via Madeira, the Cape of Good Hope, arriving at Port Jackson on 13 October 1791, after 200 days at sea.
In the 1801 Muster he is listed as living in Sydney, expired (presumably meaning his sentence), with Jewish convict Esther Spencer (who arrived on the Indispensable in 1796).
In the 1806 Muster he is classified as being Free By Servitude, a bricklayer, with Esther Spencer (who is also listed as FBS although this is incorrect. She had a life sentence & there is no record of a pardon).
In the 1811 Muster he is shown as living in NSW, Convicted May 1790 at the Old Bailey for seven years, with Esther Spencer of the Indispensable 1, who has 7 children (with Thomas – she had two or possibly three children to previous partners), and that Esther was the wife of John Cant who arrived as a convict on the ship General Hewitt (I dispute this interpretation of a Colonial Secretary's letter from Cant. I believe that he was a lodger at Esther's boarding house in Phillip Street, Sydney, and Cant’s weekly payments to her were rent. Source: Third Fleet Transport: Albemarle – an alphabetical listing of convicts, masters, crew, naval & military complied by Merrilyn Minter).
On 6 February 1813 Thomas and Esther were tried at the Sydney Bench of Magistrates for violently assaulting Thomas & Catherine Clarkson, whose property in Hunter Street, Sydney adjoined Thomas and Esther’s house. The result was: “The court, on consideration, adjudge that Thomas Stubbs shall stand committed until he enter into a recognizance to keep the peace towards Thomas Clarkson and his wife for the space of Six Months himself in the sum of £20 - and two sureties in the sum of £10 - each.” (Source: http://home.mira.net/~merowley/clarkson/vstubbs.html ).
His son, auctioneer Thomas Stubbs, died in 1878 and on his death certificate it states that his father was in the Royal Navy. This was either the family “story” to hide his convict past, or maybe even a family joke.
Thomas and Esther had nine children together: my ancestor Mary Ann born 1801, Thomas born 1802, Sophia born 1803, Cecilia born 1805, Elizabeth born 1807, Annie Esther born 1809, George born 1811, John Emery born 1812, Godfrey born 1814.
Thomas died on 11 January 1815 in Kent St, Sydney (NSW BDM V18153327 2B).
During excavation work to build Sydney Town Hall remains of some of these pre-1800 burials have been found. These remains have been moved to Rookwood Cemetery, and a monument erected in the memory of these people. Maybe Thomas and his children are together at Rookwood, or possibly still buried under or around the Town Hall.
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The memorial to the remains of people removed from the Old Sydney Burial Ground, now reinterred at Rookwood Cemetery |
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Plaque on the Rookwood memorial |
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Sydney Town Hall Postcard courtesy of Flickr |
