George Best
 

My George Best was a convict who was sentenced at the Maidstone Assizes in 1790 and transported to Australia on the William and Ann. He married Martha Chamberlain in 1797, produced many children and has an overwhelming number of descendants. He died in 1836 at Seven Hills NSW reportedly at the age of 78.

George, however, appears to have arrived from outer space. There are many trees on ancestry with the story of George's life but no actual proof. I have disproven the myth that his parents are James and Frances nee Shelly, their George lead an honest and well documented life and died in England.

Ancestry hints have given me a new lead and many trees have latched onto this baptism as it fits with the rough age range people suspect for George. I managed to find the original poster of the baptism and his/her tree ends with George being born. They do not claim him as My George. They do not know their George's history.

The new George was born in Dorset, which isn't that close to Kent, but some people do travel. Could someone please have a look and see if they think this new George might be mine? Or disprove it?

The baptism is here: George, son of George and Grace

Side note for anyone picking this up on Google: George's wife Martha was not baptised at St Benet Paul's Wharf, London, England, father from memory William. William had 2 daughter's named Martha and both died in infancy.

Can you remind us what George did for a living before he was transported?

I believe he was a farmer.

He stole property from William Cheeseman the Elder.

The stories are he was a farmer, which I believe as he was granted land in Australia to farm. Where he farmed ranges from Kent, Sussex or Surrey.

Have to say, pass.
I've been looking at Wiltshire, also full of Bests.
Gut feeling is no, unless, say he was a soldier.

Thanks for looking. No, he wasn't a soldier. The baptisms don't give an occupation for his father either which doesn't help. I'm trying to find a death for George or Grace to see what that might do. It does look as though George's sister marries Grace's brother though.

This is the link to the old thread about him:
http://www.genealogistsforum.co.uk/f...ghlight=george

There is a George Best buried at Rampisham 12 Oct 1805 but no age shown:
https://www.ancestry.co.uk/interacti...nSearchResults

Copied from a page on thetreeofus website:

I don't suppose it's stated from where in Surrey he was brought?

Merry, no it doesn't and no one can produce the writ or the newspaper. I've not been able to find them. That information was written about 30 years ago or more by a man who had sadly died before I found his online work to ask for more information. It is now copied and pasted and taken as gospel but I've never been able to verify anything except that he was tried. I've seen papers about his trial but haven't scanned it so I can't check them but I don't think it gave any details about him except the crime.

Kate I missed the burial. It could be his father too although they had children after George who were baptised in Frampton.

Sorry, I forgot I had posted about George before.

The Kentish Gazette printed details of the assizes. The March 1790 pages are not online with FMP yet, but an earlier assize convicted someone who was transported with George, so I would say the information is probably quite correct.