Your help and opinions please

Marg, I really haven't looked properly into your Robert Dawes, but somewhere in the back of my mind I believe that there was a book written on the "Westmoreland" and the convicts that came out on it. I am not sure whether there were a number of voyages, but you might find something if you Google it.. Julie

I found this but there isn't a lot for 1835 it is mostly 1838

Archives Kit Reel [2/8282]

Westmoreland (1) 1835 p.59
Westmoreland (3) 1838 p.75 Memorandum on the families of convicts recommended to be sent to NSW;
List of sons of convicts embarked;
List of military convicts;
Chief Justice's Warrants for Military convicts; and Manifests of Convict Stores laden on board at the Ports of Liverpool and Dublin – showing shippers, packages, quantity, goods, remarks

I'm not sure if what is on the reel will be what you already have from Ancestry? Julie

Marg I am not sure of the relevance, or whether it has been posted, but I found in the NSW Register of Coroner's Inquest at Tambaroora on 21 Dec 1858 that a Robert Dawes was accidentally drowned. This is just prior to Christmas, at a very hot time of year and sadly this is quite a common occurrence. Julie
Often times deaths recorded in Coroner's Inquests are not recorded on the BDM index.

[HarrysMum]

Sounds good Julie. Tambaroora is just up the road from Bathurst.


OC...I have seen that on a record somewhere as well. I think it had something to do with the idea that the spouse was not likely to return.

I'll have to have a look.

Well as he was in Bathurst in 1841, it is quite possibly him drowning at Tambaroora in 1858. I wonder if anything from the Coroner's Inquest survived, apart from the index. I know with early inquest reports a lot survived, but there are some black holes. The reports are on the reels of the archives kit, but whether they are also on Ancestry I'm not sure? I looked at a ship's captain who died from laudanum poisoning and they were trying to decide whether it was an accident or suicide. Laudanum was often used in those days as pain relief. Julie

I tried looking on Trove at the Bathurst newspapers unfortunately it goes from the 22nd December the day after to 25th December. There are only 4 pages to each issue and it is very tiny print so at a later date I will have another look. I did think the following item put what happened into perspective ..

Bathurst Free Press and Mining Journal (NSW : 1851 - 1904)
Wednesday 22 December 1858
IMPROVEMENT IN THE WEATHER -- Since our last report there has been a decided improvement in the weather. Sunday and Monday kept the world in alarm with a continued series of thunder storms accompanied with showers of rain. Yesterday (Tuesday) however, broke upon the world with a clear sky and gave us that rare pleasure, of late, a day's sunshine. As the ground is now abundantly moist, and the wheat harvest approaching, a few weeks' fine weather would prove a great blessing.

Not only was it hot, but obviously had been steamy and the rivers running a banker, after a lot of rain.

[HarrysMum]

Julie....I can only find the same you did on Ancestry.

Yes I will try to get to the library some time today and look at the reel.