20.7.16

Bill Staff's Papers

I opened some of Dad's boxes of documents and articles and found some amazing notes and records about our family dating back as far as 1798.

Dad had obtained copies of documents from government departments as well as church records relating to my great, great, great grandfather, Murtagh Ahearn, who at the age of 18, was involved in the 1798 Vinegar Hill uprising in Ireland. He was subsequently deported to Australia on the Atlas convict ship arriving in Port Jackson in 1802.

10 years later he was emancipated and received 5 acres of land near Liverpool. In 1814 he married a 23 year old English woman and they had 17 children.

One of his grand daughters was my Dad’s grandmother, Kate Foodey (née Boyce) who was married to the Rylstone station Master James Foodey,  whom my Dad grew up with at 40 Mudgee Street. She died in 1934, when Dad was 16 years old. He talked of his Gran and her stories often.

I knew some of the information and some of the stories however, I had never seen the ship records, marriage and birth certificates, and typed up as well as his own hand written notes.

It’s all very exciting stuff to find such treasures in there !
Ref: Genevieve Staff

Source: Wal Pilz

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