Merrick/Russell Family

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Birth records are searchable from 1829 (in some cases earlier) to 100 years ago.
Marriage records ae searchable from 1929 to 75 years ago.
Death records are searchable from 1829 to 30 years ago, however the Ryerson Index displays death and/or burial records published in Australian newspapers up to the present day.
Other sources of family information, such as "Find a Grave" may contain information outside the limits of the Privacy Act.

See below for details of Edward and Mary's crimes, deportation and life as emancipated convicts.

Gen 1st

Gen 2nd

Gen 3rd

Gen 4th

Gen 5th

Gen 6th

Gen 7th

Gen 8th

EDWARD JOHN MERRICK b 21 Nov 1763 d 9 Feb 1839, AKA Edward Joseph MERYCK, Blacksmith, Farmer, Special Constable married 24 Dec 1791
MARY ELIZABETH RUSSELL b 20 Jan 1765 d 25 May 1840

1.1

JOHN A. MERRICK b 2 Feb 1793, d 10 Sep 1874, married 1835 ELIZA FRANCIS b 1820, d 1897

1.1.1

SARAH MERRICK 1836-1923

1.1.2

MARY ELIZABETH MERRICK 1838-1874

1.1.3

ELIZA MERRICK 18342-1866

1.1.4

LOUISA MERRICK 1842-1927

1.1.5

SUSANNAH MERRICK 1847-

1.1.6

ELIZABETH ANN MERRICK 1850-1926

1.1.7

JOHN EDWARD RICHARD MERRICK 1853-1919

1.1.8

EMMA J. MERRICK 18153-

1.1.9

HENRIETTA MERRICK 1856-1918

1.1.10

HARRIET MERRICK 1859-1942

1.1.11

WILLIAM THOMAS MERRICK 1861-1951

1.1.12

EMMELINE MERRICK 1863-

1.2

MARY ELIZABETH MERRICK b 14 MAR 1795 d 7 OCT 1855, eloped then married 13 Aug 1822
ROBERT S. COOPER MARTIN b 1820, d 1897, from Free Ship "EXPERIMENT", he later married
MARY OLIVER PERRY.

1.2.1

ELIZABETH MARY E. MARTIN 18 Mar 1816, D 1854, father not named, married FRANCIS TIPPING 6 Feb 1837

1.2.2

ROBERT COOPER MARTIN 17 Nov 1822, d 17 Oct 1884, 9 Nov 1847 married MARTHA PRICE b 8 feb 1829 d 7 Sep 1878, no children

1.2.3

CAROLINE ANNE MARTIN 19 Apr 1824 1822, d 3 Dec 1878, married 217 Jul 1840 WILLIAM THOMAS PRICE

1.2.4

MARTHA MARTIN 11 Sep 1826, d 6 Oct 1901, married 25 Jul 1843 CHARLES JAMES PRICE b 13 Nov 1821, d 10 Aug 1912

1.2.4.1

ROBERT COOPER PRICE b 23 Mar 1845, d 28 Jun 1917 [NSW Birth 238/1845][NSW Death 6173/1917]

1.2.4.2

MARY ANNE (AKA MARIANNE) PRICE b 8 Oct 1846 [NSW Birth 465/1846, d 19 Jun 1934, married 1871 [NSW Marriage 3395/1871] to ANDREW EDWARDS, born abt 1845, d 1888 aged abt 43 years. Birth record not found, [NSW Death 10096/1888], son of WILLIAM and ANN EDWARDS.
MARY ANNE's name on marriage record given as MARIA, and on birth records variously given as MARRIANE, MARIANE, MARIAN and MARION. I suspect Andrew was illiterate.

1.2.4.2.1

ANDREW EDWARDS b 12 Nov 1871, d 1878 [NSW Death 9734/1876]

1.2.4.2.2

MARIANNE EDWARDS b 1874 [NSW Birth 18379/1874]

1.2.4.2.3

FLORENCE EDWARDS b 1875, d 15 Jan 1949, [NSW 18806/1875][NSW 5537/1949], Married ARTHUR EDMUND STEVENSON b 1867 [NSW Birth 1754/1867], died 1945 [NSW Death 17710/1945], son of WILLIAM H STEVENSON and ROSETTA
ARTHUR STEVENSON had previously been married to EVELINE EDITH INGRAM AUSTIN b 1872 [NSW Birth 6066/1872, possibly as E.E. CRAWFORD]. They had two children, HENRY A. A. STEVENSON b 15 Feb 1900 , d 7 Apr 1976 and MARGARET M. STEVENSON b 1892 and were divorced abt 1897.

1.2.4.2.3.1

FLORENCE ALMA STEVENSON b 15 Feb 1900, d 7 Apr 1976, married (1) 10 Dec 1921 ALBERT EDWARD MITCHELL II b 1895, d 1924

1.2.4.2.3.1.1

ALBERT EDWARD MITCHELL III (AKA TAYLOR), b 1922, d 2011, married ROSLYN DOWNES

1.2.4.2.3.1.2

BEULAH MITCHELL (AKA TAYLOR), b 1924, d 2020, married RUEBEN ALLEN THORNCRAFT

1.2.4.2.3.1

FLORENCE ALMA STEVENSON b 15 Feb 1900, d 7 Apr 1976, married (2) 5 May 1926 ARTHUR JAMES TAYLOR b 7 nov 1895, d 1959

1.2.4.2.3.1.3

DOROTHY PHYLLIS TAYLOR, b 1927, d 1982, married CLIVE KING

1.2.4.2.3.1.4

JOAN TAYLOR, b 1929, d 1929

1.2.4.2.3.1.5

MARGARET TAYLOR, b 1930, d 1930

1.2.4.2.3.1.6

ROBERT TAYLOR, b 1936, d 1936

1.2.4.2.3.2

HILDA DOROTHY STEVENSON b 1901, d 1924, married ARTHUR JAMES TAYLOR b 7 nov 1895, d 1959

1.2.4.2.3.3

WILLIAM CHARLES STEVENSON b 25 Sep 1904, d

1.2.4.2.3.4

LIIAN MAUDE STEVENSON b 1906,

1.2.4.2.3.5

ETHEL MARY STEVENSON b 1908,

1.2.4.2.3.6

JOYCE O. STEVENSON b 1918, d 14 Jun 2020

1.2.4.4

JAMES STUART EDWARDS b 9 Apr 1877, d 1890. [NSW19763/1877][NSW10814/1890]

1.2.4.5

HILDA MARY EDWARDS b 1879, d 4 Nov 1953. [NSW BIRTH 25736/1879][NSW Death 31857/1953] Married George Nash 1905 [NSW Marriage 6117/1905]

1.2.4.6

ANNIE MAY EDWARDS b 1881, d 24 Oct 1967. [NSW Birth 18092/1881] Married CHARLES OSBOURNE CHIDGEY [NSW MARRIAGE 14077/1914] b ?d 8 Mar 1973.

1.2.4.7

ANNIE MAY EDWARDS b 1881, d 24 Oct 1967. [NSW Birth 18092/1881], married 1914 CHARLES OSBOURNE CHIDGEY [NSW MARRIAGE 14077/1914], b ?, d 8 Mar 1973

1.2.4.8

CHARLES ROBERT EDWARDS b 1833, d 7 1942. [NSW 20223559/1883]

1.2.5

JOHN HARDIN MARTIN B 19 Mar 1829, d 10 Sep 1881 [NSW Birth 16924/1871][NSW Death 9734/1876]

1.2.6

THOMAS MARTIN 1830, d 1938 [NSW Birth 18379/1874]

1.2.7

WILLIAM MARTIN b 23 Mar 1832 d 9 JUn 1871, Married 1829, ANNA MARY NAUGHTON, no children

1.2.7

WILLIAM MARTIN b 23 Mar 1832 d 9 JUn 1871, Married 1829, ANNA MARY NAUGHTON, no children

1.2.8

HENRY MARTIN b 16 Oct 1834 d 9 Jun 1835

This is a brief listing of the line of descent from Edward John (AKA Joseph) Merrick, a convict who was transported to AUSTRALIA on the 2nd Fleet and his wife Mary Elizabeth Russell, a convict transported on the 3rd Fleet. I have more information which I will eventually post, but in this place concentrate upon the line of descent of my own family.

In April 1778 Edward John/Joseph Merrick/Meyrick was sentenced at the Old Bailey Sessions to seven years for theft of 2 lbs of tea, 7 loaves of refined sugar, 20 lbs of moist sugar, 3 lbs of rice and 1lb of pepper.His co-accused George Woodward was acquitted. His name was originally given as Meyrick and is occasionally listed this way in the colony, but Merrick seems to be the more correct term.

He was one of 1063 convicts transported on the "Surprize" (other ships "Neptune" and "Scarborough" made up the 2nd Fleet. December 1789, He was born 21 Nov 1763 in LONDON and died 9 Feb 1839 in RICHMOND aged 76. He is buried in St. Peter's Anglican Cemetery, Row 4, Plot 36.

He obviously made good in the new colony as in 1799, free by servitude, he was granted 30 acres of land on the banks of the Hawkesbury River at RICHMOND, NSW. He cleared the land for grazing and pig raising and was granted a further 60 acres at North Richmond in 1816.

In 1820 he was appointed to be District Constable and Pound Keeper of RICHMOND, having previously been District Constable of NORTH RICHMOND. His son William was appointed District Constable of NORTH RICHMOND replacing his father.

In 1830 he captured a 17 year old bushranger, John Tiernan, in the act of stealing a horse. Tiernan was hanged for his crimes. (I have often thought it a shame that the Magistrate did not sentence Tiernan to be transported to England for a period of time.)

Mary Elizabeth Russell was sentenced to transportation in the Old Bailey for feloniously stealing "a hand* of silk", value 10 shillings, the property of John Dye and Edward Harvey, privily in their shop." She arrived with the 3rd Fleet on the "Mary".

Mary was born 20 Jan 1765 at Holborn, London Borough of Camdebm Greater London and died 25 May 1840, a little more than a year after Edward. They are both buried at St Peter's Anglican Church, RICHMOND NSW, Row 4, Plot 36.

Those tracing their descendance in my direct line are bolded. Dates of recent events have been omitted for personal security reasons. Current generations have enough information to make their own calculations.

* This may refer to the hand process of twisting four threads of silk by fastening them to a hand winder and then to stationary pins 32m-34m away, Once wound, the twisted silk thread would be made into a skein or "hand" as a unit of sale.