Here is an opening piece of information:
Thomas [aged 35] and Mary (O'Niel or O'Neil?) [aged 33] emigrated to Australia aboard the Albatross with their children Mary aged 15 and John aged 10. They sailed from Kingston, Dublin on 23rd July 1841 and arrived in Sydney on 30th November 1841 carrying immigrants under the Bounty Scheme. Four days into the voyage, Mary gave birth to son Thomas Nicholas Higgins. The voyage took 130 days. The shipping records show Thomas' and Mary's religion as Roman Catholic. Thomas is listed as being a farmer, aged 35. Mary, 33 is shown as being a house servant. Their previous place of residences was Tuam, Roscommon, Ireland.
The master of the Albatross was Wm. Boult. On board were 145 female passenger and 87 male passengers aged over 15 [Adults] ; Children aged 14-7, 11 males, 7 females, children under 7; 11 males 15 females travelling under the Bounty Scheme. Seven babies were born on the voyage. 2 female adults died, 1 male and 1 female under 7 years of age also died. Divine Service was held 12 times, owing to bad weather. A school was held which was attended by 6 adults and 25 children. Shipping records claim the provisions were of the best quality. The principal occupation and amusement for the passengers was singing and dancing.
There was a large number of single females traveling on the Albatross and these were under the protection of various male passengers and sometimes their wives. It would appear that the following young women were under the protection of Thomas and Mary Higgins:
Sally Kenny, Sally Cohen, Ellen Fain [?], Bridget Walsh, Bridget Carving, Bridget Carey.
As the writing is very poor in places, it is hard to read some of these names.
Shipping records show that Thomas and Mary were brought out by Mr Alexander Campbell, Esquire.
Thomas and Mary settled in the Maitland district of NSW at Brooks Flats.
I have found his grave and it is still in fair condition. He has many descendants here in Australia.
plkoz
Saturday 19th Dec 2015, 02:56AMMessage Board Replies
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plkoz:
Welcome to Ireland Reaching Out!
The Tuam RC church records go back to 1790 for baptisms but there is a gap between 1804 and 1811 and possibly your Thomas and Mary are in the gap period. You should be able to locate the marriage record if they were married at the Tuam church. http://registers.nli.ie/parishes/1082
Roger McDonnell
Castlemore Roscommon, IrelandXO Volunteer ☘
Saturday 19th Dec 2015, 03:45PM -
Plkoz
Thomas Higgins & Mary O'Neill Marriage record in Tuam 17th Jan 1827 (Witnesses: Pat O'Neill & Sally Fahy).
Children born as follows, Mary 7th Sept 1828 (Sponsors Charles Feeney & Mary Feeney), John 6th May 1831 (Sps. Patt O'Neill & Margaret Higgins) and Bridget 25th October 1833 (Sps.James Brennan & Sally Neill). There are two sortations some sometimes difficult to follow Tuam records, main records for Cathedral and second book been used relates to a smaller church within parish.
As Pat O'Neill was both Witness at Marriage and sponsor of child, Thomas Higgins may have been an only son or other family members had emigrated prior to his Marriage.
Charles Feeney & Mary Higgins had a Son Daniel 30 December 1815, Mary possible a sister of Thomas & sponsor of child above.
Do you have the shipping list, were there other families from the Tuam area. My own GGGrandparents from Tuam area, emigrated / settled in Bathurst in 1839, quite a large group emigrated together of extended family members.
Regards
Gerard, Parish Liaison Lackagh
Saturday 19th Dec 2015, 08:58PM -
Thanks Roger and Gerlish.
I have been out of Sydney just before Christmas and am just catching up on various messages.
I hope that Christmas was a blessing for you and that 2016 brigs peace and prosperity.
Gerlish I will search the shipping records and let you know.
By the way, the Higgins line is my mother's line. My father, Victor Shaw Kirkwood, came from Belfast.
He was raised Presbyterian but converted to Catholic when he came to Australia. He stayed at a boarding house in North Sydney, just across the water from the present day iconic Opera House. His land lady Ellen Higgins was a fervent Catholic and she "converted" him! Then he married one of the daughters, Catherine Agnes. She was one of 13 children and I am the youngest of her 6! Named Patrick of course!
It is fascinating piecing all this together.
Thanks again.plkoz
Sunday 27th Dec 2015, 02:47PM -
For Gerlish
The ship was "Albatross". It arrived in Sydney on November 30th 1841.
The full record of passengers can be seen at
http://srwww.records.nsw.gov.au/ebook/list.asp?series=NRS5316&item=4_47…
This is an online microfiche and the handwriting is some times hard to decipher.
However, if you know the names of your relatives you should be able to find them.
All the best
Patrick Kplkoz
Monday 28th Dec 2015, 02:21PM -
Thomas Higgins born on the Albatross is my great grandfather.
Sunday 26th Nov 2017, 10:41AM -
Just wanted to say that the opening post by PLKOZ has been cut and pasted from my website: http://www.lintywhite.com/higgins2.html I have been building my family history website for over 20 years and whilst I have no issue with descendants using the information I do ask that they acknowledge my website as the source so that others know where it has come from. I think this is only fair. It also allows fellow researchers to visit my webpages, as I update the information as new discoveries come to hand. Furthermore the above extract is only part of my research on the Higgins family that you will find there.
Kind Regards to All,
Jenny
Lintywhite
Tuesday 28th Nov 2017, 09:16PM -
Hi All. Here is an email which I received on 15/03/2016 from Jenny thanking me for informing her about this website (IrelandXO). I am all for cooperation and I thought I had told her that I would post her information on this website for others to see. If I did not consciously attribute the info to her I regret that omission which was not intentional. I trust that she has remembered my informing her about IrrelandXO.
PLK
<<Hi Patrick,
Thank you for thinking of me and passing on the details of Ireland Reaching Out. I haven't come across it before but I think it will be very useful.
I am currently exploring the Catholic records that have been released by the National Library of Ireland. I have numerous Irish Catholic families in my tree and also in my husbands tree and it has been wonderful to finally be able to search the Irish records. I've also been using them to try and untangle some of the other Irish families who lived in the Maitland area and intermarried with my own. Lots to keep me busy.
Kind Regards,
Jenny…>>plkoz
Wednesday 29th Nov 2017, 11:57AM