DENNIS' ANCESTORS Sarah BRAME (nee KNIGHT) - convict - was the first ancestor in Dennis' line to arrive in Australia. She arrived VDL (Tasmania) 10 August 1832 on the convict ship "HYDERY" Her husband William followed her to Australia as a free man, having been tried for the same crimes as his wife, and acquitted. He departed 19 March 1832 on board the ship "ELIZA II" and arrived Sydney, NSW on 6 September 1832. He then travelled to Tasmania on the Brig "BEE" which departed Sydney 15 September 1832 and arrived in Hobart 25 September. William's two daughters - Sarah and Rebecca - (step-daughters of his 2nd wife Sarah) came on the convict ship with her. The next ancestor to arrive was Thomas LEWIS - convict - who sailed to Australia on the "AUGUSTA JESSIE", arriving VDL (Tasmania) 22 January 1835. Patrick MCSHEEHY and his wife Deborah (Gobinette) nee Sheehan and their daughter Ellen Agnes arrived in South Australia on the "MARY DUGDALE" on 1 October 1840. The BEST family was the next to arrive in Australia - Charles and his wife Maria nee Cousins, their children Henry, Jane, Anne, William and Sara, and Henry's wife Virtue nee Williams - arrived Portland, Vic. on the "BRITISH EMPIRE" on 6 June 1849. Next came the "WILHELMINA MARIA" from Hamburg, Germany bearing Gottlieb Andreas SCHUETZE and his wife Maria Dorothea nee Roediger with sons Gottlieb Wilhelm, Carl Friedrich and Friedrich Eduard. They arrived in South Australia on 30 August 1849. Also from Hamburg, Germany was the "LIVONIA" which arrived 20 March 1850 at Holdfast Bay, SA. On board were Lorenz WILKE and his wife Marienne Louise nee Gruhmann and their children Agnes Wilhelmine, Hermann Leonard Julius, Rudolf Daniel and Louisa. Marienne was carrying her fifth child Margaret Livonia who was born a month after the family arrived. The name of the ship was given to Margaret as her middle name; it was also later used as the name for the Wilke family home at Port MacDonnell, SA. The latest (and final) discovery of ancestors to arrive "Down Under" was that of the CURRAN family. I had seen an entry for them arriving on the "RELIANCE" in 1851 but couldn't find them listed....! And no wonder, finally they materialized under the surname of KIRRANE and again as KERRANE. Michael, wife Margaret nee Kelly and children Ellen, John, Michael & Nancy (all from Ireland) arrived at Port Adelaide, SA on 13 September 1851 the ship having left Liverpool UK on 10 June 1851, and Plymouth UK on 16 June. Simon COSTELLO was next to arrive - at Port Adelaide on 20 February 1852 - on board the "AMAZON" with his parents Michael and Maria (nee ?) and siblings Patrick, Martin, Mary (or Margaret?), Thomas, Phillip and John. Last but not least to come to our fair shores was Michael O'NEIL. His Obituary states he came to Australia on the “LORD RAGLAN” in 1856, but he is not shown anywhere on the comprehensive Passenger List. However Michael O'Neil, labourer aged 26 is shown arriving South Australia from County Clare, Ireland on the "ESCORT" on 9 August 1859. I feel this is ‘our’ Michael..... He married Ellen Agnes McSheehy 5 December 1859, in Gawler, SA. She had been in the country since 1840, gave her place of residence at time of Marriage as Sandy Creek, as did Michael. They were possibly both working for the same employer - said to have been a Doctor. We now know the country of origin, ship, date and place of arrival in Australia for each of Dennis' ancestors....

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