Genealogy Forum UK

Other Garratt marriages in Westbury:

Australia Marriage Index, 1788-1949
Name: Samuel Garratt
Spouse Name: Anne North
Marriage Date: 07 Aug 1873
Marriage Place: Tasmania
Registration Place: Westbury, Tasmania
Registration Year: 1873
Registration Number: 641

Australia Marriage Index, 1788-1949 about James Garratt
Name: James Garratt
Spouse Name: Janet Winch
Marriage Date: 23 Nov 1876
Marriage Place: Tasmania
Registration Place: Westbury, Tasmania
Registration Year: 1876
Registration Number: 741

Australia Marriage Index, 1788-1949
Name: Margaret Garratt
Spouse Name: Alexander John Donaldson
Marriage Date: 03 Apr 1883
Marriage Place: Tasmania
Registration Place: Westbury, Tasmania
Registration Year: 1883
Registration Number: 1096

It's quite interesting that a Ben married a Maria Morris, on the criminal records for Jane Harkley, who Ben was given permission to marry, her proper name is listed as Morrison, not so far from Morris. So Harkley was an alias, if this is the case then Jane could have been an alias as well and her real name Hannah Maria. A latter marriage for this pair wouldn't be imposssible.

Ben's will is available on the Tasmanian Archive site, and his probate in the local Tasmanian paper, £163 left to Hannah Maria. Also in the local paper (The Examiner I think !) are details of her death notice and funeral details.

There is a wedding for an Alice Garratt the daughter of the late Benjamin Garratt, so is Alice a latter addition or a different family. How many Ben garratts can there be in Westbury, Tasmania in the late 1800's ? The wedding is also in the Local paper.

There is on IGI a listing for 1827 for an Anna Maria Morrison.

Thanks for that Di, I'm interested for anything else that may turn about Ben and Jane/Hannah.

Here's a memorium from Hannah Maria for Ben from the local paper.

From the Examiner Launceston Tuesday 11 November 1890

In Memorium In fond and loving memory of my dear husbsad,
Benjamin Garrett, who departed this life November 11, 1889, at Exton.

The cup is bitter, the sting severe,
To part with the husband I loved so dear.
The trial Is hard; I'll not complain
I trust in God to meet him again.

Dearest busband, how I miss you
None but loving hearts can tell;
Still your memory I will cherish
Until God calls me to you,

How hard we thought it was to part
From one we loved so dear
We know he suffered agony
For many and many a year.

But he always bore it patiently,
He never did complain,
And though he has gone from those he loved
We know he is free from pain.

Pray the Lord have mercy on his soul.
Inserted by his loving wife,
HANNAH MARIA GARRETT

She was no Shakespeare but the sentiments there.

Is this from one ex convict to another?

We can see from the Examiner that a Benjamin Garrett moved to Westbury in 1858, here his widow is trying to let his blacksmith shop:

TO LET BY TENDER That old established blacksmith's and wheelwright's business at Exton, together with all tools belonging to both trades, carried on so successfully for the last 33 years by the late Benjamin Garrett. A good opening for a steady industrious man. Security will be required for the pay ment of rent. Possession from April 1. Apply to Mrs H. M. GARRETT, Exton. N.B.--The highest or any tender not necessal:ily accepted.
Thursday 26th March 1891.

Can we suppose that being a blacksmith is not that far from a chainmaker?

However non of this links him to a family in the Blackcountry.

Colonial Tasmanian Family Links
http://portal.archives.tas.gov.au/menu.aspx?search=8

GARRETT, BENJAMIN
Marriage/Relationship:
1855 - LONGFORD,Tasmania  
Partner: HARTLEY, JANE [relationship derived from date of birth of first child]

Children:
GARRETT THOMAS 1855 Longford
GARRETT PRISCILLA 1858 Westbury
GARRETT SARAH ANN 1860 Westbury
GARRETT F 1861 Westbury
GARRETT SARAH 1864 Westbury
GARRETT BENJAMIN 1865 Westbury
GARRETT THOMAS 1866 Westbury

GARRETT, BENJAMIN
Marriage/Relationship:
1864 - WESTBURY,Tasmania  
Partner: PRIEST, ELIZABETH [relationship derived from date of birth of first child]

Children:
GARRETT SAMUEL 1864 Westbury
GARRETT JANE 1867 Westbury
GARRETT CATHERINE 1869 Westbury

GARRETT, BENJAMIN
Birth: 1834   
Marriage/Relationship:
1869 - WESTBURY,Tasmania  
Spouse: MORRIS, MARIA (Marriage record available)

Children:
GARRETT STEPHEN 1870 Westbury
GARRETT ISABELLA EDITH 1871 Westbury (see below)
GARRETT HANNAH MARIA 1873 Westbury
GARRETT EMILY MAUD 1878 Westbury

GARRETT, ISABELLA EDITH
Birth: 1871 - WESTBURY,Tasmania
Marriage/Relationship: 1897 - WESTBURY,Tasmania  
Spouse: MASTERS, CHARLES HENRY
Parents:
GARRETT BENJAMIN
MORRIS MARIA

Children:
MASTERS ALICE MAUD 1897 RINGAROOMA,Tasmania
MASTERS BENJAMIN ROY 1899 WESTBURY,Tasmania

Well that settles which Benjamin married Hannah Maria, so what happened to Ben and Jane?

Thanks for all that work Di.

Hmmm- this is the Benjamin who married (Hannah) Maria Morris:
TWG1947 wrote:

We can see from the Examiner that a Benjamin Garrett moved to Westbury in 1858 -

And looking at the children of Benjamin Garrett and Jane Hartley,
Thomas was born in 1855 at Longford and Prsicilla in 1858 at Westbury, so it looks like Benjamin & Jane moved to Westbury between 1855 and 1858.

I dunno, it looks like the same Benjamin had children by Jane Hartley and married Hannah Maria Morris.

But then, a Benjamin Garrett had children by Elizabeth Priest, christened at Westbury in 1864, 1867 and 1869.

Were there 2 Benjamin Garretts in Westbury of around the same age, or was Benjamin "spreading the love"?

Don't take the Colonial Tasmanian Family Links as gospel.

I have found many an error in it and it is compiled without any real cross checking.

I have a lot of Tasmanian records including all of the BDM.

The records I have are more detailed than they put on Ancestry.

Anything specific we want to check?

On the Convict Permission To Marry, he applied to marry Jane Hartley and it passed onto the "clergyman" for approval on the 16/11/1853.

Reverand Bishton received the request for approval on the 11/01/1854.

He recommended the marraige on the 22/02/1854 but there is no record of the marriage which would have been noted on the form if it occured.

I have looked in the parish register, the Australian Vital Records and the Tasmanian and N.S.W. BDM.

No marriage took place.

Maria was a lot younger then Benjamin and his age look a bit dodgy...

Digger - Tasmanian Pioneer Index 1803-1899

Surname: GARRETT
Given Names: BENJAMIN
Event: Marriage
Father/Spouse Surname: MORRIS
Mother/Spouse Given Names: MARIA
Day: 25
Month: 1
Year: 1869
Age: 35
Sex: M
Spouse Age: 20
Spouse Sex: F
Registration Place: WESTBURY
Registration Number: 639/1869
Reference: RGD 37

If Ben didn't marry Jane Harkley (whose real name was Morrison) is there any record of her death?
Or did they part or did he just ditch her to marry Maria Morris? and what happened to their 2 surviving children?

Just for information - Westbury and Longford are both in the north of Tasmania near Launceston, and about 30 km apart.

It wasn't unusual for convicts not to marry after applying for the licence.

A lot of them would be commiting bigamy but most clergymen ignored the possibility.

Sometimes the fear of a bigamy charge, when they are trying to get a pardon, stopped them from proceeding.

A lot of the women were also co-habitating with more than one man.

This was a natural result of the ratio of men to women and although officially frowned upon, was prefereable to large numbers of brothels or, God forbid, ment turning ot homosexuality.

This is the marriage in the "The Mercury"

Digger - Tasmanian Pioneer Index 1803-1899

Surname: GARRATT
Given Names: ALICE MAUD
Event: Marriage
Father/Spouse Surname: DINGWALL
Mother/Spouse Given Names: ALEXANDER
Day: 23
Month: 5
Year: 1891
Age: 25
Sex: F
Spouse Age: 33
Spouse Sex: M
Registration Place: HOBART
Registration Number: 349/1891
Reference: RGD 37

That makes her birth about 1866.

This is the only birth that comes close...

Digger - Tasmanian Pioneer Index 1803-1899

Surname: GARRARD
Given Names: ALICE MAUD
Event: Birth
Father/Spouse Surname: JAMES
Mother/Spouse Given Names: COOK ANN
Day: 02
Month: 8
Year: 1867
Age:
Sex: F
Spouse Age:
Spouse Sex:
Registration Place: HOBART
Registration Number: 9482/1867
Reference: RGD 33

Changing the name from Garrett to Garrard I can live with. Not ususual for an ex-convict to change their name.

Jamea? Ann Cook? Hobart?

Considering Benjamin Jnr was born in 1866 I think Alice was unlikely to be Ben and Hannah Maria's.

Could be one of these...but there are many other Alice Maud born around that time in Tassie.

Digger - Tasmanian Pioneer Index 1803-1899

Surname: GLENN
Given Names: ALICE MAUD CAROLINE
Event: Birth
Father/Spouse Surname: ARCHIBALD
Mother/Spouse Given Names: KRAFF CHRISTINA
Day: 21
Month: 9
Year: 1866
Age:
Sex: F
Spouse Age:
Spouse Sex:
Registration Place: WESTBURY
Registration Number: 1626/1866
Reference: RGD 33

Digger - Tasmanian Pioneer Index 1803-1899

Surname: BEST
Given Names: ALICE MAUD MARY
Event: Birth
Father/Spouse Surname: CHARLES
Mother/Spouse Given Names: ROBINSON MARY
Day: 13
Month: 2
Year: 1864
Age:
Sex: F
Spouse Age:
Spouse Sex:
Registration Place: WESTBURY
Registration Number: 1831/1864
Reference: RGD 33

So Benjamin is probabaly the son of this Shelah
http://bcconnections.tribalpages.com/fa ... att-Family

but bapt with mother Sarah

Sarah Elizabeth?
Elizabeth Sarah maybe

did you ever look that 1845 marriage up at st thom just to see wits?

Yes the 1845 marriage wits were Joseph Hill and James Guest.

To be honest I wouldn't like to say it was this Ben.

Interestingly enough the marriage of his father (Shelah 1781) was to an Elizabeth Barnett, however on an offer to buy (the cottage he lived in at Netherton Hill) document from the Earl of Dudley's estate, dated 1847, he says the previous tenant was his mother-in-law Elizabeth Dace ( the hand writing is poor so could be Dacer or Dale).



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