Descendants of Richard Weeks by Rhonda Brownlow and Monica Jones
[email protected] Generation No. 1 RICHARD 2 W EEKS (T HOMAS 1) was born Abt. 1810 in Hanley Dorset England, and died 04 Sep 1868 in Redbank Taralga NSW Rg 4108. Burial: Stonequarry Cemetery Taralga He married M ARY A NN B RADLEY 31 Jul 1833 in St. Giles Parish Dorset England. She was born 1813 in Henley Dorset England, and died 11 Apr 1876 in Bolong NSW Rg 06225. Journey to Australia Times were extremely hard in the south of England during the 1830s. Hundreds wandered the countryside looking for work and something to eat. The sheer poverty and hardships drove many thousands to gather together their belongings and emigrate to America and Australia. Because the Australian Emigration Agent in London had been offering ' free passage to New South Wales' for men and their wives under 30 years, interest in that developing new land was intense. A handout bill being circulated at that time by the Emigration Agent, stated there was 'an extensive and urgent' demand for carpenters, joiners, stonemasons and cutters, bricklayers, plasterers, blacksmiths, wheelwrights, glaziers, agricultural servants, shepherds and gardeners. Hundreds of families responded to the Bill and their moves were made that much easier following special 'Poor Laws' enacted by King William IV which ensured anyone in need could be given passage to a British Colony. Edward Macarthur son of merino sheep pioneer John Macarthur of Camden New South Wales, was visiting England around that time, recruiting suitable workers for the Macarthur farms in Australia 1.