My Gt Gt Gt Grandfather was William Gordon. He came to Australia with his wife and children in 1842 on the “Wilson”. On William’s shipping record, his parents names are given as David and Mary Gordon. Nothing is more is definitively known about William’s parents.
There was a John Gordon who came to Australia from County Down, Ireland in 1838 with his wife, Jane, and children on the “Mandarin”. On his shipping papers, it states that his parents were David Gordon and Mary Dean. The naming pattern of John’s children resembles the naming pattern of some of William’s family. John and his family settled in the Bungonia area, before moving to the Berrima district.
In 1823 John Gordon’s father, David was convicted of passing a forged note and sentenced to transportation for life. He was then 53 years old. He was assigned to James Hassal of Bathurst, and because of his good behaviour the government paid for Mary and some of his children to join him in 1828. David and Mary had 9 children, to date I have been able to identify 6 of these children:
- John (1796-1874)
- Margaret (1804-?)
- Joseph (1806-?)
- Agnes (1808-1865)
- Samuel (1811-1882)
- Sarah (1816-1828)
As mentioned previously, John arrived on the Mandarin in 1838. The other children listed above arrived with their mother on the “Sir Joseph Banks. Sarah died on board the ship. David died at Parramatta in 1841.
Further research is required on this family, to determine if this David was William’s father.
