Mary (Parker) Small (abt. 1758 - 1824)

Born about 26 Aug 1758 in Chelsea, London, England [uncertain]

Ancestors

Wife of John Small — married 12 Oct 1788 in Sydney, New South Wales, Australia

Descendants

Died 4 Apr 1824 at about age 65 in Kissing Point, New South Wales, Australia

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First Fleet, Australia, 1788

Biography

Mary (Parker) Small was a convict on the First Fleet.

Baptism

Date: 03 SEP 1758

Place: St. Luke's Church of Eng. Chelsea, London ^[1]

Quoted from the Book "The Smalls"

Mary Parker was in service in the house of John Hickman and was accused of stealing two of Mrs Hickman's tablecloths, value of 5s in April 1785. She was held in New Prison, Clerkenwell for six months before her trial on 21 September 1785. She was sentenced to a further 6 months confinement. She was employed during this period as a prison nurse and her prison term would have ended on 24 March 1786.

It was only a few weeks later when she apparently stole again from her old employer!

Mary Parker was tried in the Old Bailey at the Sessions, which began 26 April 1786 for "burglariously and feloniously breaking and entering the dwelling house of John Hickman", about the hour of eleven in the night, on the 19th of April last, and burglariously stealing therein, two muslin gowns and coats, value 40s, a cotton gown, value 10s, three cotton frocks, value 4s, a callico bedgown, value 2s, four pair of cotton pockets, value 4s, eleven shirts, value £3 , one shift, value 2s and one diaper clout, value 6d, his property." She was found guilty of stealing, but not of burglary and was sentenced to be transported to parts beyond the sea for 7 years.

For the next eight months she was held in Newgate prison before embarking on 6 January 1787 on the Lady Penrhyn for transport to botany Bay. She arrived in Australia in the "Lady Penrhyn" on 26 Jan 1788.

Mary Parker & John Small were married in the presence of Samuel Barnes & Thomas Akers on Sunday 12 October 1788. Richard Johnson was the Chaplain officiating.

Family lore says she was employed as a servant at the Governor's residence during her first year in the colony.

John and Mary's first child Rebecca was born in 1789, and they settled at the Eastern Boundary Farms in 1794. By 1806, they had seven children. Mary Parker accidentally drowned in a water hole on their property at Kissing Point on 4th April, 1824.^[2][3]

Note: This record is a duplicate of Mary Parker - they have not yet been merged as research is needed into which set of parents should be attached.

Mary Parker was born on about the 26th of August, 1758, at Chelsea, England, and christened at St. Lukes Church, Chelsea on the 3rd of September, 1758.

Mary Parker was transported as a convict to Australia aboard the "Lady Penrhyn", a ship was built in 1786 on the Thames River, the ship was 333 tons,103' foot long and 27' wide. The Master of the ship was William Cropton. Like the "Charlotte" on which John Small was transported the "Lady Penrhyn" carried on to China where she was loaded with tea for the East India Company and returned to London where both she and the "Charlotte" were sold and went on the London-Jamaica run.

She was convicted at London on the 26th of April, 1786 for 7 years transportation. She has been "in service" and was convicted of "privately stealing". She was 28 years of age in 1787. She was charged with breaking and entering the home of John Hickman about 11pm on the 19th of April and stole two muslin gowns and coats valued at 40s, a cotton gown valued at 10s, three cotton frocks valued at 4s, a calico bed gown values at 2s, four pairs of cotton pockets, eleven shirts and other items. She was found guilty of stealing but not of the burglary. Lady Penrhyn sailed from Plymouth, Devon, England, on Sunday, 13 May 1787 being part of the First Fleet to New South Wales. They arrived in Botany Bay on 26 January 1788.

Mary was reportedly a 'caring' person and plans could have been made for her at either the hospital of government house. Legend has always placed her as a servant a government house.

Mary married John Small, also a transported convict, on 12th.October 1788 and it appears that they lived in a hut at Parramatta before John received his initial grant at Eastern Farm in 1794.

The "Smalls" had seven children between 1789 and 1804. Mary Small was tragically drowned when she fell into the well on the family property on 4th April 1824- aged 65.

Mary was buried at St Annes Church Ryde and memorial was removed to Field of Mars Cemetery in 1979.

Sources

1. ↑ "England Births and Christenings, 1538-1975", database, FamilySearch (https://familysearch.org/ark:/61903/1:1:NP7T-TBJ : 19 March 2020)
2. ↑ SHIP NEWS. (1824, April 8). The Sydney Gazette and New South Wales Advertiser (NSW : 1803 - 1842), p. 2. Retrieved November 19, 2017, from http://nla.gov.au/nla.news-article2182775
   Drowned, at Kissing Point, on the evening of Sunday last, Mrs. Mary Small. An Inquest sat on the body. Verdict-Drowned by Accident.
3. ↑ OLD GRAVE FOUND. (1936, June 26). The Sydney Morning Herald (NSW : 1842 - 1954), p. 18. Retrieved November 19, 2017, from http://nla.gov.au/nla.news-article17246044

• Cobley, John (1970) The Crimes of the First Fleet Convicts. Angus & Robertson Publishers. ISBN 0 207 14562 8
• Reakes, J., comp Title: Australian Convict Index, 1788-1868 Publication: Name: Online publication - Provo, UT, USA: The Generations Network, Inc., 2001.Original data - 1788-1868 Convict Records. Records kept at the New South Wales State Records Office, P.O. Box R625, Royal Exchange, NSW 2000; at the Archives Office of Tasmania, 77 Mu;
• Australian Convict Transportation Registers – First Fleet, 1787-1788 Publication: Name: Online publication - Provo, UT, USA: The Generations Network, Inc., 2007.Original data - Home Office: Convict Transportation Registers; (The National Archives Microfilm Publication HO11); The National Archives of the UK (TNA), Kew, Surrey, England.Records.

• First conviction: Old Bailey Proceedings Online (http://www.oldbaileyonline.org, version 7.2, 30 April 2017), September 1785, trial of MARY PARKER (t17850914-138)
• Second conviction: Old Bailey Proceedings Online (http://www.oldbaileyonline.org, version 7.2, 30 April 2017), April 1786, trial of MARY PARKER (t17860426-4)
• NSW marriage registration #63/1788 V178863 4
• "The Small Family in Australia 2012" Database & Book. |The John and Mary Small Descendants Association. [1]
• [2] | Convict Records website.| Australian Joint Copying Project. Microfilm Roll 87, Class and Piece Number HO11/1, Page Number 10 Old Bailey on line
• [3] | Findagrave.com has details and photographs of the memorial plaques in the Field of Mars Cemetery, Ryde.

Acknowledgments

• Thanks to Kerrie Christian for starting this profile. Click the Changes tab for the details of contributions by Kerrie and others.

• Parker-13427 was created by Peter McHugh through the import of Ancestors of Alma Small.ged on Jun 2, 2014.