Mary (Smith) Sheers (abt. 1762 - 1792)

Born about 1762 in England [uncertain]

Wife of James Sheers — married 21 Feb 1788 in Sydney, New South Wales, Australia

Descendants

Died 9 Dec 1792 at about age 30 in Norfolk Island, Australia

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Biography

Mary (Smith) Sheers was a convict on the First Fleet.

Mary Smith was born about 1762. She passed away in 1792.

Mary Smith was convicted at the Old Bailey in London for stealing a pair of boots from a shop, and originally sentenced to death on 31 May 1786. In the trial she described herself as a mantuamaker (dressmaker). The trial at the Old Bailey can be seen here.^[1]

On 4 January 1787 she had her sentence commuted to transportation to the New South Wales penal colony for 7 years. She was delivered to the ship Lady Penrhyn on 26 January 1787. Surgeon Bowes recorded her age as 25.^[2]

Mary Smith arrived at Sydney Cove on the Lady Penrhyn, part of the First Fleet, in January 1788.

She married fellow First Fleeter James Scheers, on 21st February 1788 at Sydney Cove. The register of St Philip's Church of England, Sydney recorded James Sheers, (signed) and Mary Smith, (marked X), married by Richard Johnson, Chaplain. Witnesses were James Macky, (marked X) and Samuel Barnes (signed). On the register was the notation: "Marriage by permission of His Excellency Arthur Phillip".^[3]

On 4 March 1790 James and Mary were sent to Norfolk Island on the Sirius. James was a butcher on Norfolk Island.

They had a daughter, Mary Ann, on 14 August 1791 on Norfolk Island,^[4] (or on 4 August 1789 in Sydney according to another biographer).^[5]

Mary Sheers died on 9 December 1792 (according to some biographers).^[4] She was marked as dead by the end of December 1792 on the Norfolk Island victualling list.^[2]

After Mary’s death, James lived with Elizabeth Wishaw, (convict Lady Juliana 1790). Elizabeth adopted Mary and James’s child Mary Ann, as the Norfolk Island Victualling Book entries have her name "Mary Ann Wishaw".^[6]

Her daughter Mary Ann had a defacto relationship with Captain John Piper of the New South Wales Corps, Commandant of Norfolk Island. Their marriage was not ratified until 1816 after they already had a few children together.

Sources

1. ↑ Old Bailey Proceedings Online (www.oldbaileyonline.org, version 8.0, 08 June 2022), May 1786, trial of MARY SMITH (t17860531-3)
2. ↑ ^{2.0 2.1} Gillen, Mollie, The Founders of Australia : A Biographical Dictionary of the First Fleet, 1989, p.336.
3. ↑ St Philip's Church of England, Sydney NSW: Church Register - Marriages; ML ref: Reel SAG 90, quoted in Biographical Database of Australia (BDA) (subscription required) https://www.bda-online.org.au/mybda/search/biographical-report/10011062901?f=james&l=sheers&ol=&i=3&s=&p= accessed 21 May 2021.
4. ↑ ^{4.0 4.1} Dunn, Cathy. Norfolk Island Births and Baptisms : 1789 to 1791 / Written by Cathy Dunn. 2021, p.10.
5. ↑ Born 4th August 1789 at Sydney according to Biographies from the 1788-1820 Pioneer Association, cited in Biographical Database of Australia (BDA) https://www.bda-online.org.au/mybda/search/biographical-report/91041094101?f=mary%20ann&l=sheers&ol=&i=3&s=&p=
6. ↑ Cathy Dunn, "James Sheers, Convict, Scarborough 1788 and Mary Smith, Convict Lady Penryhn 1788," in HMS Sirius, https://hmssirius.com.au/james-sheers-convict-scarborough-1788-and-mary-smith-convict-lady-penryhn-1788/, accessed May 20, 2021.

• Mary Smith, one of 262 convicts transported on the Lady Penrhyn, Scarborough and Alexander, January 1787 from the Convict Records website at: https://convictrecords.com.au/convicts/smith/mary/71936

• Details for the convict Mary Smith (1788) from the Claim a Convict website at: http://hawkesbury.net.au/claimaconvict/convictDetails.php?convictId=12797

• The Digital Panopticon Mary Smith b. 1762, Life Archive ID obpt17860531-3-defend70 (https://www.digitalpanopticon.org/life?id=obpt17860531-3-defend70). Version 1.2, consulted 18th January 2020.

• Lady Penrhyn from the Fellowship of First Fleeters website at: http://www.fellowshipfirstfleeters.org.au/ship_ladypen.htm

• Smith, Mary from the Convict Stockade at: http://www.historyaustralia.org.au/twconvic/915

• Mary Smith 1762–1792 from the Australian Royalty website at: https://australianroyalty.net.au/individual.php?pid=I63137&ged=purnellmccord.ged

• Cathy Dunn, "James Sheers, Convict, Scarborough 1788 and Mary Smith, Convict Lady Penryhn 1788," in HMS Sirius, https://hmssirius.com.au/james-sheers-convict-scarborough-1788-and-mary-smith-convict-lady-penryhn-1788/, accessed June 8, 2022.