Francis McCrohan (abt. 1812 - 1881)

Born about 1812 in County Cork, Ireland

Descendants

Died 1881 at about age 69 in Oak Harbor, Island, Washington, United States

Problems/Questions Profile manager: Deborah Cronau [send private message]

Biography

[Notes from Perry Doner copied from FindaGrave]

Francis McCrohan grew up in Ireland but on July 28, 1831, he was tried in the Kerry Azzizes and sentenced to life for stealing lamb & sugar. So, for stealing food, he was sentenced to life! (Tralee Mercury 30.07.1831 and Kerry Evening Post 03.08.1831).

Francis was sent to Australia aboard the convict ship "City of Edinburgh" leaving Cork, Ireland on Mar. 18th of the following year, arriving in Sydney June 27th. From the ship 'City of Edinburgh' Convict Indent papers, we know he was a tall redhead, and was an indoor servant and coachman who could read and write (which if I understand Irish laws at the time was a crime for servants).

In the Spring of 1837, 5 years after he was shipped to Australia, Francis married Grace Mullen who was 11 years his junior. I'm a bit confused as to how Grace arrived in Australia herself, though. Was she also a convict, or did she come over specifically to marry Francis? Grace did not arrive in Australia until March 15, 1836 aboard the "James Pattison". It was a convict ship also, which I show taking prisoners in 1831 & 1837, but not 1836. Francis & Grace published a marriage bann and were married the following year when Francis was 31 and Grace was 18 or 19. They had 10 children, all born in New South Wales.

In 1841, Francis was recruited to track the notoriously classy Australian Bushranger, Jackey Jackey. Jackey Jackey was a true Aussie legend akin Wild Bill Hickok, who was taming America at the time. Francis parlayed the capture of this feat into a conditional pardon and soon became a constable (from a convict)!

In 1858, he emigrated to Whidbey Island with his family and there was never again any mention of his convict past. Grace and Francis buried it admirably. They were determined to make a new start in America, and the only way any family found out about this is due to the outstanding genealogical work by Mary Margaret (O'Leary) Lam. Francis became a farmer on Whidbey Island, Washington Territory, where he died a free man and was buried in Pioneer Burial Park in Oak Harbor, Washington.

Nobody there ever knew his past convict life, and in fact, their daughter married into a line of Maine bluebloods, the Morse family. Their emigration to America was 30 years before Washington Territory became a state, and their daughter's husband would serve 4 terms in its legislature.

Sources

• https://www.findagrave.com/memorial/104124989/francis-mccrohan

https://www.ancestry.com.au/genealogy/records/francis-mc-crohan-24-wg561?geo_a=r&o_iid=41019&o_lid=41019&o_sch=Web+Property