John Henry Montgomery (abt. 1794 - 1864)

Born about 1794 in Jonesborough , Armagh, Ireland

Descendants

Died 1864 at about age 70 in Windsor, New South Wales, Australia

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Biography

John was born in the north of Ireland into a Roman Catholic family. He was apprenticed as a young man as a cooper and so should have had expectations to a life of greater financial comfort than his neighbours, tenant farmers and farm labourers.

In the late 1790's a rebellion broke out against the Anglo protestant rulers of Ireland with continuing unrest in the countryside for the next 20 years. John as a young man was convicted (1817) of taking part in the robbery and home invasion of a landowner in his local area. Why did John take part, was this an act of rebellion or a plain robbery? His accomplices were tenant farmers and the landlord had just increased their rent. The robbery was organised and there is some evidence that they were armed and had been drilling. At the time of John's trial others were being tried for setting up armed bands, drilling like a militia and causing riot against the authorities. John's trial seems to have been conducted on the basis that the robbery had deeper motives. He was sentenced to transportation for life not the usual 7 years.

The voyage to Australia (Ship Tyne) is recorded, there was an attempted mutiny by the convicts on board. He arrived in Sydney (1819) and was immediately sent to the Windsor convict gang. John spent the rest of his life around Windsor, NSW. John appears to have been well thought of by his overseers and the records show him attempting to use references and his record of good behaviour to gain conditional freedom to ply his trade as a cooper, in NSW. Unlike the vast majority of his fellow convicts John was refused even though skilled workers like John were in short supply. Instead John seems to have been forced to work with the Windsor gang for over a decade and only gaining conditional freedom in 1840.

In the early 1830's and still a convict, John may have been allowed a level of limited freedom. He and Sarah (Sally) Donnelly, also from the north of Ireland started a relationship with their first child born in 1833. Other children follow with a break for several years after 1838 - this may be due to Sally's imprisonment. In 1841 the couple were reunited. In total they had six children together.

The couple never married. this was probably due to John's status as a convict when they first met and the fact that Sally had been married as a convict by the authorities - in an Anglican ceremony many years before. Her first husband a recently freed convict had disappeared after she had born him two children only one of whom survived.

Sally died an alcoholic in Darlinghurst gaol in 1856. John died a pauper still living around Windsor in 1864.

John and Sally's life together and the names of their children are attested to by his death certificate. John and Sally represent the underclass of non aboriginal colonial society. As such they lived largely outside the law. Records of their activities are scarce and in some cases don't align, perhaps on purpose.

Given the contradictory nature and paucity of records DNA results (eagerly awaited) will be used to confirm or disprove relationships.

Sources

• Death certificate. Immigration record Australia, criminal record Ireland and Australia, convict administration records Australia