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John was born in Portsea, the eldest known child in his family. His father was a soldier, one of the first generation of Irish Catholics allowed to join the British military. Portsea was a naval port for the military.
John spent his toddler years in Hampshire. His brother William was born in 1836 in Gosport, just across the water from Portsea. William has not been located since his baptism. If he had died in Hampshire, there is a good chance that his death record would have been found.
At some point John's mother possibly went to Athlone in County Westmeath, where John's second known brother Edward was born in 1837. It is not known whether John's father was stationed here. However, an alternative birth date of Kilrush, Clare, has been located for Edward which seems equally plausible.
John's brother George was born in about 1843 in a location not known.
In 1843, John travelled with his family to Australia on the Cressy, a convict ship on which his father served as a guard. The Cressy left England on 30th April 1843 and arrived in Hobart on 20th August 1843. A four month trip was better than most in that decade.
It is not known how long John's family stayed in Hobart Town, but in 1846 they travelled to the Brisbane Military Barracks, where John's brother Henry was born. John was aged 12, old enough to understand and enjoy or dislike the move. Coming from Hobart, and England before that, the Queensland climate must have been a shock.
Another brother, Thomas, was born in 1848, location not known. John was now fourteen and old enough to work.
Next, the O'Keefe family moved back to Tasmania. John's youngest brothers were born here, one of them dying as a toddler.
John became a shoemaker.
John married Mary Ann Johnson. To date, no formal marriage has been located. It is probable that they met and married in another state and moved to Tasmania after 1856 when their eldest son James was born.
Mary Ann appears to have been the eldest daughter of a somewhat notorious convict family who lived in Hobart, not an easy family to know. John's family's views on the union can only be guessed at from this distance, but perhaps John's own can be deduced from this newspaper article:
The Hobart Town Mercury Feb 1857: [1]
Maintenance.-John O'Keefe was charged by his wife with leaving her unprovided for. It appeared that her husband had taken his passage for England, informing his better half that he was only going for a trip down the Tasmanian Channel, whereas his destination was the Irish Channel. The man had a large sum of money upon him when apprehended. Mr Burgess, who knew the circumstance of the case, said that O'Keefe's conduct was very bad.
As the man consented to maintain his wile, and take her with him to Melbourne, Sydney, or Ireland if she liked, the bench merely bound him over to keep her and the peace at the same time.
Mary Ann's father's name was James. It is not known why John did not name a son after his own father. It is possible that he did, and the birth has not been discovered.
Sometime before 1861 John and Mary Ann moved to New Norfolk where he employed his trade. They lived on Hamilton Rd at New Norfolk and John's brother Henry appears to have lived with them.
John's second known child, William, was born in 1861 and Henry was the informant of the birth. John's occupation is given as shoemaker.
The last known son of John and Mary Ann was Henry Arthur, born in 1866 in Hobart. His birth registration states his father was a shoemaker. John was the informant of the birth, giving his address as Liverpool St, Hobart.
1871: IMPUDENT THEFT [2] - Charles Gorman was charged by Detective Vickers with stealing on the 9th inst, a pair of slipper canvas uppers (3s) belonging to John O'Keefe.
Prosecutor was in the shop of Mr Elliot, Collins-street, about noon on the day in question; prisoner came into the shop and was served with some resin, and after he left O'Keefe missed the uppers which he had just before put on the counter. He informed Constable Loring, who apprehended Gorman in Barrack-street, with the stolen property tied up in a handkerchief. Prisoner was drunk.
Prisoner said he was discharged from the gaol on the 9th inst, when he drank a glass or two, but ho knew nothing of the uppers. He denied that he was a thief, and said he was 74 years old. Sentenced to three months' hard labour.
They moved back to New Norfolk, the year is not known.
Mary Ann died in 1881 in New Norfolk and John was the informant at the death. He gave his occupation as bootmaker.
John continued to live at New Norfolk. His father in law died the same year as his wife.
In 1894, aged 60, John married Mary Ann's sister Susannah. Susannah was a widow with adult children. They were married in Hobart and lived there after their marriage.
John died 17 Mar 1903 of carcinoma of stomach and exhaustion. A death notice was placed in The Mercury:
O'KEEFE -On March 17, 1903, at his late residence, 39 George Street; John O'Keefe, the beloved husband of Susan O'Keefe, in his 70th year
He was buried at Cornelian Bay Cemetery in Hobart, in the Church of England section.
Thank you to Irene Dillon for creating WikiTree profile O'Keefe-183 through the import of OKeefeFam.GED on Jul 21, 2013. Click to the Changes page for the details of edits by Irene and others.
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