Thomas Wall (abt. 1794 - 1880)

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Biography

Thomas Wall was a convict after the Third Fleet.

On 6 July 1814 Thomas Wall was tried at the Middlesex Gaol Delivery (the Old Bailey) in London for the crime of Housebreaking at Clerkenwell in London. He was sentenced to death, which was later commuted to Transportation for Life. The Old Bailey trial can be seen here. ^[1]

He was sent from Newgate Prison to the Portland hulk at Langston Harbour in October, his age recorded as '20'.^[2]

He was transported on the "Baring" which left England on 31 March 1815 and arrived at Sydney Cove, New South Wales on 7 September 1815.

The Convict Indent for this ship has the following information: Thomas Wall, aged '27' years, born at London, had been employed as Boot and Shoemaker; height 5 feet 8 1/4 inches, dark pale complexion, with dark brown hair and black eyes; he had been tried at Middlesex Gaol Delivery on 6 July 1814; in the colony he had the Ticket of Leave number 1634.^[3]

He was probably the Thomas Wall on a list of convicts disembarked from the Baring and forwarded to Windsor for distribution.^[4]

Marriage: Thomas Wall married Ann Huxley on 25 November 1822 at St Matthews Church of England, Windsor. The register recorded that they were both residents of Portland Head. They each made their mark on the register with a cross. Witnesses were Richd Kelly, Elizabeth Kelly, and Thos [surname Illegible]. ^[5] As Thomas was a convict, Reverend John Cross had to apply for permission from the Governor to publish the Banns.^[6]

Thomas and Ann had 14 children. They all survived into adulthood and thirteen were alive at the time of Thomas's death in 1880.^[7]

Their first child was born on 26 November 1823 at Portland Head and baptised with the name Thomas on 10 January 1824, at St Matthew's Church of England, Windsor, parents recorded as Thomas and Ann Wall, and Thomas was recorded as a farmer.^[8]

The 1822 muster recorded Thomas Wall as a landholder in the Windsor district having a Ticket of Leave. He was leasing 16 acres, all of which were cleared, cultivated with 4 acres of wheat, and 10 acres of maize; he had 50 bushels of maize held, and 16 hogs.^[9] The 1825 muster listed him as a Ticket of Leave landholder in the Wilberforce district.^[10]

Thomas Wall was recorded as a farmer of Sackville Reach in the baptisms of his children recorded in the register of St Thomas' Church of England, Sackville Reach from 1826 to 1828; in his son George's baptism in 1835 Thomas was recorded as a farmer of Upper Branch. ^[11]

In the 1828 census he was listed as Thomas Wall, aged 34, Ticket of Leave, Baring 1, 1815, transportation for life, Protestant, farmer at Portland Head, with wife Ann Wall, aged 22, born in the colony, and children Thomas 5, Richard 4, John 3, Alice 1.^[12]

Thomas Wall received his pardon in 1838.^[13]

Death: Thomas Wall died on 23 September 1880 at Richmond Road, Windsor. His death certificate recorded his occupation farmer, age 86, cause of death 'Apoplexy' (stroke) of 3 weeks duration, and he had been seen by Dr Fiaschi on 15 September. His place of birth was London (his parents' names were not recorded in the death certificate). Seven male and six female children were alive, and one female was deceased at the time of his death. He was buried on 24 September 1880 in Wilberforce Cemetery, with Church of England rites. ^[7]

Burial: He was buried in Wilberforce Cemetery, New South Wales, with wife Ann who died in 1869.^[14]

DNA

Are there any patrilineal descendants who could do a Y DNA test for the Wall project at FamilyTreeDNA? This might help connect his line to some other Wall line. Contact the project. Sponsorship of the DNA test may be available.

Research Notes

The birth of Thomas Wall: His age recorded in the Old Bailey trial, hulk register, 1828 census, and death certificate point to his birth in 1794. He was born in London according to the convict indent and death certificate. There are two possibilities for his birth in 1792 and 1793:

• Thomas Wall, age 6 months, 14 days old, Baptism Date 15 Sep 1793 at St Dunstan and All Saints, Stepney, Tower Hamlets, Middlesex, England, Parents Thos and Elizth Ann Wall.^[15]
• Thos Wall, Birth Date 24 Dec. 1792, Baptism Date 18 Jan 1793 at St Swithin London Stone, City of London, London, England, Parents Thos and Mary Wall.^[16]

Was Thomas Wall a tanner? In several trees Thomas Wall has the occupation 'Tanner'. This is incorrect and appears to have originated from the book 1828 Census of New South Wales edited by Malcolm Sainty & Keith Johnson, which has Tanner for his occupation. The original 1828 Census quite clearly has 'Farmer', not 'Tanner'.

Another Thomas Wall on the Baring: There was another convict with the same name, Thomas Wall, on the Baring in 1815. He also was tried at the Old Bailey in 1814, on a different date, 26 October 1814, and sentenced to Transportation for Life. The Old Bailey trial recorded his age as 26, but the convict indent recorded his age 22, and he was born in London. The record which shows that this is NOT the convict who married Ann Huxley is the convict indent which does not have a notation for Ticket of Leave or Pardon.^[17][18]

Thomas Wall Baring 1815 is in the Colonial Secretary index, 1788-1825: 1818 Dec: Servant of John Brown of Lower Portland Head. Petition for mitigation of sentence (Fiche 3190; 4/1856 p.279) However this has not been found in the Colonial Secretary records on Ancestry.com

Sources

1. ↑ Old Bailey Proceedings Online (www.oldbaileyonline.org, version 9.0) July 1814. Trial of THOMAS WALL (t18140706-6). Available at: https://www.oldbaileyonline.org/record/t18140706-6?text=%22thomas%20wall%22 (Accessed: 25th December 2024).
2. ↑ UK, Prison Hulk Registers and Letter Books, 1802-1849 for Thomas Wall Ancestry.com sharing link Note that Portland hulk at Langston Harbour was incorrectly indexed by Ancestry.com as Perseus: see image 11.
3. ↑ New South Wales, Australia, Convict Indents, 1788-1842 for Thomas Wall, Bound Indentures 1814-1818 Ancestry.com sharing link
4. ↑ Colonial Secretary index, 1788-1825: WALL, Thomas. Per "Baring", 1815, 1815 Sep 15 (Reel 6004; 4/3494 p.176)
5. ↑ Marriage: St Matthew's Church of England, Windsor NSW: Church Register - Marriages; State Library of NSW ref: Reel SAG 53, cited in Biographical report for Thomas WALL Person ID: T#30201067602, Biographical Database of Australia (BDA)
6. ↑ New South Wales, Australia, Colonial Secretary's Papers, 1788-1856, Copies of Letters Sent Within The Colony, 1814-1827 Ancestry.com sharing link The Colonial Secretary's copy of the permission to marry incorrectly has "Ann" for Thomas Wall's ship
7. ↑ ^{7.0 7.1} Death: Death certificate of Thomas Wall NSW 1880/10966 The informant was his son, Thomas Wall of Richmond Road, Windsor
8. ↑ St Matthew's Church of England, Windsor NSW: Church Register - Baptisms; State Library of NSW ref: Reel SAG 53, cited in Biographical report for Thomas WALL Person ID: T#30201067602, Biographical Database of Australia (BDA)
9. ↑ General Muster & Land and Stock Muster of New South Wales 1822, edited by Carol J. Baxter, ABGR, Sydney, 1988; Book Entries A21719 (p.292) and B02130 (p.583)
10. ↑ General Muster List of New South Wales 1823, 1824, 1825. Edited by Carol J Baxter, Pub. by Australian Biographical and Genealogical Record, Sydney 1999, Book entry number: 44045 (p.588).
11. ↑ St Thomas' Church of England, Sackville Reach: Church Register - Baptisms; (Clergy Returns) cited in Biographical Database of Australia (BDA)
12. ↑ 1828 New South Wales, Australia Census (Australian Copy) for Thomas Wall, (NRS 1272) 1828 Census: Alphabetical Return, Surnames T-Y Ancestry.com sharing link This clearly has his occupation as 'Farmer'
13. ↑ New South Wales and Tasmania, Australia, Convict Pardons and Tickets of Leave, 1834-1859 for Thomas Wall, New South Wales Pardons 1838-1841 Ancestry.com sharing link
14. ↑ Burial: Images of the grave in Wilberforce Cemetery can be seen in billiongraves, and Find a grave
15. ↑ London, England, Church of England Baptisms, Marriages and Burials, 1538-1812 for Thomas Wall, Tower Hamlets, St Dunstan and All Saints, Stepney 1770-1798 Ancestry.com sharing link
16. ↑ London, England, Church of England Baptisms, Marriages and Burials, 1538-1812 for Thos Wall, City of London, St Swithin London Stone 1784-1812 Ancestry.com sharing link
17. ↑ Convict Indent for the other Thomas Wall on the Baring: Ancestry.com sharing link
18. ↑ Old Bailey Trial for the other Thomas Wall: Old Bailey Proceedings Online (www.oldbaileyonline.org, version 9.0) October 1814. Trial of THOMAS WALL , WILLIAM TOOLEY , WILLIAM ANDREWS (t18141026-93). Available at: https://www.oldbaileyonline.org/record/t18141026-93?text=%22thomas%20wall%22 (Accessed: 25th December 2024).

• Birth data sources for daughter Eliza (Cross):

• • 1) HAWKESBURY CITY LIBRARY, Hawkesbury Pioneer Register_ Local Studies File_WALL. 5 Jul 1830, Upper Branch, Colo NSW
  • 2) NSW BDM index online: birth. V183110563 1C/1831 WALL ELIZA THOMAS ANN, and birth. V1830879 15/1830 WALL ELIZA THOMAS ANN

See also:

• William Henry HOLLAND HAWKESBURY CITY LIBRARY, Hawkesbury Pioneer Register_ Local Studies File_WALL
• Marion Purnell, "Thomas Wall, 1794–1880", Australian Royalty database https://australianroyalty.net.au/tree/purnellmccord.ged/individual/I52616/Thomas-Wall