Private Benjamine Roden  (1794......1850..)

Back to . . . 39th Foot Dorsetshire Regiment

Descendants

some information supplied by Noreen Clark  noreen.clark@bigpond.com

some information supplied by  Dasha Brandt dasha_brandt@tpg.com.au

Area Settled :

 

Children :

William Benjamin, born 1819, m Eliza Jane Rea at St Phillip’s Church of England, Sydney in 1848

RODEN, William EM 842608 Marriage
Spouse: REY, Eliza J
Index Year: 1848
Reg Year: 1848 Reg State: New South Wales
Ref Number: V184829 33B Parish: Sydney, St Phillip's, Church of England(1)

RODEN, William CD 765105 Death
Father: Benjamin
Mother: Celestine
Index Year: 1863
Reg Year: 1863 Reg State: New South Wales
Ref Number: 1114 (1)

 

John born 1822 at Castlereagh in Ireland died 1897 St Leonards NSW, Australia m Elise Sophie Wacher, a Frenchwoman in the Parish of Bermondsey in Surrey, England.[11]  They returned to Sydney per “Dublin” on 1 November 1844[12].  John died in St Leonards, NSW in 1897[13] and Elise in Sydney at the age of 64 in 1883 RODEN, Elise W CD 765081 Death
Age at Death: 64
Death Place: Victoria Terrace
Index Year: 1883
Reg Year: 1883 Reg State: New South Wales
Ref Number: 1884 (1)

 

Thomas, born 1824.

 

RODEN, Julia EB 1771975 Christening
Father: Benjamin
Mother: Carlertina
Reg Year: 1828 Reg State: New South Wales
Ref Number: V18281138 128 Parish: Sydney, St Mary's, Roman Catholic (1)

Re-registerer
RODEN, Julia EB 1771976 Christening
Father: Benjamin
Mother: Carlistina/Celestine
Reg Year: 1838 Reg State: New South Wales
Ref Number: V18381118 127 Parish: Sydney, St Mary's, Roman Catholic (1)

History & Achievements :

Benjamin RODEN (soldier)  arrived in Sydney  24 July 1827 on the convict transport ship Guildford with wife, Celestine, and two or three children - some debate here.  He settled in Sydney, becoming a substantial land-owner in Millers Point.  On Guildford, Roden was servant to Commander of the Guard, Captain John Douglas Forbes.  Forbes eventually was posted to India, where he died.

 

The below article was supplied by Dasha Brandtdasha_brandt@tpg.com.au

Benjamin Roden was christened on 9 Feb 1794 at Market Drayton in Shropshire, England, the son of Robert Roden.[1]

On the 12^th June, 1809 he was recruited into the army as a Boy Soldier, paid a bounty of ₤1.15.6 and sent to Guernsey until October 1810 when he was promoted from Boy to Private, and posted to join the 2^nd Battalion, 39^th Regiment of Foot which was already in Spain.[2]  Benjamin was with the battalion, until it’s return to England from Ireland, after serving in North America and France, in 1825, when it began its posting in Australia.  During the time waiting to leave England, Benjamin Roden was posted on guard duty on the “Duchess of York”, a prison hulk.  The men embarked on convict transports, Benjamin Roden travelled per “Guildford”, a transport of 333 tons, carrying 189 prisoners, 3 passengers and 30 men from the 39^th Regiment.  It sailed from London on 24 March 1827 arriving in Sydney on 25 July 1827.[3]  Soon after arrival in the Colony he was one of a group detached to the North Coast until the end of that year.

Army records do not show when or where Benjamin Roden married his wife, Celestine Le Gay, or where his children were born.  Celestine’s death certificate[4] refers to a marriage in France in 1818, and it is probable that all 3 sons were born in Ireland, given that the regiment was in Ireland between 1818 and 1825.  Their children were William Benjamin, born 1819, John born 1822 at Castlereagh in Ireland died 1897 St Leonards NSW, Australia[5], and Thomas, born 1824.  Benjamin’s Will dated 1847 refers to his wife as the daughter of John and Serephine Le Gay of Hermaville in France, and mentions her sister, Prudence Morris and her children Jules, August and Phillisia who lived in Arras, France.  He died in 1850[6].

As a discharged soldier, Benjamin Roden was eligible to purchase land up to 100 acres at an approved rate.  Terms of these grants required the recipient to reside on and cultivate the land for 7 years from the date of the grant.  In September 1832 Benjamin Roden, together with Edward Quinn, also recently discharged from the 39^th Regiment, applied to use their remission money to jointly purchase a town allotment.  Their address at this time was given as 36 York Street, Sydney.  The application was denied.[7]

On the 14^th December 1832, Benjamin Roden gave evidence in a case at the Supreme Court. During which he stated that “I am now a constable in the Sydney Police, but formerly belonged to the 59th regiment; was often sentinel over the condemned cells, …..”.[8]

William Roden married Eliza Jane Rea at St Phillip’s Church of England, Sydney in 1848[9].  He died in Sydney in 1863[10].  John Roden returned to Europe for about 7 years during which time he married Elise Sophie Wacher, a Frenchwoman in the Parish of Bermondsey in Surrey, England.[11]  They returned to Sydney per “Dublin” on 1 November 1844[12].  John died in St Leonards, NSW in 1897[13] and Elise in Sydney at the age of 64 in 1883[14].  It has always been understood in the family that Thomas Roden was left behind in France with a childless sister of Celestine Le Gay.  In his Will Benjamin referred to him as a resident in France, and in 1862 when Celestine wrote her Will, she spoke of him as a schoolmaster resident in France.  He did however, spend some time in Sydney, as he jointly purchased land with his two brothers in Sydney in 1854[15] and is listed in the 1858-59 Commercial registers.

 

References

Australian Vital Record Series 1788 - 1905 Discs 1 to 4 (1)

Family Members, Military records  ,Pay rolls, Pay Musters, Cemetery Records, Church Records & General Muster Records, Mitchell Library ,Sydney Australia

The information is intended for short Historical value only,

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Last revised: July 26, 2009.