Private William Reader (.1833........1902.)
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of the 96th Regiment's Soldiers who stayed
Born :
1822 According to William’s death
certificate his date of birth was
19 October 1819
however the ages given on both his convict records and his first marriage
certificate would put his year of birth at around 1822.
Where Born : Maidstone,
Kent
Occupation : Soldier
Date Arrived :
4th November 1843
Ship Arrived on : "
Hyderabad. "
Port Arrived :
Launceston
Comments : William arrives as a convict
Rank on Discharge : Private
Date of Army Enlistment :
22
December 1842;William
was convicted of theft at the
Launceston Quarter Sessions on
28 February 1845
Where Enlisted Army : Chatham
Regimental # : 1774
Date Discharged Army :
Comments Regarding
Army Discharge :
Where Discharged :
Tasmania
Died :
23 August 1902
Where Died /
Buried :
Macquarie Plains,
Tasmania
Parents Names :
Spouse's Name 1st:
Ellen McCarty
Date Married :
9
January 1849
Where Married :
Church of England, Brown’s River,
Tasmania
Spouse's Parents :
Born :
Where Born :
Cork,
Ireland
Occupation : Housemaid
Date Arrived :
7 November 1845
Ship Arrived on : Lloyds
Died : by
1870
Where Died /
Buried
24 September 189 7General Hospital Hobart/ Buried
Cornelian Bay Cemetery
Spouse's Name 2nd :
Hannah Keating Woodhouse
Date Married :
16 April 1870
Where Married :
Holy Trinity,
Hobart,
Tasmania
Spouse's Parents :
Thomas Woodhouse (b......d.) and Hannah Miles (b.1818 d.1869) (both
convicts)
Born :
19 July 1855
Where Born :
Campbell Town, Tasmania
Occupation : Housemaid
Parents Date Arrived :
7 November 1845
Ship Arrived on : Lloyds
Parents Died :
22
September 1897
Where Died /
Buried
24 September 1897 General Hospital Hobart/ Buried
Cornelian Bay Cemetery
- Descendants
- Area Settled :
Brown’s River c.1849 – 1854
Macquarie Plains from early 1870s
Children
By Ellen McCarty
William
5 Oct 1847 –
before 1856
Edwin
29 Oct 1849
–?
Ellen
16 Aug 1851 –
20 Sep 1884
Alfred Charles
27 Dec 1852 –
14 Dec 1924
Elizabeth Ann
2 Sep 1854 –?
Henry
2 Dec 1855 –
3 Feb 1856
Sarah
31 May 1857 –?
By Hannah Woodhouse
William
10 Jul 1871 –
22 Jun 1915
Hannah
18 May 1874 –?
Edward Charles
10 Apr 1876 –
1 Aug 1936
Anna Louisa
12 Oct 1878 –
23 Jul 1941
Sophia c.1880 –?
Edwin 1882 –
1 Apr 1883
Emma Bertha
11 Apr 1885 –
4 Apr 1965
Albert Arthur
16 Jun 1888 –
15 Apr 1917
Susannah
31 Oct 1890 –
1 Nov 1890
Leonard
Lawrence
10 Jul 1893 –
1960
-
- History &
Achievements :
William Reader arrived in Van Diemen’s Land as a private with the 96th
regiment. In January 1845 he and William Moreton, another private in the
96th Regiment, were arrested for stealing a cap, three pairs
of stockings and some quilling net. The reports in the Launceston
Examiner and the Cornwall Chronicle would suggest that they were well
under the influence at the time. They were tried at the Launceston
Quarter Sessions on 28 February 1845 and were sentenced to seven years.
William was 23 years old, 5’ 7” tall with light brown hair and blue
eyes; he was fresh complexioned with a high forehead, a straight longish
nose and broad cheekbones. He was initially stationed at Long Point on
Maria Island and later at Blackman Bay. He received his Ticket of Leave
on 12 September 1848 and his Free Certificate on 14 April 1852. Whilst
still a convict William met and married another convict, Ellen McCarty.
They lived at Browns River until around 1854 when they moved to Hobart.
In August 1856 William appeared before the Hobart Police Court. It
appears he had a wry sense of humour - he said that he supposed he was
Guilty of disturbing the peace on Saturday night, as the constable had
said so. He was fined five shillings for his honesty. By this time he
was described as a stout, powerful looking man, with a scar on his left
cheekbone. On 30 January 1857 William was convicted of a serious assault
and sentenced to two years penal servitude. He was sent initially to
Impression Bay but when that was due to close the Governor was
petitioned but declined to interfere with his sentence. He served the
rest of his sentence at Port Arthur. As a result of Task Work the
unexpired portion of his sentence was remitted on 11 September 1858,
five months early. During this sentence William’s convict record was
spotless.
After
his release William travelled to the Bendigo goldfields returning some
time in the 1860s. In 1870, at the age of 48, he married Hannah Keating
Woodhouse and began a second family. They and William’s children from
his first marriage lived in the Macquarie Plains area. William worked
for the most part as a farm labourer. Hannah died in 1897 and William in
1902 aged 80.
One
of William’s sons, Albert Arthur Reader, served as a stretcher bearer in
the 12th Battalion A.I.F. He was awarded the Military Medal for
“striking courage and valuable services in rescuing wounded under heavy
fire” at Boursies in April 1917. He was killed in action at Lagnicourt
on 15 April 1815
-
-
References
- National Archives
- 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,
- E- mail address
- © Copyright B & M Chapman (QLD) Australia
- Last revised: August 16, 2009.