Wild Colonial Boy

The Marriage.

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William Nash & Maria Haynes

Marine & Convict

After they had settled into the new colony, William Nash, who was a British Marine Private, married Maria Haynes a convict at St Phillip's, Sydney, on 13 February 1789. They had six children. The first was William, born on 25 May 1788, just four months after the arrival of the First Fleet and a few months before the couple married.

Children of the Marriage

Unfortunately William, their first child, died as an infant on 19/6/1789, only a few months after the couple married. Other children followed and their dates and place of birth are as follows

John - Sydney 15/1/1792

Mary - Sydney 2/3/1793

William - Sydney 17/3/1795

George- Sydney 26/7/1797

Sarah - Sydney 16/11/1798 - (Our direct ancestor)

Outcome of the Marriage

By 1803 William & Maria had separated, she having taken the children with her. Maria later became associated with two other men, Robert Guy and in 1816, with William Neale. At one time William Nash tried, through legal channels, to get Maria back but he did not succeed and on 7 August 1810 he married Ann Hibbard. Maria died on 13/11/1844.

Family Legend

Family legend has it that William, the first child of this marriage, was the first child born in the new colony. In recognition of this, the Governor made a grant of land to the family. This land is believed to have been between Emu Plains and Penrith. If this legend is true, this boy William was the first of the first generation Australians of European descent.

Sarah Nash

In due course Sarah married our ancestor John Williams from Wales. Now go to "Welsh Background" page to see the connection between our family and Wales,

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