Thomas Grant married Ellen about 1800 in Co Tipperary Thomas was born about 1780 in Co. Tipperary and died before 1841 in Co Tipperary. He lived in the parish of Clonoulty and both Rossmore and Clonross, where some of his children are known to have been born, are townlands in this parish. There is a possability that his widow Ellen remarried to Thady Quinlan.
The only child known from the marriage of Thomas and Ellen Grant was Christopher Grant, born about 1803 in Clonoulty, Tipperary, died on 29 Oct 1843 in Phoenix Park, East Maitland, NSW aged about 40. The cause of his death was Accidental Death Falling from a hay wagon. Christopher's last drama is from the Maitland Mercury of 4 November 1843 reads - " On Saturday last, a labouring man named Christopher Grant,who was employed on Mr P.H.Rapsey's farm at Morpeth, fell from a load of lucerne hay upon which he was riding and was so much injured that he died on Sunday evening. An inquest had been held on the body at Mr Anlaby's,before J.S.Parker,Esq.,Coroner,on Monday, and a verdict of accidental death was returned. We understand the deceased was a very industrious and sober man,and left a widow and several children in a state of the greatest destitution, he having been for some time previous to his death, out of employment. We have heard that it is intended to raise a subscription for the widow, who it is said to be a very deserving woman and we sincerely hope that something may be done for her." There is no evidence of such a subscription happening!
Christopher married Catherine Davoren, daughter of Daniel Davoren and Ellenor Dwyer, about 1827 in Tipperary. Catherine was born on 5 Aug 1805 in Clonoulty, Tipperary, christened on 5 Aug 1805 in Clonoulty. Witnesses to Catherine's birth were Edmund Taylor and Judith English. Witnesses to Cath's sister, Betty Davoren's birth in 1805 were John Griffin and Catherine Dwyer. Four years after Christopher's death, Catherine, his widow, remarried to a Daniel Whelan,a widower and Ticket of Leave convict on 25 Oct 1847 at East Maitland (V1847973 95/1847). Catherine died on 15 Mar 1888 in "Dunmore", Morpeth, NSW at age 82. The cause of her death was Senile Decay.
1830 Tithe Applotment gives NO Grants for Clonulty Parish or for Upperchurch Parish
1834. Upperchurch and Drumbane RC Records give birth of James of "Christy Grant and Cath Davenham"
1836. Witnesses to child Mary's birth at Clonross on 11 Sep 1836 were Philip Ryan and Mary Ryan
1839 Witnesses to son, Daniel's birth at Clonross on 10 Aug 1839 were John Griffin and Ellen Dwyer.
1841 Christopher and his family emigrated to Australia in 1841, leaving behind their eldest daughter to care for the widowed Ellen Grant. It is believed that Ellen died maybe 10 to 13 years later when Ellen, her grand-daughter emigrated as a grown woman. The Grant family embarked at Liverpool in 1841 and paid a fare of 29 pounds each adult. Neither Chris nor Catherine could read or write. Their children, James aged 8 years,passage cost ten pounds, Mary aged 5 years, passage cost five pounds and son , Daniel, aged two years, passage cost four pounds They arrived in Port Jackson in 1841 on the "Ayreshire" with 318 bounty immigrants. There were 21 deaths on board ship and the Ayreshire was quarantined. They gained work at various farms around East and West Maitland and an Aussie-born son arrived named,William on 5 Oct 1842 at Phoenix Park which is given as their official address. Sadly baby William died 12 Oct 1843 at Phoenix Park.
Christopher was still sorrowing over his son's death when he was killed accidentally after falling from a load of lucerne hay while working on Mr. P.H.Rapsey's farm at Morpeth on a Saturday. Christopher lived for 24 hours but his injuries were so bad that he died Sunday evening.
Ellen, their eldest child stayed in Ireland to help care for Grandma Ellen Grant and migrated later, presumably when Ellen Snr died. The story is that she migrated with the O'Connells to Melbourne and may have been listed as an orphan. She then made her way up to Sydney, then Newcastle and finally Morpeth on the Hunter. Catherine, her mother met her at the dock and upon landing, they compared varicose veins which denotes that Ellen was well into her twenties by the time she arrived. Ellen married at age 28 in Maitland.
The Grant name carried on with the marriages of James Grant and Daniel Grant, both sons of Christopher Grant and Catherine Davoren had sons. Thomas William Grant, son of James Grant and Catherine Quinlan. I understand there there are still Grant descendents of this line in Australia today
Dan Grant (son of James Grant b1834 at Drumbane)
Thomas William Grant, b1871 in Queensland
Death cert of James Grant born 1833
Death Cert Dan Grant b1839
There is also a family of Grant in Australia with descent to Thurles, that is probably related to this family
ndpaton gave me a lot of the above information. Leanne below is her niece, who has sent me the information on which the family tree above was built.
Leanne Christopher Grant is my 4th Great Grandfather. His son James is my 3rd Great Grandparents and his wife Catherine. They had 7 children, 4 sons and 3 daughters. We have been researching Daniel and we believe he married Ann Stevenson in NSW (2298/1862 Daniel Grant married Ann Stevenson at Maitland) have his death certificate. Believe they had 2 daughters and 3 sons.
Kevin O'Connell My name is Kevin O'Connell and I live in Lower Hunter Region of N.S.W Australia.. I am descended from Christopher Grant (he was an RC when he arrived here) and then his daughter Ellen who married John Moylan and then their daughter Anne who married my Great Grandfather Timothy O'Connell.
Roxanne Mestrez I believe that the Charles Vincent Grant listed on your family tree is my maternal grandfather. If I can be of any assistance in providing you with further information, please don’t hesitate to contact me at this email address.
Faye Sheridan There is another Grant family in the Maitland area at that time, who do not appear to be related. The trial information says he was born 1800 in "Kilcow, Co. Kerry". I would think this may be a mistranscription of Kilmacow, Co Kilkenny. Thomas Grant arrived on the "Almorah 2". The Almorah (2) was a ship of 416 tons and had Thomas Wintex as its master. His discription was given as age 20, five feet six inches tall, fair complexion and hazel eyes. The Brigs carrying the men for the Almorah became wind - bound at Waterford when journeying from Dublin to Cork. So they did not actually board until it the Almorah put into Waterford on August 12. .It sailed from Waterford, Ireland on 22 August 1820 and arrived in Sydney on 22 December 1820. Macquarie's diary records "This afternoon anchored in Sydney Cove the Ship Almorah, with 160 Male Convicts from Ireland, having sailed from Cork on the 22d. of August last (– exactly 4 months –) Surgeon Suptd. Doctr. Alexander R. Navy, and the Guard consisting of 31 Soldiers of the 1st. (Royal Scots) Regt. Foot under the command of Ensn. Bruce of the same Corps. N.B. The name of the Comr. of the Almorah is Capt. Thomas Hunter."
He was tried in Downpatrick, Down, Northern Ireland in March 1820, and was sentenced to 7 years in Morton Bay. His occupation was a carter & ploughman. His crime was buying stolen linen. He was assigned to Work at Parramatta, Thomas Grant received his Certificate of Freedom 6159 on 15 Mar 1827. In the 1828 census he was residing at Wallis Plains which later was renamed Maitland, and his occupation was carpenter. Thomas married Ellen Jennings, daughter of John Jennings (Mangles) in 1 May 1829 at Newcastle (V18294518 3B/1829). In 1834 he is listed as a Publican - Inn "Sign of the Settlers Arms" of Stoney Creek This is mentioned in the Maitland Bench Books where is he is found guilty of a crime and sentenced to a further 7 years at Morton Bay. The details were in a deposition to the court in Maitland in 1835.
In 1835 he was convicted in the Court of petty Sessions at Maitland of Larceny and was sent to Morton Bay for seven years. It had been alleged he had stolen a some of money from Mr John Quill and he had been convicted before a civil jury. The deposition by John Quill also names him as John Grant. He and his wife and Patrick Simpson, Patrick Sullivan, James Graham and Edward Welsh were tried in the Quarter Sessions at Maitland and Ellen Grant and Patrick Simspson were found not guilty, while Thomas and the other three were found guilty and sentenced to transportation to the penal settlement at Morton Bay. His Original Certificate of Freedon isssued on the 27 March 1827 was overwritten - Transported to Morton Bay for Seven Years by the Quarter Sessions Maitland 23/1/1835 for larceny.
The Penal settlemnent at Morton Bay was decommissioned in 1839,
Thomas obtained an early relaease and returned to his family. They eventualy
moved to Erina/ Gosford. During this period Thomas worked as a sawyer. Ellen
died in 1854. On the 23rd May 1854, two days after his wife's death, Thomas
was taken in to custody by the local police pending an investigation into her
death. There had been some gossip and the Chief Constable had taken him into
custody pending an inquiry by the local magistrate J.P. Hovenden Healy.
After depositions taken from his son, Thomas jnr, sister-in- law Mary Anne Jennings,
and daughter-in -law Bridget Grant and the local hotel keeper and Doctor, he
was ultimately cleared. There were accusations made by his eldest daughter Mary
Orpen the he had beaten his wife Ellen in the past and that had fuelled the
gossip.
Thomas died 19 August 1870. His death certificate gives his parents as Thomas Grant & Alice Carroll.
They has 11 children - one can see when he was not at home!