Catherine Meany born c1819 is possibly a distant relative of my maternal great, great grandfather James Meany of Cloontra West in Co Clare. James (b1838) and his large family arrived in Sydney, Australia as assisted migrants, on 21 October 1878 aboard 'La Hogue'. With him were his wife Mary Crow/Crough Meany and their seven children: Mary (my great grandmother), Michael, James, Bridget, John, Catherine and Margaret.
Mary Crow Meany
Mary Meany
and their seven children: Mary (my great grandmother), Michael, James, Bridget, John, Catherine and Margaret.
Two years ago, I was involved in 'Roses from the Heart' a project initiated by Christine Henri in Tasmania. The continuing project aims to honour the 25560 female convicts transported from the UK and Ireland. I 'adopted' Catherine Meany as my research subject and made a bonnet for her. The bonnet is one of thousands which were displayed in the UK in 2010. If you would like more information about the project, the website is http://www.femalefactory.com.au/exhibit.htm.
Hopefully, none of Catherine's bona fide relatives minds my contribution.
The Tasmanian archives show that Catherine Meany was born in Co Galway in 1824. However, this date varies from 1819-1824 depending on the document. She was convicted of larceny in the Tipperary Court for stealing 15 shillings from a prosecutor, Thomas Brown. Her relatives at court were her father Andrew, brother John Martin and sister Biddy. Catherine was transported from Dublin to Hobart on 25 February 1847 on the "Arabian" see page 87 of the ship's convict passenger list:
http://search.archives.tas.gov.au/ImageViewer/image_viewer.htm?CON41-1-12,156,87,L,80
As convict 721, she was 'detained' for 7.5 years at the Female Factory at Cascades outside Hobart. Catherine was granted a ticket of leave on 19 March 1849 to marry Joseph Goss at Kingston. They had one child, Andrew Cullicott Goss, born in 1850. Census records show that the Goss family later lived in Campbell Town, Tasmania. Andrew married Emily Eliza Porter b.1854. Their children were:
- M. Goss b.1878
- Emily Elizabeth Goss1879
- Mary Louisa Goss b1883
- Arthur Nicholas Goss b1885
I would be grateful if anyone could give me and info which may help me link all these pieces of the CM-puzzle with details of Catherine's birth: parents, place, dates etc. I am also interested in making contact with her Australian descendants to cross check our ancestry.
I would greatly appreciate any help.
Pauline
