This is the Story of Sarah Hardy: Daughter of Robert James Hardy and Nancy Ryan. Sarah was born on 23rd December 1842 at Liverpool, NSW, and she died on the 25th of January 1874 at Young, NSW. Sarah was my 2X Great Grandmother.
Sarah was only seven years old when her father died, her mother Nancy Ryan remarried twice more, the last man was said to be a terrible man, so bad her son's, Sarah's brothers, threw him out of the house.
Sarah married a man by the name of Patrick Prior on the 8th of August 1861 at St Augustines in Yass. I have never been able to find this man, nor any trace of him. The only Patrick Prior I can find, in NSW is a Patrick Prior living in Braidwood. This particular Patrick Prior was married with several children, he came to the colony with his wife and died in 1876.
There was also a Patrick Prior who was charged with holding up and killing a Chinaman at Araluen, he was with a gang of men. Here is the report in the newspaper in Goulburn in 1862.
It is difficult to tell whether this Patrick Prior was the Patrick Prior living at Braidwood who was married to Annie Mc Manus, (it seems a possibility) and, was he also the Patrick Prior who bigamously married Sarah Hardy? The only death for a Patrick Prior in NSW during that time period was the Patrick Prior married to Annie McManus at Braidwood, of course there may have been another but it was not recorded. However, there appears to be no further trace of Patrick Prior of Yass after the marriage.
If one looks at the dates for the marriage between Sarah and Patrick and the birth of Mary Elizabeth Prior their only surviving child, it is obvious that it was a case of necessity that they marry. The question still remains, who was Patrick Prior? Where did he come from, and how did he disappear without a trace? The only avenue that could be explored is to find a descendent of the Patrick Prior of Braidwood and ask if they would object to genetic testing with a descendent of Patrick Prior of Yass. Otherwise he may well have moved interstate, if he was not the Braidwood Patrick Prior.
When we next hear of Sarah Prior (Hardy) is in 16th of December 1868 when "a warrent was issued by the Binalong Bench for her arrest, because she had deserted her two children, leaving them without the means of support. When last seen she was wearing a mohair dress and a black jacket and old shoes. Sarah was said to be 5feet 4 inches tall with dark hair, and a sallow complexion, said to be living with a Sam Dinner of Pudmans Creek".
A couple of weeks later the Police Gazette informs us that Constable Hudson and Dwyer arrested Sarah at Burrowa, she was remanded to Binalong and discharged on promising to take charge of her children. It is here that I must state that Mary Elizabeth Prior was, so far as is known, the only child of Patrick Prior and Sarah Hardy, the family was always told that Mary Elizabeth was brought up by her grandmother. It is obvious that Mary Elizabeth was still in the charge of her mother until at least seven years of age, and I suspect possibly longer. What happened to the other child is unknown, but the second shild may be the one who subsequently died in the Gunyah near Yass. The next mention is in the Yass Courier Mail in 1870.
This is a Gunyah of the type I think the newspaper was talking about.
After this it seems that Sam Dinner was encouraged to leave town. I next find both Sam and Sarah getting married in Carcoar in 1873, from here they appear to travel to Orange where their son Samuel Dinner dies in 1873. Subsequently I find them in Young about 60 kilometres from Yass, it is here that my 2X greatgrandmother dies from neglect and starvation, accellerated by the culpable Negligence of her husband Samuel Dinner, according to coroners findings.
Samuel Dinner Of Bristol Samuel Dinner as near as I can determine was born in Gloucestershire in or near Bristol. At the age of 13 years he was arrested for stealing lead with other boys. Samuel continued to commit crimes for which he received prison sentences and was whipped twice or more times.It is difficult to find his birth in this area so he may have been an illegitimate child, and the mother too poor to pay for his baptism. Samuel was eventually caught picking pockets at the age of 18 or 19 years and was sentenced to 10 years transportation to NSW Colony, aboard the Barrosa 31st of July 1839. He arrived in December 1839. A few months after he arrived in the Colony his future wife, Caroline James, arrived from her conviction at the Bridgewater Quarter sessions in Somerset, aboard the Surry, convicted of Burglary, and receiving a 10 year sentence.In 1846 Samuel and Caroline were given permission to marry, as Samuel was given his Ticket of Leave, although Caroline was still in bondage as far as I can tell. Caroline was given permission to live in the Yass area at the time of their marriage. Their first child in the Yass area was John born in 1847 in Gundaroo. John Dinner eventually married Agnes Mayoh. I can only find one arrest for him and that was for stealing a horse but the charges were dropped. However, Samuel and Caroline appear to have had a child prior to their marriage, in 1844, this was Susan Dinner who married William Faul. The third child was Samuel Dinner born in 1849 and he appears to have died in 1872 in Grenfell. The next child born to Samuel and Caroline was Caroline Dinner, born at Sofala, Caroline appears to have had a few illegitimate children and had attempted to have one of the putative fathers arrested for child support but dropped the charges when she married. This is according to the Police Gazette, however I only find a marriage in 1887 in Grenfell of Caroline Denner (sic) to Joseph Franks.
The next child was Named Eliza Dinner and she also was born in Sofala in 1854. Eliza married John Henry Parker, she had a daughter named Caroline Parker who married someone called Amor, along with a number of other children. The final child I have found to this marriage is William Dinner, born in Bathurst, in 1859, he died of a heart attack according to a coronial inquest in 1908 in Grenfell.
Samuel Dinner then appears to have had a great many charges against his name including bigamy and also a great fondness for other people’s watches.
I cannot find when his wife Caroline died but he married Maria in Bathurst and was subsequently charged with bigamy , the sentence was 6 months hard labour. In the following year he was sentenced to Cockatoo Island for 7 years for Assault and Robbery.
In 1877 Samuel Dinner was in the Goulburn Gaol, continuing his wicked ways.
It appears that in 1878 Samuel was certified a lunatic at Goulburn gaol and I believe he subsequently died in Ryde Lunatic asylum in 1880.
Mary Elizabeth Prior, daughter of Sarah Hardy and Patrick Prior married Michael Joseph Reid son of Alexander Reid and Mary Catherine Rooney.
Sarah married a man by the name of Patrick Prior on the 8th of August 1861 at St Augustines in Yass. I have never been able to find this man, nor any trace of him. The only Patrick Prior I can find, in NSW is a Patrick Prior living in Braidwood. This particular Patrick Prior was married with several children, he came to the colony with his wife and died in 1876.
There was also a Patrick Prior who was charged with holding up and killing a Chinaman at Araluen, he was with a gang of men. Here is the report in the newspaper in Goulburn in 1862.
FURTHER PARTICULARS OF THE HIGHWAY ROBBERY & MURDER BY BUSHRANGERS OF A CHINAMAN.-In addition to the numerous cases of sticking-up and other outrages which we have had of late to chronicle, we have now to report a daring case of highway robbery, accompanied by murder, that took place on Saturday last near Braidwood. Our correspondent has forwarded us the following details.-," Braidwood, Monday evening. About one o'clock p.m. on Saturday, a Chinaman named Young Cheo, who resides at Araluen, and is in the habit of coming every Saturday from that place to Jembaicumbene, was on his way to the latter locality, accompanied by one of his
countrymen on foot. After passing the foot of the mountain, and near Mr. Forsyth's store, at Bell's Creek, he was fired at by four men, two armed, with guns, and two with revolvers. The men had their faces faces covered with black crape, and they took from the Chinaman 26 ozs. of gold and five £1 notes. Tho poor fel-low was taken in a cart to Jembaicumbene, by Mr. For- syth's men, but he died about a quarter of an hour before Dr. Redhead, who had been sent for, arrived, there. The
Chinaman had several shots in the abdomen, and one in the skull, which was fractured. Dr. Redhead states that when on his way to Jembaicumbene, he was met by a young man named John Jeffrey, who told him that on the road from Reidsdale, he had been ordered to stop by three men; he, however, galloped off into the bush. The men fired at him, but missed. Previous to the murder of the Chinaman, another Chinaman was stuck up near the same place, and robbed of a quantity of opium. It is believed that these are the same fellows who stuck up the escort. Immediately on receipt of the intelligence of the murder, senior sergeant Duffy despatched constables Gaelan, Kelly, and Stafford on horseback to scour the bush, and inspector 'Wilshire, who returned from Nerriga half an-hour afterwards, followed them at once. A magisterial enquiry as to the death of the Chinaman was held at Jembaicumbene, at the Chinese Camp, on Sunday, before J.H. Griffin, Esq, J.P chief gold commissioner, The only witness examined was Dr. Redhead, who made a post mortem examination, and extracted two balls, one of which had shattered deceased's spine. The enquiry was then adjourned for further evidence. Mr. Shoebridge, of Araluen, was previously stuck up on Saturday on the same place, and robbed of £2 /5s. The police have apprehended four men on suspicion of being concerned in the outrage. Their names are as follows:- William Mortimer Travers, of Reidsdale; John Hickey, of Jembaicumbene; Patrick Prior, publican, of Araluen Mountain; and Hugh Montgomery, of Reidsdale. No arms were found upon them, but Prior had arms in his possession on Saturday evening. Those men are all in gaol it was stated that the Chinaman was first robbed by three men, and then deliberately shot by the fourth. The deceased had a gold watch and ring upon him which the robbers did not take, no doubt for fear of being identifled by that means. Mr. Hassall held a second magisterial inquiry on Monday, and it is rumoured that when the men are brought before the Bench on Thursday next (they having been formally brought up and remanded on Monday), some of them will be identified."-Correspondent of the Goulburn Chronicle.
It is difficult to tell whether this Patrick Prior was the Patrick Prior living at Braidwood who was married to Annie Mc Manus, (it seems a possibility) and, was he also the Patrick Prior who bigamously married Sarah Hardy? The only death for a Patrick Prior in NSW during that time period was the Patrick Prior married to Annie McManus at Braidwood, of course there may have been another but it was not recorded. However, there appears to be no further trace of Patrick Prior of Yass after the marriage.
If one looks at the dates for the marriage between Sarah and Patrick and the birth of Mary Elizabeth Prior their only surviving child, it is obvious that it was a case of necessity that they marry. The question still remains, who was Patrick Prior? Where did he come from, and how did he disappear without a trace? The only avenue that could be explored is to find a descendent of the Patrick Prior of Braidwood and ask if they would object to genetic testing with a descendent of Patrick Prior of Yass. Otherwise he may well have moved interstate, if he was not the Braidwood Patrick Prior.
When we next hear of Sarah Prior (Hardy) is in 16th of December 1868 when "a warrent was issued by the Binalong Bench for her arrest, because she had deserted her two children, leaving them without the means of support. When last seen she was wearing a mohair dress and a black jacket and old shoes. Sarah was said to be 5feet 4 inches tall with dark hair, and a sallow complexion, said to be living with a Sam Dinner of Pudmans Creek".
A couple of weeks later the Police Gazette informs us that Constable Hudson and Dwyer arrested Sarah at Burrowa, she was remanded to Binalong and discharged on promising to take charge of her children. It is here that I must state that Mary Elizabeth Prior was, so far as is known, the only child of Patrick Prior and Sarah Hardy, the family was always told that Mary Elizabeth was brought up by her grandmother. It is obvious that Mary Elizabeth was still in the charge of her mother until at least seven years of age, and I suspect possibly longer. What happened to the other child is unknown, but the second shild may be the one who subsequently died in the Gunyah near Yass. The next mention is in the Yass Courier Mail in 1870.
VICE-POVERTY-DEATH.'-From the Yass Courier we extract the following revolting narrative:to Our readers who peruse the reports of tho proceedings at the Yass police and other courts will be familiar with the name of Samuel Dinner, who .has on several-oocasions,occupied a position in the dock, and received sentences-some of pretty considerable duration. The last offence he was charged with was for picklng pockets in a public-house a mile or two from Yass, but for want of sufficient evidence he was acquitted, and is now a " gentleman at large." For, some years past Sam has been living with an unfortunate woman in a state of Immorality, and their present dwelling is wretched gunyah near Jones's Creek, a few miles out of town. Hooping-cough is at the presont time very prevalent in this district, and'the children in the gunyah referred to have not escaped tho epidemict A little girl about two and. a half years old was so severely attacked that its mother brought it on Monday, the 23rd instant, into Yass to a doctor, .who, on seeing the child, at once pro nounced that it was dying. . The unfortunate woman retraced her steps with the dying child to her miserable abode, and shortly afterwards the" poor child was a corpse. Next day the annnual races commenced, but the presence of death in*the gunyah did not deter Dinner from belng present, lounging about on the look-out for drink or such waifs and strays as might turn up. In the miserable bark substitute for a dwelling the'dead child was permitted, to lie, its eyelids unclosed and its emaciated body exposed to view till the afternoon of the following Friday-between four and five days and nights-while Dinner was haunting the public-houses about Yass or the booths on the racecourse. On Friday two men, who are employed near at hand', came into town to inform the police and sub-inspector Brennan made arrangements to have the body buried in the Catholic , burying-ground. Two or three pieces of boards were roughly fastened together, the little body deposited therein, now the remains of an old case were converted into a cover-the whole tied together with several pieces of old and dirty calico, and carried into Yass. One of the men who had assisted in the charitable work although we were sorry to perceive that he had' taken more drink than he could well stand-was the bearer of the apology for a Coffin, and the childs mother followed. On reaching the Court-house yard' it was found that Mr. Brennan had not been able to get the arrangements for the burial completed, and for several hours the box, case, or coffin with the human remains lay near the portico of the Court-house, while in the distance might be seen hulking about one of the inns the unnatural and unfeeling Sam Dlnner, who, if not the child's father, was living with its mother as such, The body of the child was subsequently buried in the catholic burying-ground, the sub-inspector having paid the sexton's fee.
This is a Gunyah of the type I think the newspaper was talking about.
After this it seems that Sam Dinner was encouraged to leave town. I next find both Sam and Sarah getting married in Carcoar in 1873, from here they appear to travel to Orange where their son Samuel Dinner dies in 1873. Subsequently I find them in Young about 60 kilometres from Yass, it is here that my 2X greatgrandmother dies from neglect and starvation, accellerated by the culpable Negligence of her husband Samuel Dinner, according to coroners findings.
Samuel Dinner Of Bristol Samuel Dinner as near as I can determine was born in Gloucestershire in or near Bristol. At the age of 13 years he was arrested for stealing lead with other boys. Samuel continued to commit crimes for which he received prison sentences and was whipped twice or more times.It is difficult to find his birth in this area so he may have been an illegitimate child, and the mother too poor to pay for his baptism. Samuel was eventually caught picking pockets at the age of 18 or 19 years and was sentenced to 10 years transportation to NSW Colony, aboard the Barrosa 31st of July 1839. He arrived in December 1839. A few months after he arrived in the Colony his future wife, Caroline James, arrived from her conviction at the Bridgewater Quarter sessions in Somerset, aboard the Surry, convicted of Burglary, and receiving a 10 year sentence.In 1846 Samuel and Caroline were given permission to marry, as Samuel was given his Ticket of Leave, although Caroline was still in bondage as far as I can tell. Caroline was given permission to live in the Yass area at the time of their marriage. Their first child in the Yass area was John born in 1847 in Gundaroo. John Dinner eventually married Agnes Mayoh. I can only find one arrest for him and that was for stealing a horse but the charges were dropped. However, Samuel and Caroline appear to have had a child prior to their marriage, in 1844, this was Susan Dinner who married William Faul. The third child was Samuel Dinner born in 1849 and he appears to have died in 1872 in Grenfell. The next child born to Samuel and Caroline was Caroline Dinner, born at Sofala, Caroline appears to have had a few illegitimate children and had attempted to have one of the putative fathers arrested for child support but dropped the charges when she married. This is according to the Police Gazette, however I only find a marriage in 1887 in Grenfell of Caroline Denner (sic) to Joseph Franks.
The next child was Named Eliza Dinner and she also was born in Sofala in 1854. Eliza married John Henry Parker, she had a daughter named Caroline Parker who married someone called Amor, along with a number of other children. The final child I have found to this marriage is William Dinner, born in Bathurst, in 1859, he died of a heart attack according to a coronial inquest in 1908 in Grenfell.
Samuel Dinner then appears to have had a great many charges against his name including bigamy and also a great fondness for other people’s watches.
March 20th, I860. BIGAMY. Samuel Dinner was indicted for that he did at Bathurst, on the 7th September, 1859, unlawfully and feloniously marry one Maria Avenal, his former wife Caroline being' 'still alive. Plea : Not guilty. The prisoner was undefended
I cannot find when his wife Caroline died but he married Maria in Bathurst and was subsequently charged with bigamy , the sentence was 6 months hard labour. In the following year he was sentenced to Cockatoo Island for 7 years for Assault and Robbery.
In 1877 Samuel Dinner was in the Goulburn Gaol, continuing his wicked ways.
It appears that in 1878 Samuel was certified a lunatic at Goulburn gaol and I believe he subsequently died in Ryde Lunatic asylum in 1880.
Mary Elizabeth Prior, daughter of Sarah Hardy and Patrick Prior married Michael Joseph Reid son of Alexander Reid and Mary Catherine Rooney.
