Richard Withers
Updated 11 January 2024
Richard was the son of my convict great-great-great-grandparents, George Withers and Susannah Lloyd.
Richard was born on 3 February 1833 in Campbelltown, NSW but I haven't been able to find a birth/christening record for him. His older brother, John, who was born in 1831, was baptised at St Luke's Church of England in Liverpool, NSW.
The explanation for the lack of a christening may be the family's move the same year Richard was born.
Richard's father, George, had been granted his Certificate of Freedom in 1830 and in 1831 and 1832 was a farmer in Lower Minto in the Campbelltown area of what is now Sydney. Then in 1833, George and Susannah and their family moved to Burrangong Station in King's County, near Yass where they were assigned servants to James White who was one of the first white settlers in the area around what is now the town of Young.
Richard was born early in 1833 and we do not know when the family moved to Burrangong Station. We do know, however, that the area was beyond the declared limits of settlement at the time and that the station had only been established in 1826. The first Church of England minister visited the area only in 1840 so it simply would not have been possible to have a child baptised there in the 1830s.
In 1839, when Richard was six, his family moved to Collingwood Station near Gunning where his parents were assigned as convict servants to the owner, Mrs John Kennedy Hume, who had been widowed. The family lived there until about 1847, when Richard was 14.
Sometime between 1847 and 1849, George and his family moved to land they had purchased at Shelley's Flat, near Gunning where George was a farmer.
By 1860, when Richard was 27, George had relocated his family east of Gunning to the plains of Breadalbane, where he and his sons worked as teamsters, working the area between Sydney and Albury.
Richard was born on 3 February 1833 in Campbelltown, NSW but I haven't been able to find a birth/christening record for him. His older brother, John, who was born in 1831, was baptised at St Luke's Church of England in Liverpool, NSW.
The explanation for the lack of a christening may be the family's move the same year Richard was born.
Richard's father, George, had been granted his Certificate of Freedom in 1830 and in 1831 and 1832 was a farmer in Lower Minto in the Campbelltown area of what is now Sydney. Then in 1833, George and Susannah and their family moved to Burrangong Station in King's County, near Yass where they were assigned servants to James White who was one of the first white settlers in the area around what is now the town of Young.
Richard was born early in 1833 and we do not know when the family moved to Burrangong Station. We do know, however, that the area was beyond the declared limits of settlement at the time and that the station had only been established in 1826. The first Church of England minister visited the area only in 1840 so it simply would not have been possible to have a child baptised there in the 1830s.
In 1839, when Richard was six, his family moved to Collingwood Station near Gunning where his parents were assigned as convict servants to the owner, Mrs John Kennedy Hume, who had been widowed. The family lived there until about 1847, when Richard was 14.
Sometime between 1847 and 1849, George and his family moved to land they had purchased at Shelley's Flat, near Gunning where George was a farmer.
By 1860, when Richard was 27, George had relocated his family east of Gunning to the plains of Breadalbane, where he and his sons worked as teamsters, working the area between Sydney and Albury.
Marriage and Children
In 1860, Richard married Maria Rourke. Maria was the daughter of William and Mary Rourke (NSW BDM 1861/1916). The marriage was registered in Goulburn (NSW BDM 1694/1860).
The couple had the following seven children together:
The couple had the following seven children together:
Note that there are two sons named Richard. The boy born in 1874 also died in 1874 (NSW BDM 4850/1874) and Richard and Maria used the same name for the son born the following year. This was a common practice at the time.
1860-1878
In 1860 Richard and his father and brothers were working as teamsters, based in Breadalbane. The 1872 Grevilles Post Office Directory shows Richard as a farmer living in Mutt billy, which is basically Breadalbane. The brothers and their father worked the area between Sydney and Albury.
Richard and his family seem to have moved to Narrawa in the late-1870s, sometime after the birth of their youngest child, Frederick, in 1877. At that stage, Richard would have been aged in his forties. Note, however, that there was still land being held in the Gunning area in his name in 1881, as per the map below. Perhaps the land was being worked by his father and brothers.
Richard and his family seem to have moved to Narrawa in the late-1870s, sometime after the birth of their youngest child, Frederick, in 1877. At that stage, Richard would have been aged in his forties. Note, however, that there was still land being held in the Gunning area in his name in 1881, as per the map below. Perhaps the land was being worked by his father and brothers.
Death and Burial
Richard died on 29 May 1909 at the home of his son, Frederick, in Narrawa. He was 77 years old. He was buried on 31 May at the Church of England Cemetery in Narrawa (Rugby Cemetery).
His wife, Maria, died in 1916 in Sydney. Her death was registered in Woollahra (NSW BDM 1861/1916).
His wife, Maria, died in 1916 in Sydney. Her death was registered in Woollahra (NSW BDM 1861/1916).