Friday Finds - Edward Rhall

Some years ago while researching my Rhall ancestors I made the mistake of reading a death certificate and taking information from it without properly analysing the information contained within it.  It was another researcher, who I was corresponding and sharing information with, who pointed out the fact that had been under my nose the whole time but I had failed to notice it.  Edward Rhall, a 17 year old miner, died on the 13th September 1853 at Spring Creek in Victoria in a mining accident when a bank of earth fell upon him.  His brother Peter 'John' Rhall was the informant for the certification.  The certificate stated that Edward Rhall the son of Christopher (a farmer) and Mary Rhall had been born in Bong Bong and had spent 17 years in the colonies, with 7 of those years being in Victoria.  This would place his birth around 1836 and the family moving to Victoria in 1846, making their move before the gold rush.  According to the death certificate Edward was buried at Beechworth, Victoria on the 15th September 1853.  It all seemed pretty straight forward and I added the details to my tree but as the other researcher pointed out there was a important problem with the information, Christopher Rhall had died in 1832 and so it was impossible for Edward to be his son.

Official Victorian Death certificate for Edward Rhall

According to information so far obtained Christopher and Mary Rhall had the following children: two daughters names unknown left behind in Ireland, Catherine, Jane, Margaret, Mary Ann and Peter 'John' Rhall.  When Christopher died in 1832 he had not left a will, which left Mary and the children with no male provider or protector and in a very precarious position.  In 1833 Mary Rhall married Michael Reynolds, he was a convict sentenced to Life who arrived in Australia on board the ship Lord Sidmouth in 1821.  An interesting fact is Michael Reynolds was mentioned in the newspaper articles about the trial of Patrick Kelly for Christopher Rhalls murder (see 'Murder of Christopher Rhall' blog posting).

New South Wales, Australia, Registers of Convicts' Applications to Marry, 1826-1851 about Michl Reynolds

Name: Michl Reynolds
Age: 33
Birth Year: Abt 1800
Spouse: Mary Rhall
Request Status: Refused
Date of Permission/Refusal: 3 May 1833

New South Wales, Australia, Registers of Convicts' Applications to Marry, 1826-1851 about Mary Rhall

Name: Mary Rhall
Age: 34
Birth Year: Abt 1799
Spouse: Michl Reynolds
Request Status: Refused
Date of Permission/Refusal: 3 May 1833

New South Wales, Australia, Registers of Convicts' Applications to Marry, 1826-1851 about Michael Reynolds

Name: Michael Reynolds
Spouse: Mary Rhalls
Request Status: Granted
Date of Permission/Refusal: 14 May 1833

New South Wales, Australia, Registers of Convicts' Applications to Marry, 1826-1851 about Mary Rhalls

Name: Mary Rhalls
Spouse: Michael Reynolds
Request Status: Granted
Date of Permission/Refusal: 14 May 1833

New South Wales, Australia, Registers of Convicts' Applications to Marry, 1826-1851 about Michl Reynolds

Name: Michl Reynolds
Age: 34
Birth Year: Abt 1799
Spouse: Mary Rhall
Request Status: Granted
Date of Permission/Refusal: 24 May 1833

New South Wales, Australia, Registers of Convicts' Applications to Marry, 1826-1851 about Mary Rhall

Name: Mary Rhall
Age: 34
Birth Year: Abt 1799
Spouse: Michl Reynolds
Request Status: Granted
Date of Permission/Refusal: 24 May 1833

Source: Ancestry.com. New South Wales, Australia, Registers of Convicts' Applications to Marry, 1826-1851 [database on-line]. Provo, UT, USA: Ancestry.com Operations Inc, 2009.

NSW BDM Marriages

V183341 126/1833 REYNOLDS MICHAEL RHAL MARY LD

Source: NSW BDM Marriages. Retrieved from http://www.bdm.nsw.gov.au/

So far I have not found a birth record for Edward, I have however found a record for a Patrick Renolds that requires further investigation.

Australia Birth Index, 1788-1922 about Patrick Renolds

Name: Patrick Renolds
Birth Date: 1834
Father's Name: Michael Renolds
Mother's Name: Mary
Birth Place: New South Wales
Registration Year: 1834
Registration Place: Sydney, New South Wales
Volume Number: V1834384 129

Source: Ancestry.com. Australia Birth Index, 1788-1922 [database on-line]. Provo, UT, USA: Ancestry.com Operations, Inc., 2010.

Michael Reynolds was granted a convict pardon in 1845.

Index to Convict Pardons

REYNOLDS Michael - Lord Sidmouth 1821 45/400 CP 15 Mar 1845 [4/4447] 782 - 297 -298

 Source: Index to Convict Pardons. Retrieved from http://www.records.nsw.gov.au/state-archives/indexes-online/indexes-online

In 1839 when Mary Rhall was seeking to be granted the title deeds to her deceased husbands land grant described as:

  'Eighty acres, County of Camden, parish unnamed, at Bong Bong, Veterans’ allotment No. 7 commencing at the Wingecarribbee River at the South West corner of allotment No. 6 and bounded on the South East by that allotment being a line bearing North 35 degrees West 49 chains to the Argyle Road; on the North West by that road to the North corner of allotment No. 8 on the South West by that allotment being a line bearing South 35 degrees East 27 chains to the Wingecarribbee River being parallel to and distant 20 chains and 29 links from the North East boundary line; and on the South East by the Wingecarribbee River upwards to the South West corner of allotment No. 6 aforesaid. '

Source: Transcribed information from Case No. 459 - Report of Commissioners of Claims 

no mention was made of this second husband Michael Reynolds.  She claimed the land using the Rhall surname desiring the Deeds to the land (to be known as Longford Farm) to be made out in her name and stated in correspondence dated 26th June 1839 that she had the following children Mary, John, Catherine, Margaret, Patrick, Mary Ann and Jane.  In correspondence dated 28th September 1839 she had adjusted some of this information stating that she had only one son, by her husband alive.  On the 9th October 1839 she appealed to the Governor George Gipps Knight to grant her the Title Deeds, informing him that she had a family of seven children, some of whom had been left at home and who were females without proper protectors, she also pointed out that Sydney was very expensive to remain in for so long. On the 10th October 1839 the Commissioners recommended that the Governor should make out the Deed of Grant to Peter John Rhall, as he was the oldest surviving son.  No reference is made of a child named Edward born c.1836 in any of this correspondence.

Mary Rhall died on 1st March 1866 and was buried on the 2nd March 1866 in Gundagai, New South Wales.  The only marriage recorded on her death certificate is her first marriage to Christopher Rhall.  Her children are listed as Jane, Mary Ann, Margaret and John living, with two boys and seven girls deceased.  This accounts for Jane, Mary Ann, Margaret, Catherine, the two unknown girls left behind in Ireland, Mary ,John, Patrick and Edward and leaves three girls unaccounted for.

Official New South Wales Death Certificate for Mary Rhall

I need to do a lot more research on this family as I have a lot of questions and there are serious gaps that need filling!  The correspondence regarding the Deed of Grant mentioned that there was only one son from her marriage to Christopher alive, does that mean there were others who died? Who are the two girls left in Ireland? Why didn't they come with the rest of the family, were they married? Who did assault Christopher Rhall and why?  What was Michael Reynolds connection to the family? Why was Michael Reynolds transported? Marrying a convict when you are a free woman with children and a land grant is an interesting choice, love match or something else?  How many children did she have with Michael Reynolds?  What happened to Michael Reynolds?  Why did Mary continue to use the Rhall surname and why was Edward using the same surname?  Were they hiding the convict connection?  Hopefully I will have more answers than questions about them some time in the near future.