MARY WADE

Sarah's mother was Mary Ann WADE who was born in London in the late 1770s. Mary was transported for life to the colony of New South Wales on board the "Lady Juliana"

FEMALE CONVICT SHIP

The "Lady Juliana" carried 226 female convicts, the youngest of whom was Mary, not yet 11 years old. The ship arrived at Port Jackson, Sydney Cove on 3 June 1790 and Mary landed on 6 June 1790.

CONVICTS SENT TO NORFOLK ISLAND

Some of the newly arrived female convicts (including Mary WADE) were sent to Norfolk Island on board the "Surprise" to work in the gardens. On Norfolk Island, the gardens were established to supply vegetables to ease the serious food shortage in the penal settlement at Sydney Cove.
 

CHILDREN BORN TO MARY WADE

While Mary WADE was on Norfolk Island she gave birth to two children:
Sarah and William.

JONATHON BROOKER ARRIVES IN NEW SOUTH WALES

When Mary returned to Sydney she was living with Jonathon BROOKER who had arrived at Sydney Cove on board the "Atlantic". Jonathon Brooker was sent to Norfolk Island on board the "Queen" and arrived there on 11 November 1791.

Jonathon BROOKER originally came from Kent, England and was transported for a period of seven years. His occupation at that time was a chair-maker in the Parish of St. Mary Magdalen, Bermondsey, England.

JONATHON BROOKER RECEIVES LAND GRANT

Jonathon and Mary were living near the Hawkesbury River, NSW when in 1811 Jonathon received a land grant of 60 acres in the newly opened district of Airds, 36 miles (56kms) south-west of Sydney.

JONATHON BROOKER RECEIVES CERTIFICATE OF EMANCIPATION

In February 1811 Jonathon received his Certificate of Emancipation and he received his official ownership of his land at Airds in 1816.

MARY WADE RECEIVES CERTIFICATE OF EMANCIPATION

Mary received her Certificate of Emancipation in September 1812 and as a result, both Jonathon and Mary were officially free people.

DEATH OF JONATHON BROOKER (1833)
Jonathon died in 1833 and was buried in the graveyard behind St. Peter's Church, Campbelltown, NSW.

DEATH OF MARY WADE (1859)

Mary continued to live in the Illawarra area till her death on 17 December 1859. She was buried in the old Church of England cemetery at Wollongong, NSW.

In 1945 the Wollongong City Council converted the cemetery into a Pioneer Rest Park. There is a plaque on a stone wall which reads:

City of Wollongong Erected to the Memory of Pioneers of this District Who Here lie at Rest

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Copyright © 2005, Carol McNeill, , c/- PO, Morayfield, Qld, Australia, 4506. Original content in these pages is copyright. Apart from any use permitted under the Copyright Act, no part may be produced by any process, or other exclusive right exercised without written permission of the copyright holder.