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The purpose of this site is to foster knowledge,
promote contact, & share information and family
history between the descendants and connections of:
First Fleet Convict & Second Fleet Convict
Nation Founders
First Fleet arrival Port Jackson 1788 (John Allcot representation 1938. Courtesy National Library of Australia)
This site is best viewed with screen resolution 1280X1024 pixels
Setting the Time Frame 1788 What was happening back then? |
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Portsmouth Point 1811 by Thomas Rowlandson Although painted more than 20 years after Joseph Wright's departure from Portsmouth this work perhaps reflects the times pretty well... Click on the Rowlandsons name above to see more about him and his work. Quite an over the top bloke. Beware! some of his stuff was amusingly bawdy even by todays standards if you hit the lewder stuff.
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"The American War of Independence had formally ended with the signing of The Treaty of Paris just a few short years earlier in 1783. England had lost the dumping ground of the American colonies for her dispossesed poor and abandoned. England was surrounded by numerous hostile European nations many of whom had assisted the American colonists. The hungry rural poor had flooded into London and larger towns. Petty crime was rife, the gaols were overflowing, the prison hulks were full. Ordinary people were uneducated & impoverished. The largely uncaring rich had become so mainly by patronage, privilege and resultant access to education.
Slavery was legal, its eventual abolition lay well into the future. George Washington had not quite yet been sworn in as the first American President. Britain was licking its war wounds, suffering the loss of the American colonies and almost bankrupt. Public hangings were commonplace & plentiful. The barbaric Hanging, Drawing & Quartering although rarer, was still being practised. The last official burning at the stake of a woman, Catherine Murphy, was still yet to take place. The French Revolution was shortly to begin. The industrial revolution was yet to commence. The English answer to the discontent that frightened European rulers was to stiffen the "Property Laws" which gave rise to even fuller gaols. Napoleon's ascent to power was still a distant 20 years away. In frenzied Paris, the storming of the Bastille lay only 18 months away. Times everywhere were turbulent. History making was in fast forward.
Times were tough & violent! That's how Joseph Wright & Ellenor Gott, micro players in history, came to be our founding couple in Australia.
They surely didn't choose to come here, or perhaps even to really choose each other. But to them we owe a vote of gratitude and a moment of thought occasionally. For they, with others of similar hue, were to found a Nation which we love and are all part, and are proud to belong. We may wonder whether they ever had a thought about what may become our modern Nation. They had no choice & no prospect of return to their home. We have bountiful choice, freedom & opportunity that have been given to us by them and built on by each succeeding generation
If you're descended or related, however obscurely to our founding couple, or even just a visitor taking a browse of our descendants website, reflect a moment perhaps, on just how tough the times were, the struggles we know they had, and raise a pleasant glass at your next Aussie BBQ to our founding settlers. Amongst whom were our own Joseph Wright & Ellen Gott "
© Philip Wright 2009
January 2nd 2011
Web view of Descendants Data Base will now be updated annually only at the address below. (Next due Jan 2012 )
It will be only accessible at our own new Domain
Marion Taylor & Philip Wright have sought for a few years to enlist a younger, enthusiastic, computer literate person to take over the matters of maintaining the web site and the associated data base, sadly without success. The database section of our new 2011 Domain based web site will now only be maintained at yearly intervals (probably early Januaury each year) in the future. The contained viewable database of known descendants has been updated to end December 2010 and will not be updated otherwise on this website, however, information may be available to legitimate inquirers by contacting Marion or Philip directly.
The Master descendant database will continue to be maintained by Marion for those wishing to add new family information such as advice as to dates of births, deaths, and marriages etc, of family members. Marion & Philip will also do our best, as in the past, to assist family members in relation to data base matters or family information enquiries at any time.
We have attempted to keep the information on this site current for several years for the benefit of the larger family group, however as with all things, the time has come for both of us to move on, having achieved the original objectives of capturing, correlating and presenting the greater family history, in a useful format for future and current family members.
Marion & Philip thank all those that have contributed to the data base, provided family information, attended our tri-annual reunions at Pitt Town and assisted in so many other ways as active particpants in the overall endevour of ensuring that our descendants group history cannot be lost.
We thank you all.
Latest News Our own Domain Name. - A note from Philip Wright, Webmaster.
We now have our own new domain name so we have relocated to our permanent new home address:-
( Just click on the above address! )
To not be bound to ISP requirements for free web hosting, data size requirements and other space related issues, we have elected to register our own domain name and have it professionally hosted in "Paid for Accomodation" . This means that the site can be hosted anywhere and relocated readily without disruption that can occur when, or if a change of Internet Service Provider (ISP) is made. This naturally takes a little time for search engines to establish the identification and location of our new domain name in search engines such as Google & Yahoo etc. However whilst this is happening, we will leave the "old" versions of the website in place for a few months and then place a redirect notice or function to our own new Domain Name & location. The database will only be updated at about the end of each year and then only at the new wrightdescendants address above.
In summary - When you go to our new address Make sure you bookmark the address to be up to date with the news & any datbase changes! Please let your family contacts know about our new home address. Also note there is no au at the end of this address. Just do it like it says above!
Previous Newsletter Archive (Click Here)
Perhaps you happen to have any old black and white photographs of your grandparents, Great Grandparents or family members like the one shown here below of Mary Wright (nee Thomas) at her 75th birthday at Flynns Creek, Victoria in 1903.
If you do, GREAT ! We would love to see an emailed copy of them. You may see our growing collection by CLICKING HERE. Other photos are also being added as recieved, to individual records in the descendants listings. Some postage stamp sample images appear hereunder. Just click on any of the small images to visit the OLD PHOTOS GALLERY
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Mary Wright's (nee Thomas) 75th birthday 1903. taken at Flynns Creek with many of her family.
Found !, the captioned names at last ! Many thanks to (Peter) Bruce Wright who found his copy of the original captions listing.
The names listed below are colloquial and are verbatim, from a sheet accompanying the original 1903 photograph. In many cases the names are those by which the person was known in 1903. Many of the women are named by their married names. Some of the men are named by shortened or nick names. We do have a list of the true identites (including maiden names, - many of them were nee Wright), of the married women & of all those in the photo except the visitor. Back Row: Polly Wright (Jnr.), Polly Wright (Snr.), Tom Anderson, Clara Anderson, Ollie Stuckey, Nellie Power, Walter Power (Snr.), Bill Pearce, Walter Powell, Tom Smith, Ned (?) Nissen (with baby Ada), Sarah Smith |
Flynns Creek Hotel established by Thomas Wright - June 1875
Charles Thomas Lindwood Wright - Traralgon Saddler & Harnessmaker (see Photo collection CLICK HERE for full image and other Photos )
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Original signature of Ellen Gott |
AND | John Townson (Lieutenant, NSW Corps) later Captain and Lt. Governor Norfolk Island. |
In this section is current news on family members doings, arrivals, departures etc. Here's where Grandparents & Parents can brag a bit or we just tell you what's happening at our end !
The latest January 2011 listing of all known descendants is here. It contains lots of Descendants information. An increasing number of them with old photos attached. You can follow a lineage through the descendant listin, search for an individual, or a family name.
More than 10,400 individual descendants & family members and 3400 family groups covering 10 generations!
To view the descendant listings or search for your family name, follow lineage, or see relationships, please CLICK HERE. Certain details such as dates of birth etc have been supressed for all living people. Any problems? Want a family chart or diagrams? Just email us and we will try our best to help!
The great majority of the individuals in the data base have predominantly lived their lives in the Eastern States of Australia, but the family, like so many others nowadays are more mobile than past generations. Increasingly, many live and work overseas for some period.
If you would like a FREE copy of the Legacy Genealogy Progam that we use (principally because it'so easy to use). To build your own family record or add another branch of your family. Just .........
Please CLICK HERE to be taken to Legacy's website, where you can download a good, free no nonsense program - or pay a modest sum for the highly recommended Legacy Deluxe Ver 7.4+ genealogy program. ( No ! Philip Wright takes no kickbacks, commissions, free grog or dinners. He just likes Legacy ! ) For family details or to seek further information contact Marion Taylor direct CLICK HERE
Under approved circumstances you may also seek to obtain the family data file as a GEDCOM file by contacting Marion Taylor. This can then be imported into any good other genealogy program of your choice.
We also have added a web log to our family site where you can post all of your comments, add snippets, see what others have said, add your ideas, or ask questions. Feel free but remember we're a polite family group. To visit this web log please CLICK HERE
Who's Who? Contact us with your question !
Want to know what relationship you have to anyone else on the database. EMAIL US for a cost free printout of your relationship to Joseph Wright or your 5th cousin, or whoever ! - Who was who?, Who is who? How are you related to others?, and so on. Unravel the puzzle. Of course, we'd like to add any of your family detail too. We will be updating the WRIGHT DESCENDANTS database at about quarterly intervals. Meanwhile we can try our best to email you with answers to many family connection questions.
Something else about Pitt Town & Windsor
Several historical markers are erected in the Pitt Town /Windsor area commemorating the first 22 Hawkesbury settlers in 1794. One is located (some time ago 1994) in the Governor Phillip Park at Windsor adjacent to the Bridge to Bridge boat club house. More recent "heritage" type signs have also been erected in Pitt Town and along the Pitt Town /Windsor Road at each access to the Pitt Town Bottoms road.
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Governor Phillip Park, Windsor,Commemorative Plaque |
Pitt Town Bottoms Commemorative Heritage Sign |
Joseph Wright is listed No 12 on all of these (click on image/s to enlarge)
Robyn Winley, of Windsor advises there is also a marked commemorative tree she caused to be planted some time ago in the recreation reserve on the cemetery road at Pitt Town.
Joseph Wright's original land grant at Pitt Town Bottoms (Photo taken 2004)
(Click on images to enlarge)
Driving there with GPS ? Go to 33 deg 35'.08S. 150 deg 50'.26E.
If you would like to be a part of us, please EMAIL US with your details and family members.
Links to First Fleet and Other Interest Sites
The Traralgon and District Historical Society - The Wright Family - John Power
Lesley Uebel's Claim a Convict web site
This family history site is published & originally placed in April 2001 by Philip Wright who now lives in the Melbourne area, an earlier small site was established in 1991 . The data incorporates the contributions of many family members. It is intended that we will update the site and the descendants listing regularly by addition of newsletters as needed. We will be delighted to incorporate comments and contributions from fellow descendants or others interested in the family of Joseph Wright and Ellen Gott or Australian Pioneer and convict history generally. The information incorporated on this site has been largely collected and compiled, and shaken into cogent form by Marion Taylor, our dedicated family researcher, who has put in hundred of hours, (perhaps thousands) on the project. Marion acknowledges and offers sincere thanks to the extensive number of family and fellow descendants who have provided support and contributions. Our whole efforts with this site have focused on capturing known family information and making it widely and freely available to all, as it is really just part of the bigger Australian History. We take money from nobody and act only in the interest of the descendants and future family members. This site is entirely non-commercial and all our efforts are provided to family without cost.
Marion Taylor & Philip Wright very gratefully acknowledge the efforts of numerous other family members who kept the paper based records going by diverse means, through the years preceding the broad use of computers during which the family members increased rapidly both in number, diversity and geographic mobility.
We acknowledge particularly the founding efforts of John Power (Author of "200 years on the Wright Side") and the Late Dawn Hustler both of Traralgon Victoria, who some years ago charged Marion Taylor & Philip Wright with the task of keeping the family reunions & records growing and fostering the growth of interest that had been displayed by many descendant family & connections of Joseph Wright & Ellen Gott. Marion & Philip particularly thank Shirley McLennan of Melbourne for her most significant input of base information. Numerous other descendants throughout Australia and overseas have contributed their own family and sub-group information, for the greater good of the project and the posterity of future generations who in their turn will surely ask the questions about our family beginnings in our wonderful country.
The background page motif as many may know, is the convict transport vessel "Scarborough" which sailed in both the first and second fleet and in which Joseph Wright arrived in Sydney Cove 1788. Ellen Gott arrived in the Second Fleet aboard the notorious vessel "Neptune"
For information concerning this web site or Wright Descendants data files, Q & A, Free of charge Charts & Relationship details etc;
email Philip Wright at :- (Remove the word NOSPAM from the front of the address before you send the email)
NOSPAM philipw@pacific.net.au (remove word NOSPAM from the front of the email address before you send)
For specifics of the genealogy information, Copies of files or CD-ROM Contact Marion Taylor direct at:-
NOSPAM martay@optusnet.com.au (remove word NOSPAM from the email before you send)
These two addresses have the word NOSPAM added to try and circumvent junk mail which we all just hate!
Just make sure you delete the word NOSPAM in the email address box, before you click on send !!!
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