Edward Conyngham

 

Edward Conyngham’s family in Ireland, as much as we have learnt, is here.

The account of his journey, leaving on  from Cork, shipwreck in Cape Verde, long stay in Rio de Janeiro, and onward travel to Hobart and Sydney is here.

 These notes  record the period after his arrival  in Port Jackson on 8 July 1829. (His Outline Descendant Tree, covering the first few generations, is here.)

 

Edward’s movements between disembarking and his marriage to Mary Ann Marshall , daughter of the late George Marshall and Mary (McArdle) Marshall some six months later, are unknown. Presumably he met up first with his brother Patrick Conyngham. He had stated his calling to immigration officials as a “wireworker” on arrival.^[1] Though functioning as a publican  throughout his time in the Colony, he was described as a “clockmaker” in 1863 land title documents. ^[2] Such a trade was consistent with the work of a wireworker. ^[3] Some say that such a person had a role in the brewery industry.

 

 

From the time of the death of George Marshall in July 1828, his widow Mary managed the woollen manufactory and the assigned servants. Surveyor Hallen noted in ca.1830  that she completed the construction of the previously approved buildings on the Campbell Street site.  Edward Conyngham’s arrival in NSW in mid 1829 coincided with this period. It is not known how or when he met the family. Indeed, they or their Dublin families may have been known to each other in an earlier period. Such is mere speculation. But the relationship in Sydney built quickly to the point where the fifteen year old Mary Ann married Edward, then some nine years older. Father Therry married them in St Mary’s Chapel, off Hyde Park, on 11 January 1830.  

 

The record of the marriage is a puzzle. The St Mary’s official register states the witnesses to have been William Hogan and Mary Ann Phillips  ^[4] Nothing is known of them, or why they erroneously appeared in this context. It was interesting and intriguing to see a similar marriage entry squeezed between the lines of the 1829 register, obviously added  later, for the same day a year earlier, 11 January 1829, when Edward was not anywhere near NSW, being still in Rio de Janiero. Other detail is the same except the witnesses, listed in the 1829 entry as Timothy Maher and E Morley.

 

Furthermore, the record in the St Mary’s official register was obviously transcribed, and then only in part, from Fr Therry’s own diary entry for 11 January 1830. This read in full:

• “Married Edward Cunningham (sic), Wire worker, arrived per ship Ann, and Mary Marshall, daughter of the late George Marshall of Sydney, in presence of Timothy Maher, Elizabeth Morley and John Butler. Received £5.0.0”^[5]

 

So, apart from noting the generous contribution, a mere £1.0.0 being the going rate for other contemporary weddings, why the 1829 entry, and how did the names of the witnesses get mixed up? Maher clearly was well known to the Conynghams. A ‘clothier’, the same trade as George Marshall, he had travelled on the same ship, PHOENIX, in 1826 as Edward’s brother Patrick Conyngham, having been sentenced in Dublin to Life imprisonment. Though a native of Tipperary, his address at the time was 21 Moore Street, Dublin, which may or may not give an indication of the area of Dublin where the Conynghams lived.  Maher had been a sponsor at the baptism of Margaret, (b. 23 May 1829) daughter of Edward’s brother Patrick Conyngham and Honora (Kelly) Conyngham at St Mary’s 14 June 1829. Along with the grandmother, Maher was a sponsor at the baptism on 16 November 1830, of Catherine, first daughter of Edward Conyngham and Mary Ann. In the NSW Guide and Directory of 1834 Maher was described as “Dealer, 40 Upper George St, Sydney.”

 

Five children were born to the Conynghams. Unfortunately, nothing is known of their childhood, nor of their education. Only two children (daughters) lived into adulthood:

• Catherine Mary, born 7 November 1830. Catherine married Francis McMahon on 2 August 1849 . Further detail is being prepared for inclusion he
• George Mathias, born 25 February 1833. George went to the diggings in Victoria in or around 1851. Returning to Melbourne to board the Schooner “TWINS” en route home to Sydney he died, probably of dysentery, which was then prevalent on the goldfields, on 10 November 1852, before the ship left port. It is likely he was buried in Melbourne, though it Victorian authorities have not been able to identify any record.. One of the seamen reported at the Inquest ^[6] as follows:’

“Deceased was a passenger for Sydney on board the TWINS Schooner. He came on board yesterday afternoon, and seemed very ill at this time.  He continued on board and became worse until he died about half past twelve o’clock the same night.  I told the Mate how very ill he seemed and he went to the Police Office to acquaint the Police of the fact – on his return he had expired.  Deceased had not been drinking.  He had been at the diggings and had a violent cold on him.  He told me that he had had the Cold for about eight weeks on him.”

Consequently the Coroner found that

“…. the said George Cunningham has died by the visitation of God in a natural way and not otherwise…”

The Melbourne Argus reported the Inquest in the following terms:

“Inquest held yesterday before W B Wilmot, Esq, J P, Coroner, on the body of George Cunningham (sic) who died on Friday night [5.11.1852] on board the Schooner ‘TWINS’ bound for Sydney. The deceased had just come in from the diggings and had taken his passage that morning; he however appeared very ill. The jury returned a verdict of ‘Natural death’.”

The Sydney Death Notice read

“Conyngham, George. Eldest son of Edward Conyngham of George St South, Sydney.^[7] Died 10 November 1852 (sic) at Melbourne.”

• Mary born 11 May 1835. Mary died on 8 July 1838. The child was buried with her grandmother, in the same plot where her mother was to be buried six years later.
• Elizabeth Clare, born 11 April, 1837. Elizabeth married Charles Murray on 28 February 1856, and her family is covered here and in detail in  Joan Dawes’ MURRAY story..
• Edward E born 1839.Edward died at the age of eighteen in 1857

 

 EDWARD’S SECOND MARRIAGE.

Mary Anne Greenwood was born in Jamaica 1825. “Mary Ann (sic) Stephena (sic) [We have her as Mary Anne Stephens etc.] Greenwood, christening, 2 Jan 1825, Kingston Jamaica; Parents Joseph Greenwood and Ann Rebecca Williams.”[Jamaica Church of England Parish Register Transcripts 1664-1880]

Her father  JOSEPH GREENWOOD was born Abt. 1796 in England, and died Oct 1828 in Fort Augusta, Jamaica.  He married ANNA REBECCA STEPHENS.  Between 1825 and 1828  he was a Captain in the 50th Regiment of Foot (West Kent) in Jamaica.  He had bought a commission in the Huntingdonshire 31st Regiment, as an ensign, where his Captain was Thomas Conyngham-Kelly; Later he was a Captain in HM 22nd (Cheshire) Regiment 1828

[A tombstone taken from the military burial ground at Fort Augusta was re-placed on the walls and floor slabs of the prison chapel taken over by the Prisons Department in 1954. His burial is recorded at St. Catherine’s Cathedral, Jamaica. The tombstone reads “Sacred to the memory of Capt. Joseph Greenwood of H M’s 22 nd Regt., who died at Fort Augusta 31st Octr. 1828 aged 30.]

 

Mary Anne’s brother, Charles William, was born on 26 May 1827 in Kingston, Jamaica.

We have no knowledge of her life, neither in Jamaica nor in UK, until her arrival in Sydney on the “BRITON” on 26 June 1844. The Briton mainly carried emigrants from the UK though 19 year oldMary Anne was one of a small number of paying passengers.

Mary Anne married Edward Conyngham on 26 July 1845 at St Lawrence C of E Church, Sydney.

They had six children between 1845 and 1855:

Anna Rebecca Greenwood CONYNGHAM b: 03 Sep 1845, d: 14 Oct 1919

Jane Greenwood CONYNGHAM b: 01 Oct 1847, d: 10 Nov 1847 in Sydney NSW

Maryanne Greenwood CONYNGHAM b: 01 Oct 1847, d: 01 Feb 1848 in Sydney NSW

Mary Josephine Greenwood CONYNGHAM b: 02 Mar 1849, d: 16 Jul 1925 in Sydney

Joseph CONYNGHAM b: 07 Dec 1852, d: 19 Dec 1852 in Sydney NSW

Paul Joseph CONYNGHAM b: 11 Oct 1855, d: 22 Feb 1897 in Sydney NSW

 

Mary Anne was the first female who entered the (Teacher) Training School under the National Board on 1st April 1861. 

She taught for many years at the Catholic School in Parramatta Road (near Sydney University) becoming “Headmistress of the Girls’ Department” and later prior to retirement , at Burwood Girls School.

 

She died In 1886.  Notification of her death read as follows:

“CONYNGHAM. – July 27, at her Residence, 16 Enmore Road, Newtown, Mary Anne Stephens, aged 61 years, daughter of the later Captain Joseeph Greenwood, of H.M. Regiment, and 25 years teaching under Council of Education. R.I.P.”