Robert Anderson (abt. 1771 - 1839)

Born about 1771 in Letterkenny, Donegal, Ireland

Husband of Mary (Franklin) Anderson — married 19 Mar 1810 in Sydney, New South Wales, Australia

Descendants

Died 31 Dec 1839 at about age 68 in Liverpool, New South Wales, Australia

Problems/Questions Profile manager: Mitchell Letcher [send private message]

Biography

Robert Anderson was a convict after the Third Fleet.

Robert Anderson was born about 1771 in Letterkenny, Donegal, Ireland. He was 5ft 9in with black hair, hazel eyes, fair complexion and had the trade of a blacksmith.^[1][2]

Robert was tried in 1791 at Donegal for the crime of highway robbery, and sentenced to death, commuted to transportation for Life. (Note that the convict indent for this ship does NOT describe him as a soldier)^[3][4]

Robert arrived in New South Wales, Australia on 7 August 1793, aboard the Convict Transport Ship Boddingtons.^[1][5] The convict indent for this ship described him as age 21.^[3]

Robert enlisted as a private in the NSW Corps (102nd Regiment) on 4 September 1797 at Sydney and transferred to the 73rd Regiment of Foot in 25 March 1810 in Sydney, then transferred to Invalid Company, later Royal Veteran Company "Captain Brabyn's or Invalid Company" on 25 October 1813. He was discharged on 24 September 1823 probably at Parramatta, which was the Company Headquarters. ^[6][7][8]

Robert married Mary Franklin on 19 March 1810 at St. Phillips Church of England, Sydney, New South Wales, Australia.^[9] Robert Anderson, bachelor, of Sydney, Private, 102nd Regiment, (signed name), married Mary Franklin, spinster, of Sydney (Signed X) by licence, by William Cowper, Assistant Chaplain. Witnesses were Susannah Smith and John Williams.^[10]

Mary and Robert had 8 children between 1807 and 1819.

In 1817, Robert and another soldier were charged with the murder of Lydia Ragan in Sydney.^[11] He was acquitted of murder and sentenced to three months gaol and fined £10 for becoming involved in an affray.^[12]

In the 1828 census he is listed as Anderson, Robert, 57, CF(sic), Boddingtons, 1793, Protestant, farmer, Grove Farm Sydney [should be Lower Minto], with Anderson, Mary, 40, free by servitude, Earl Cornwallis, 1800, Protestant; Anderson, Robert [Jun], 14, born in the colony; Anderson, Mary Ann, 13, born in the colony; Anderson, Maria, 11, born in the colony; Anderson, George, 10, born in the colony. Land holdings: Total acres: 460, Cleared: 60, Cultivated: 4; Horses: 5, Cattle: 120

He passed away on 31 December 1839 at Liverpool, New South Wales, Australia,^[13][14][15] and is buried at Old St. Lukes Cemetery in Liverpool Pioneer Memorial Park.^[13]

Excerpts from Robert Anderson's will, dated 23 September 1838:^[16]

I, Robert Anderson, settler near Liverpool in the County of Cumberland........will that all my last and lawful debts, including my funeral expenses shall be liquidated, as soon as time will admit of.

Secondly, I will to my dear and beloved son Robert Anderson two hundred acres situated at Fair Meadow in the district of Illawarra and County of Camden NSW also two mares.

I will to my well beloved son George Anderson two hundred and fourteen acres of land situated near Liverpool.........also to my dear grand daughter Maria Williams, a cottage situated in Goulburn St, Liverpool.........also to my well beloved daughter Mary Ann, now Mrs Deer, fifty pounds and all the remaining part of my lawful property to my eldest and dear son Gerald Anderson, to act at his own will and pleasure as he may think proper for the best....

Signed Robert Anderson

Witnessed by Walter Smith, Gerald Anderson and George Greaves.

Research Notes

His parents? Several trees have his parents Robert Anderson and Elenor Hindmarsh who married on 28 June 1770 in Allenton, Northumberland, England, but none of the trees give any evidence that this couple were Robert's parents. Does anyone know the primary source that links this couple to Robert?

Note: there was another Robert Anderson who was an Ensign, later Lieutenant, in the New South Wales Corps, sometimes referred to as a "Gentleman", who bought and sold some land at Norfolk Island in 1802. He departed Norfolk Island by ship Lady Nelson 29 Jun 1804; Arrived at VDL per ship Buffalo 10 Nov 1804; 21 Feb 1805 (BDA). Returned to India on the "Lady Barlow" in 1809 (Trove). Correspondence between him and his brother Alexander Anderson Seton has survived and has been copied by the AJCP https://nla.gov.au/nla.obj-770248972/findingaid#nla-obj-806545155. Unfortunately the short biographies of the two men are incorrect in Statham's book "A Colonial Regiment".

Sources

1. ↑ ^{1.0 1.1} State Archives NSW; Series: NRS 1150; Item: [SZ115]; Microfiche: 623, New South Wales, Australia, Convict Indents, 1788-1842
2. ↑ Place of birth Letterkenny, Donegal and his description are from his discharge papers, WO 97 - Chelsea Pensioners British Army Service Records 1760-1913, British Army Service Records, Find my past database, https://www.findmypast.com.au/transcript?id=GBM%2FWO97%2F1141%2F886406
3. ↑ ^{3.0 3.1} INX-77-2459 ANDERSON Robert, Convict Indents (Digitised) Index 1788-1801, State Records of New South Wales https://records-primo.hosted.exlibrisgroup.com/primo-explore/fulldisplay?context=L&vid=61SRA&lang=en_US&docid=INDEX1954290
4. ↑ Another list incorrectly has an added notation in pencil that he died in 1816: New South Wales, Australia, Convict Indents, 1788-1842 for Robert Anderson, Alphabetical List of Convicts on Transports 1788-1800 (Surnames A – Dan) https://www.ancestry.com.au/discoveryui-content/view/84:2024?_phsrc=Dlw9008&_phstart=successSource&gsfn=robert&gsln=anderson&ml_rpos=7&queryId=d7b5967cce31732701f78ba6195cf3fe
5. ↑ State Archives NSW, New South Wales, Australia, Convict Registers of Conditional and Absolute Pardons, 1788-1870
6. ↑ Series: NRS 898; Reel or Fiche Numbers: Reels 6020-6040, 6070; Fiche 3260-3312, New South Wales, Australia, Colonial Secretary's Papers, 1788-1856
7. ↑ "A Colonial Regiment - New Sources relating to the New South Wales Corps - 1789-1810", Edited by Pamela Statham, privately published 1992, Canberra. cited in BDA
8. ↑ Transcript extract of the Pay Lists of the 73rd Regiment of Foot whilst in NSW 1810-1816, with extracts from the Casualty Lists, compiled by Keith A Johnson AM, in 2013., cited in BDA
9. ↑ Australia, Marriage Index, 1788-1950, Reg # 74/1810 V181074 5 and Reg # 962/1810 V1810962 3A
10. ↑ St Philip's Church of England, Sydney NSW: Church Register - Marriages; ML ref: Reel SAG 90, cited in BDA
11. ↑ Sydney. (1817, March 15). The Sydney Gazette and New South Wales Advertiser (NSW : 1803 - 1842), p. 2. Retrieved March 8, 2022, from http://nla.gov.au/nla.news-article2177134
12. ↑ Sydney. (1817, May 17). The Sydney Gazette and New South Wales Advertiser (NSW : 1803 - 1842), p. 1. Retrieved March 8, 2022, from http://nla.gov.au/nla.news-article2177223
13. ↑ ^{13.0 13.1} Australia and New Zealand, Find A Grave Index, 1800s-Current, https://www.findagrave.com/memorial/162564586
14. ↑ NSW BDM online index, Death ANDERSON ROBERT 873/1840 V1840873 24A AGE 67
15. ↑ St Lukes Liverpool burial register (SAG reel 100) has date of death 30 December 1839, date of burial 3 January 1840, age 67, free, abode "near Liverpool"
16. ↑ Hall, Barbara. Of Infamous Character : The Convicts of the Boddingtons, Ireland to Botany Bay, 1793 / Barbara Hall. Coogee, N.S.W.: B. Hall, 2004, p.6.

• Biographical report for Robert ANDERSON, Person ID: B#10011535101, Biographical Database of Australia (BDA) https://www.bda-online.org.au/mybda/search/biographical-report/10011535101?f=robert&l=anderson&ol=&i=3&s=&p=
• https://convictrecords.com.au/convicts/anderson/robert/131930
• https://australianroyalty.net.au/tree/purnellmccord.ged/individual/I2194/Robert-Anderson
• Profile edited by Mark Gibbons through the import of Gibbons _ Anderson Direct Ance.ged on Mar 21, 2019. See Changes page for edits by Mark and others