William Keevers (1790 - 1871)

Born 11 Mar 1790 in Margate, Kent, England

Husband of Sarah (Slack) Keevers — married 1819 in England, United Kingdom

Descendants

Died 11 Nov 1871 at age 81 in Jamberoo, New South Wales, Australia

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Biography

William Keevers came free to the Colony of New South Wales (1788-1900)

William Keevers was born at Margate, Kent, in about 1790. (1790 is commonly given in biographies, but original citation is needed.)

He fought in the Battle of Waterloo, and his Waterloo Medal is now held in the Australian War Memorial.^[1]

William married Sarah Slack in about 1819. They would have about 11 children together.

In 1822 William Keevers, William's brother, and Sarah came to Australia via the ship "Princess Royal," arriving on the 13th of March, 1823.^[2][3]

William Keevers trained the first mounted police in New South Wales, and prior to coming to this country saw considerable active service, having enlisted in the 3rd Foot Regiment in June, 1822. His pay book is now in the possession of Mrs. Purnell.

He died at Jamberoo on the 11th of November, 1871^[4][5]

Sources

1. ↑ Waterloo Medal : Corporal W Keevers, 18th Hussars, British Army https://www.awm.gov.au/collection/C95274 Page includes biography.
2. ↑ Early pioneers in Upper River and their descendants. (Aug 2009) Kangaroo Valley Voice. p. 13. Retrieved 19 July 2018 from http://kvvoice.s3-ap-southeast-2.amazonaws.com/aug09.pdf
3. ↑ Back to Hussah Farm. (Apr 1975) Illawarra HIstorical Society Bulletin. p 14. Retrieved 19 July 2018 http://ro.uow.edu.au/cgi/viewcontent.cgi?article=1445&context=ihsbulletin
4. ↑ GENERAL INTELLIGENCE. (1871, November 21). Illawarra Mercury (Wollongong, NSW : 1856 - 1950), p. 3. Retrieved July 19, 2018, from http://nla.gov.au/nla.news-article135808123
   An old soldier of the Peninsula and Waterloo, has died at Jamberoo, from the effects of a fall which he experienced on the day of Lord Belmore's visit. The deceased veteran, William Keevers, must have been nearly eighty years old, as he had served two or three campaigns in Spain and the south of France, before the final one of 1815. His services had been with the Light Dragoons or Hussars, and he was a native of one of the southern counties of England. The remains of the deceased were followed to the grave by the Jamberoo Volunteers underarms.
5. ↑ Death registration: NSW BDM 4002/1871 KEEVERS, WILLIAM, AGE 81 YEARS, DIED KIAMA, district: KIAMA

• William Keevers (1790–1871). Profile on Australian Royalty website.
• Private William Keevers. Australia's Redcoat Pioneers. Page archived at: http://pandora.nla.gov.au/pan/100162/20090616-0721/freepages.history.rootsweb.ancestry.com/_garter1/keevers.html
• First Families 2001. Page archived at: http://pandora.nla.gov.au/pan/10421/20041220-0000/www.firstfamilies2001.net.au/firstfamily1952.html Lists children and grandchildren.