A different family history

My great-great-grandfather took his family to Tasmania along with his sister-in-law and her husband, to Tasmania in the late 1830’s. They went to start a business out there and they ran what I guess would be called an export import company these days. They had ware-houses and at least one ship (but I have no doubt they had many more) and they brought goods into Tasmania, or Van Diemen’s land as it was then, and traded goods out. They brought cargoes in from across south-east Asia, their ships going backwards and forwards all along the south China Sea, and across the ocean to New Zealand, and even further across to North America and San Francisco. They brought in silk, porcelain and ceramics, tea, wine, exotic goods, and traded out some of those cargoes plus wool and whale products.

they lived in a fine house and entertained the governor of the colony with grand balls; they were respected members of the community even though they were Jewish, and my great-grandfather became the first Jewish JP in Australia, and he and his brother-in-law were founders of the first synagogue in Tasmania as it had become. They became wealthy and eventually returned to London and lived on Regent’s park in a magnificent house built by John Nash.

There is an excellent BBC TV programme called ‘Who Do You Think You Are?’ which follows the genealogical history of famous people. Tonight the actress Anne Reid followed the trail of her ancestors, in particular her great-great-grandfather, who like mine, went to Tasmania. he however did not go of his own volition. he was a Scottish school-teacher who fell into debt, was convicted of forgery, and sent to Van Diemen’s Land as a convict for seven years. One can only imagine the horrible 119 day crossing with three hundred odd other convicts – very different from the journey my wealthy family made. When he arrived he had to do two years hard labour before he was allowed to finish his sentence working as a clerk. He was freed a year early and became a small trader. he must have known my great-grandfather, but his life was very different. He had a respectable job, but he never accumulated enough money to afford the fare home, unlike my ancestor who returned to a life of wealth and comfort.

We hope to visit Tasmania; when I go I shall try to find places associated with my family, but I am sure I will also remember Anne Reid’s genealogical journey too.