THOMAS MASSEY
| First name | THOMAS |
|---|---|
| Last name | MASSEY |
| Country of Origin | CHASHIRE, ENGLAND |
| Date of Birth | 1758 |
| Year of Arrival in Australia | 1791 |
| Submitted by | JANE CARROLL |
Story
Thomas Massey was committed for desertion from the army and then charged in company of two others with breaking and entering the house of Thomas Hammon near Knutsford in 1789. He was sentenced to death at Chester, England on 3rd September, 1789. Sentence was reprieved on condition of transportation for life.
Thomas Massey sailed from Spithead on the Gorgon, 15th March 1791, arriving Sydney on 21st September that year. While 3 bulls, 6 cows, 3 rams and 9 ewes died on the passage the crew, 30 male convicts and several passengers all arrived alive.
Thomas Massey had two children with Ann Simmonds – Jane Ann Simmonds (NSW 19th June 1795) and Thomas William Massey (supposed to be the third white child born in Van Diemens Land, 18th February 1807). He married Ann Simmonds 23rd January 1810 in Sydney. Later he married (?) Mary Stuart and had a daughter, Elizabeth, 27th January 1833 in Van Diemens Land.
He was granted a pardon in 1802 and by 1829 held 4000 acres of land at ‘Ellerslie’ at the foot of Ben Lomond near Cleveland, Tasmania.
He died 7th January, 1858.