William & family Jarvis

Story

William Jarvis was born in Leicester c.1785 & was a Bricklayer when he joined the 73rd Regt. in England. After being pensioned off in July 1821 he enlisted in Royal Veteran’s Corp as a Private in Jan 1826. A requirement was that enlistees should be former servicemen, honourably discharged and have references of good character from clergy or some other respectable citizens. His wife Rebecca Adcock was born c.1785 and they married in 1822 in Nottinghamshire. With his wife and son aged 19, he arrived with the first group of Royal Veteran Corps in Van Diemen’s Land (Tasmania) with No. 3 Company on 26 August 1826 aboard “John Barry.” The Corp was sent to protect the citizens of Tasmania from aboriginals and convicts. They lived in Army Barracks at a military post established in 1826 at Brighton on the north side of the Derwent about 15 miles from Hobart Town.

In 1830 Wm. was discharged from the Veterans & given allotment 20 in Veteran’s Row (now part of upper Murray Street). By 1831 he was working as a labourer as a Constable resigning 1835. It was said he deserted his family & around 1835 went to NSW where he died of senile decay at the Govt. Asylum, Parramatta on 16 Aug 1867 aged 82. He is buried in St.Johns Cemetery, Parramatta.

William & Rebecca separated possibly in 1832. Rebecca entered into a de facto relationship with William Benbow an ex-convict who, as a 27 year old boatman was tried in Worcestershire in 1822 & found guilty of stealing 17 Trusses of Hay from a cow shed valued at 20s & was sentenced to 7 years transportation. He appeared to receive his sentence with much pleasure and thanked the Chairman. He left England aboard the ‘Competitor (1)’ in March arriving in Hobart Aug.1823. He left behind a father, who was a glovemaker; a wife and 3 children in Worcester.

Wm\’s record of conduct continued to grow during his seven years of conviction in Tasmania: Stealing, Disobedience of orders; Threatening his Master (58 lashes & chain gang 6 months); Defrauding his Master of sums of money (12 months chain gang); Absconding from Chain Gang twice (50 lashes). He finished his term in Oct 1829 & apparently took up with Rebecca Jarvis around 1832 – they had 4 sons & a daughter. They purchased and sold parcels of land around Hobart during the period 1831-36 whilst he still plied his trade as a baker. On 21 Sept that year he leased 30 acres at Snug for 14 years at a price of 17 pounds and a yearly peppercorn.

The Benbow/Jarvis property where they grew vegetables & potatoes is on the left hand side (coming from Cemetery) after crossing Snug River & ran down to the River. Wm. also had a large sailing vessel which he used to take firewood up the D\’Entrecasteau Channel to Hobart from which he drowned in March 1843, the inquest being held the next day at Rebecca\’s house. Rebecca Benbow (nee Jarvis) testified: The deceased Wm. Benbow was my husband, he was 43 years old. About half past three o\’clock yesterday I was in the house when a man who works for Felix Connolly came & said É that he believed either the boat or the craft was swamped, so I sent my boy down & heard no more of the matter until Felix Connolly came up about an hour afterwards & told me my husband was drowned. I went down immediately to the mouth of the river where I fainted away and do not know what occurred until I found myself at home and the dead body of my husband in the house. É ‘The body was in respect & I examined it, there were no marks of violence whatever on it. My husband was quite sober when I last saw him alive about two o\’clock yesterday. I am not aware of any quarrel between Rowe & my husbandÉ. I have no reason to supposed that my husband\’s death was caused otherwise than by accidentally. X Rebecca Benbow (her mark).’ Wm. Benbow was buried 30 Mar 1843 at Cornelian Bay Cemetery. (Snug was not opened until the 1850s.)

After William\’s death Rebecca lived with John Turnbull a boatman. Their son Frederick Henry Turnbull was born in 1845. Rebecca Jarvis was “a farmer’s wife” when she died in 1859 age 62. She was buried at Snug Cemetery. For full family history see http://pandora.nla.gov.au/tep/10421

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