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The Lynch family
James LYNCH
James LYNCH arrived on the convict transport ship Asia[1] at Port Jackson on February 21, 1825 out of Cork on November 22, 1824,under Captain STEAD.
There were 189 Irish convicts on board this voyage of the Asia, including our James as recorded on the ships muster as: -
1) No 186. James Lynch tried at Mullingar, Co. Westmeath, on 12 March 1824 and sentenced to 7 years deportation.
Native of Co. Meath, a reaper and thrasher, age 17 years, height 5ft and ½ inch, brown complexion, brown hair, blue eyes, health suspicious. Assigned to Jas. (James) Harris at Parramatta.
Another record for the convict transport ship Asia, arriving Port Jackson 22 February 1825, out of Cork 20 October 1824 listed among the convicts aboard: -
2) No 186. Lynch James, stealing money, 7 years, 18 years 5 months and 6 days old, grey eyes, brown hair, swarthy complexion. Convicted Westmeath, date of birth, 16 September 1807.
The 1828 Census records James as being a Government Servant, arrived on the Asia and in the service of Sarah HARRIS, at Parramatta. Sarah was the daughter of Jas HARRIS, and aged about 24 at the time.
James received a Ticket of Leave No 29/604 in August 1829, issued in the district of Parramatta.
His Certificate of Freedom, No. 31/0663 dated July 2, 1831, describes James LYNCH as arriving on the Asia in 1825, a native of Athboy, Co. Meath, a labourer whose offence was stealing money. Tried at Mullingar on 12 March 1824 and sentenced to 7 years. He is recorded as being 5 feet 2 inches tall, with fair ruddy complexion, dark brown hair and light blue eyes. His birth year was recorded as 1808, which is incorrect, as we know from the shipping records that he was born on September 16, 1807.
We have been able to unearth very little about how James spent his time after his arrival in 1825 up to his marriage in 1840. We know that he stayed in the employ of the HARRIS family at least until 1828, and that he was still in Parramatta in 1829 and 1831. His place of residence at the time of his marriage in 1840 was recorded as Sydney, but we have no information on his employment or location other that these records.
James LYNCH married Julia McCARTHY (of Manera [Monaro]) on May 19, 1840 at St. Mary’s Catholic Church, Sydney; Rev (Fr) Joseph PLATT officiating.
Witnesses were James McCARTHY[2] and Mary RYAN[3], both of Sydney.
Neither James nor Julia, nor their witnesses could sign their names, and consequently made their “X” marks on the record.
After their marriage, James and Julia spent their time in the Monaro district, James in the employ of others. James’s occupation has been shown variously, as stockman, squatter, farmer, labourer or shepherd. Their place of residence, indicated in the records at the time of baptism of some of the children, was recorded variously as ‘Bolaro’ (twice), ‘Frying Pan[4]’, ‘Snowy River’ and ‘Mambrooh’. James was also most likely at other properties in the Monaro.
According to his entry in the Death Registry of NSW, James died on May 24, 1863 of ‘exposure to wet and cold while in a state of intoxication’, he was listed as being 55 years old, a shepherd, with 11 children; 5 male, 6 female living; 1 male and 1 female deceased; 13 in total. He died at ‘Rock Forest’[5] near Cooma.
A Coroners Inquest into his death was held at Cooma on June 4, 1863. His death certificate shows him as being buried at Gejizerick [sic]; born County Meath, Ireland and 39 years in the colony, the undertaker being John McCARTHY (assumed to be his wife Julia McCARTHY’s brother). Witnesses at his funeral were Thomas LYNCH[6] and Francis HOPPER.
When James died, he did not leave a will. Letters of Administration were granted to his son William, on August 1, 1872, 11 years later. William is recorded as the eldest son and next of kin. In fact, William was the second eldest having born in 1846; Bryan was the eldest, born in 1841. This would tend to indicate that Bryan had by this time left the family home, and was working independently.
On May 23, 1871 James’s widow Julia (nee McCARTHY) married one William DELANEY (aged 40 i.e. born c.1831), son of Edward DELANEY and Ellen COLLINS, at St Patrick’s[7] Catholic Church Cooma; Julia was about 48 years old at that time.
Julia died on March 19, 1892 at the Canadian Hotel, Fitzroy Street, Dubbo, NSW. She was buried March 20, at Dubbo Cemetery. The informant was her daughter Johanna HANLEY (Dec 18, 1844 – Mar 19, 1909), residing Lismore, NSW.
William DELANEY died[8] in 1899 at Liverpool, NSW.
We have no information of Julia and William DELANEY’s movements other than their having been in Cooma, and Julia dying in Dubbo and William in Liverpool.
Two members of the family are listed in Halls ‘Business, Professional and Pastoral Directory’ for 1895 (page 264): Cooma, Brian (Bryan),
‘Umaralla’ farmer, and William ‘Dry Plains’ farmer.
William LYNCH (James’ son) took up part of the original ‘Dry Plains’ selection in the late 1880’s. This was some time after Bryan LYNCH had taken over the management of the station from Alexander GRAHAM. Alexander GRAHAM had employed James, his son Bryan, probably William and other LYNCH family members over many years, perhaps all of them at various times.
Children of James LYNCH & Julia McCARTHY
James LYNCH and Julia McCARTHY had 13 children: -
Bryan (Brian?)* b 1841 at Frying Pan, Monaro, NSW
d Jan 22, 1923 at Cooma, NSW
m Jun 15, 1869, Cooma, NSW (11 children)
STOPP, Mary Ann – dau of George STOPP & Ann EAST (or HASTE)
b 1849, Coolringdon, via Cooma, NSW d 1920, Redfern, NSW
Mary Ann* b abt 1842/3
d Sep 27, 1875[9], Dry Plain, NSW
m Jan 30, 1865, Frying Pan, NSW (5 children)
BYRNE, James – son of Peter BYRNE & Margaret BRENNAN
b abt 1842, Narellan, NSW d abt 1889, Cooma, NSW
Johanna* b Dec 18, 1844, Bolero, Monaro NSW d Mar 19, 1909, Lismore, NSW
m Nov 28, 1871, Cooma (5 children)
HANLEY, John[10] – son of William HANLEY & Johanna BOYLE (or BAYLEY)
b 1846, Cappawaite[11], Ireland d Feb 6, 1905, Dry Plain, NSW
William*
b May 21, 1846, Frying Pan, Monaro NSW d Nov 27, 1925, Cooma, NSW
m1 abt 1868[12] (1 child)
FLANNAGAN, Mary[13]
b abt 1852, Cooma, NSW d unknown
m2 Mar 05, 1878, Rocky Plain nr Adaminaby, NSW (9 children)
MOORE, Annie – dau of Edward MOORE & Bridget HARTIGAN[14]
b May 10, 1855[15] d Jul 10, 1928, Cooma, NSW
James*
b Sep 30, 1847, Snowy River, NSW d Nov 20, 1922, Adaminaby, NSW
Unmarried, remained a bachelor
Julia* b Aug 24, 1849, Snowy River, NSW d 1865 at Dry Plain, near Cooma
Ann (or Anna)* b Mar 17, 1851, Snowy River, NSW d Nov 9, 1937 Marrickville, NSW
m 1895, Sydney, NSW (issue unknown)
PUDNEY, William
b abt 1850, NSW? d unknown
Bridget* b Jan 03, 1853, Bolero, Monaro, NSW
d Dec 31, 1930, Petersham, NSW
m abt 1879 (5 children)
WATSON, Henry August
b abt Aug 1853, NSW d Dec 24, 1897, Petersham, NSW
Michael* b Oct 11, 1854 Bolero, Monaro, NSW
d 1904, Katoomba, NSW
m Aug 23, 1895, Rhine Falls, NSW (1 child)
CARNEY[16], Susannah – dau of Thomas CARNEY & Mary BRIDLE
b 1859, Bombala, NSW d Feb 14, 1928, Petersham, NSW
Infant female#[17] b 1855 d 1855 (details unknown)
Patrick[18]# b 1856 d 1857 (details unknown)
Catherine (Kate)* b Aug 23, 1859, Mambrooh, Monaro, NSW d Dec 27, 1891, Dubbo, NSW
m Jan 08, 1890, North Shore, Sydney (1 child)
QUINN, Michael – son of John QUINN & Julia (Judith) LOFTUS
b May 11, 1854, Penrith, NSW d 1933, Wyong Creek, NSW
John* b 1861 d 1865
* All living at the time of their father’s demise, May 24, 1863
# One male and one female then deceased
There are no birth records available for the first two children born to James and Julia, neither in the civil nor the Church (Catholic) records. According to information provided at James’s death, these two children were Bryan, and Mary Ann who were 22 yrs and 20 yrs old at the time. Consequently, they would have been born in 1841 and 1843 respectively.
[1] Asia 1 (3) - 3rd voyage – dates of departure and arrival at Port Jackson (Sydney) vary by source – Asia 1 on this voyage had 189 Male convict passengers on board with nil deaths en-route. The voyage took 116 days, the Master was Capt. Thos F (Fisher) Stead, and the Surgeon was Jas (James) A Mercer. The Asia 1 is described as a ‘ship’ of 532 tons – ie rigged as a sailing ship; she had 2 decks; was built in Aberdeen in 1819; had iron standards and knees; underwent some repairs in 1829 and 1831; was sheathed in felt and copper in 1831; draught under load of 19 or 20 feet; her owners were “McInnis”; port of survey was London. The Asia 1 did 9 voyages to Australia, 7 to NSW and 2 to Van Diemen’s Land (Tasmania), Capt. STEAD was the master for 7 voyages.
[2] Julia’s McCARTHY’s brother
[3] A Mary Ryan (born in 1841) was to marry Michael McCARTHY (Julia’s younger brother) on 23 September 1857. This witness may have been her mother, or perhaps sister to James Ryan, Michael’s wife Mary’s father, but we do not know at this time just who she was.
[4] Located on the shores of Lake Eucumbene and to day is well-known trout fishing resort. Named after an Aboriginal Elder of the Ngarrigo tribe who features in Banjo Patterson’s poem – “Frying Pan’s Theology” The Bulletin, December 16, 1893
[5] Rock Forest was a squatting run, close by the Murrumbidgee River near Adaminaby
[6] Probably Thomas LYNCH one of the other LYNCH pioneers of the Monaro, we do not know whether they were related
[7] The first St Patrick’s Catholic Church in Cooma was built on a 2-acre block having a frontage to Sharp Street, Bombala Street and Commissioner Street. The Church was built of stone and it was opened towards the end of 1860. A four room Presbytery, with calico ceilings, was built alongside the Church. The first wedding in the Church took place on 5 January 1861, between Owen LYNCH[7] and Catherine McMAHON; Fr Michael KAVANAGH of Queanbeyan officiated. Owen LYNCH, was also one of the Pioneers of the Monaro, and so far as we know was not related to our James LYNCH. Fr Michael KAVANAGH was the first roving priest of the Monaro, and married many of the members of our families; the LYNCH and McCARTHY families among them
[8] NSW Reg Gen Death Index No 1899/9781 Liverpool, NSW
[9] NSW Reg Gen Death Index No. 1875/5738 Cooma matches, registered as BURNS, parents James and Julia
[10] Some records refer to William as first name
[11] Or Cappywaite, Ireland
[12] Assumed to be common law marriage or unmarried
[13] Assumed, but not confirmed, that Mary FLANNAGAN is the same Mary FLANNAGAN who later married one William CASEY (b 1849, Tipperary, Ireland – d Sep 4, 1924, Kogarah, NSW); they had 11 children between 1870 and 1893
[14] Edward MOORE & Bridget HARTIGAN had 7 children; William Edward, Mary, Susan, Elizabeth, William, Annie, and Edward – intermarried with other early Monaro families, including the JOHNSON and SHEEHY families
[15] Or 1856
[16] Susannah CARNEY had a previous marriage (1873) to John HANSON (b 1842 – d 1893), they had nine (9) children – Susanna was recorded as a Hotel Keeper on her marriage to Michael LYNCH, and they were married at the Rhine Falls Hotel, presumably Susanna was the owner of this Hotel
[17] The birth & death was apparently not recorded in the NSW Registrations, details unknown
[18] Again there appears to be no official registrations, details unknown
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