Analysis: Who were Frederick Ward's parents?
Copyright Carol Baxter, 2011
As no baptism entry has survived for bushranger Frederick Ward, many different claims have been made about his parentage. To determine the truth, it is essential to ignore all of these claims and to begin with the information Fred himself provided, then work backwards.
First of all, we need to set the context. The analyses When was Frederick Ward born? and Where was Frederick Ward born? reveal that Fred, by his own account, was born in 1835 at Windsor. In 1856, Fred and a man named James Garbutt were sent to the Cockatoo Island penal establishment for horse stealing/receiving. One of their defence witnesses was a man named John Garbutt, who was already serving time on Cockatoo Island. These two men play a crucial role in determining Fred’s family background.
1. A previously undiscovered bundle of documents in the New South Wales Parliamentary Library reveals that in May 1857, Frederick Ward, James Garbutt and John Garbutt were called before a Government Board of Inquiry that met on Cockatoo Island.[1] During their interrogations, they revealed details about their relationship to each other.
When Fred Ward was questioned, the Inspector General of Police asked: “You are uncle to John and James Garbut?” Fred answered: “Yes.”
Interrogation of Frederick Ward, 8 May 1857, Cockatoo Island
When James Garbutt was questioned, Inspector McLerie asked: “Are you brother of John Garbut?” James answered: “Yes.”
Interrogation of James Garbutt, 8 May 1857, Cockatoo Island
James also indirectly confirmed that Fred was his uncle. The Board began by asking him about his crime and conviction then, after James said that he didn't steal the horses, queried: “How came you to be apprehended on this charge?” James answered: “Through malice and envy of my uncle.” The Board responded: “Not the uncle who is here?” James answered: “No.”
When John Garbutt was questioned, he made references to his brother James, then he was asked: “You have also an uncle here?” He answered: “Yes.” (Questions 736-7)
Two months later, on 9 July 1857, John wrote to the Visiting Magistrate and in this letter he declared: “… I expect the free pardon of myself, my brother and my uncle …” [1] John did not need to name his relations as the authorities already knew their identities, as revealed in Inspector McLerie's report to the Colonial Secretary on 28 August 1857: “After a rigid and lengthy examination of John Garbut, his brother James, and his uncle Frederick Ward …” [1]
Two months later, on 9 July 1857, John wrote to the Visiting Magistrate and in this letter he declared: “… I expect the free pardon of myself, my brother and my uncle …” [1] John did not need to name his relations as the authorities already knew their identities, as revealed in Inspector McLerie's report to the Colonial Secretary on 28 August 1857: “After a rigid and lengthy examination of John Garbut, his brother James, and his uncle Frederick Ward …” [1]
Inspector General of Police, John McLerie, to Colonial Secretary, 28 Aug 1857
These official documents reveal that Fred Ward and the Garbutt brothers were uncle and nephews. This indicates that Fred had a sibling who was the parent of John and James Garbutt. As his nephews did not carry the surname Ward, their Ward parent was almost certainly a sister rather than a brother.
2. Fred Ward was tried at Maitland on 13 August 1856, and information from another previously undiscovered document, the judge's transcript of his trial, provides references to family relationships.[2] A prosecution witness, Charles Reynolds of Tocal, testified under oath: “I have known the prisoner [Fred] Ward for some years. He was employed by me for a year as stockman and horsebreaker. One William Ward, his brother, was also in my employment for 8 or 9 months after the prisoner had left me. William lives at Lamb Valley 9 or so miles from me.”
2. Fred Ward was tried at Maitland on 13 August 1856, and information from another previously undiscovered document, the judge's transcript of his trial, provides references to family relationships.[2] A prosecution witness, Charles Reynolds of Tocal, testified under oath: “I have known the prisoner [Fred] Ward for some years. He was employed by me for a year as stockman and horsebreaker. One William Ward, his brother, was also in my employment for 8 or 9 months after the prisoner had left me. William lives at Lamb Valley 9 or so miles from me.”
From Justice Cheeke's transcript of Charles Reynolds' testimony at Fred Ward's trial, 13 Aug 1856
Clearly, Reynolds, a “worthy” in the local community, was testifying that he knew Fred Ward and also Fred’s brother, William Ward of Lamb’s Valley.
3. William Ward himself testified under oath at the same trial: “Garbutt is my nephew. Ward is my brother.”[2]
3. William Ward himself testified under oath at the same trial: “Garbutt is my nephew. Ward is my brother.”[2]
From Justice Cheeke's transcript of William Ward's testimony at Fred Ward's trial, 13 Aug 1856
William's statement confirms that he and Fred were brothers, and that the Garbutts were their nephews. Evidently bushranger Fred Ward had both a sister who parented the Garbutt brothers and a brother William Ward.
4. The early colonial church registers include no possible baptism for this William Ward. Nor did the surviving muster and census returns for the 1820s include any suitable references to such a William Ward.
5. Fortunately, the Garbutts proved easier to trace. The Maitland and Darlinghurst gaol registers reveal that John and James Garbutt were around the same age as Fred Ward and were also born in the Windsor district.[3]
4. The early colonial church registers include no possible baptism for this William Ward. Nor did the surviving muster and census returns for the 1820s include any suitable references to such a William Ward.
5. Fortunately, the Garbutts proved easier to trace. The Maitland and Darlinghurst gaol registers reveal that John and James Garbutt were around the same age as Fred Ward and were also born in the Windsor district.[3]
Darlinghurst Gaol Description Book: John Charles Garbutt and James Garbutt, 1861
This suggests that the sibling who parented the Garbutt brothers was much older than Fred Ward, raising the possibility that Fred was born near the end of a large family.
6. The early church registers include no baptism for James Garbutt, however they include a baptism for John Garbutt. The church registers for Pitt Town (near Windsor) record that a John Garbitt was born on 12 September 1834 and baptised on 7 December 1835.[4] His parents, John Garbitt and Sarah Ann Ward were married the same day.[5] Clearly bushranger Fred Ward not only had a brother William Ward; he had a much older sister named Sarah Ann Ward who was the mother of the Garbutt brothers.
7. Muster and census returns for the 1820s reveal that Sarah Ann Ward was born around 1816. She was the daughter of Michael Ward, a convict who arrived in New South Wales on the Indefatigable in 1815, and his wife Sophia Jane Elizabeth Ann Ward, who arrived the same year, bringing a daughter Sophia with her.[6]
6. The early church registers include no baptism for James Garbutt, however they include a baptism for John Garbutt. The church registers for Pitt Town (near Windsor) record that a John Garbitt was born on 12 September 1834 and baptised on 7 December 1835.[4] His parents, John Garbitt and Sarah Ann Ward were married the same day.[5] Clearly bushranger Fred Ward not only had a brother William Ward; he had a much older sister named Sarah Ann Ward who was the mother of the Garbutt brothers.
7. Muster and census returns for the 1820s reveal that Sarah Ann Ward was born around 1816. She was the daughter of Michael Ward, a convict who arrived in New South Wales on the Indefatigable in 1815, and his wife Sophia Jane Elizabeth Ann Ward, who arrived the same year, bringing a daughter Sophia with her.[6]
Listing for Michael Ward and for Sophia Ward and her offspring in General Muster Lister of NSW 1823, 1824, 1825
Listing for Michael Ward and his family in Census of NSW November 1828
8. Michael and Sophia Ward resided in the Hawkesbury River district and had a large family born in the colony. Muster and census returns for the 1820s (supplemented by other sources) record that they had the following colonial-born offspring:[6]
Sarah Ann - born circa 1816; mother of the Garbutt brothers
Edward George - born circa 1818; died 1851
Amelia Brenchley - born circa 1820 (aka Emily); married James Gough in 1838
Joshua Michael - born circa 1822; died 1879
George - born circa 1824; died 1854
Esther Berfield - born 14 Nov 1826; married Michael James Wells in 1850
Selina Maria - born Sep/Oct 1828; married John Thomas Bussell in 1848
9. Michael Ward later became known as Hanley Thompson Ward, and died under that name in 1859; his identity is confirmed by the family members listed on his Death Certificate.[7] Michael’s death certificate also reveals that he and Sophia had additional children born after Selina, namely two sons called, significantly, William and Frederick.
10. Michael Ward’s son William was listed as aged 30 on his father’s death certificate,[7] indicating that he was born around 1829; this would explain why he was not listed in the muster and census returns of the 1820s.
11. Michael Ward’s son Frederick was listed as either 30 or 20 (his age is unclear as “3” was written over the “2” or vice-versa) on his father's death certificate.[7] This indicates that he was possibly born as early as 1828/9 or as late as 1839. This broad birth-window includes the year that bushranger Fred Ward declared himself to have been born: 1835. (See When was Frederick Ward born?)
12. The Death Certificate for Michael Ward’s wife Sophia, who died in 1874, omits these two youngest sons, William and Frederick, and indicates that both had predeceased their mother.[8] Significantly, bushranger Fred Ward had died in 1870.
The above information reveals that Michael and Sophia Ward lived in the district where bushranger Fred Ward said he was born and, in fact, had a son named Frederick who was born around the time the bushranger said he was born. They also had a son named William, which was the name of a known sibling of bushranger Frederick Ward. As a clincher, they also had grandsons named James and John Garbutt. Clearly Michael and Sophia Ward were the parents of bushranger Frederick Ward.
But there's more.
13. Prisoners on Cockatoo Island rarely received visitors – indeed most received none at all – however Fred Ward and his Garbutt nephews were fortunate enough to receive a number of visitors while on Cockatoo Island between 1856 and 1860, mostly members of Michael and Sophia Ward’s extended family.
On 13 January 1857, “John Gough and his wife and daughter” visited “J Garbutt and Fred Ward” on Cockatoo Island. This was almost certainly James Gough and his wife Amelia, the daughter of Michael and Sophia Ward as listed above. That the visitor was Amelia’s husband James Gough rather than an unknown John Gough is supported by the fact that James Gough visited Fred and the Garbutts on a later occasion as well.[9]
On 6 March 1858 Michael Wells and his wife visited the Garbutt brothers and Fred Ward on Cockatoo Island. This was Esther Berfield Ward, daughter of Michael and Sophia Ward, and her husband Michael James Wells.[10]
On 30 May 1860 “Joseph Ward” (almost certainly Joshua Michael Ward, the son of Michael and Sophia Ward) and James Gough, husband of Amelia Ward, visited Fred Ward and the Garbutt brothers on Cockatoo Island. Interestingly, James Gough was a resident of Windsor and Joshua Ward of Maitland at the time, suggesting that they were travelling together to Sydney to visit their Cockatoo Island relatives as Ward family representatives. Apart from the Garbutt’s mother, Sarah Ann (who lived in northern NSW and never visited her Garbutt sons in gaol), James Gough’s wife and Joshua Ward were the eldest surviving Ward children.[11]
Clearly bushranger Fred Ward and his Garbutt nephews had visits from three of Michael and Sophia Ward’s children during their years on Cockatoo Island.
14. Bushranger Fred Ward's full name was Frederick Wordsworth Ward, as shown on the Birth Certificate of his daughter Marina Emily Ward.
15. Joshua Ward, son of Michael and Sophia Ward, had a large family of his own. Joshua’s children included an eldest son named Handly/Andlee Thompson Ward (note that Joshua's father's Death Certificate was listed under the name Hanley Thompson Ward). He also had a daughter Sophia J.E.A. Ward (Joshua’s mother's full name was Sophia Jane Elizabeth Ann Ward as listed on her own Death Certificate). This shows that Joshua liked to honour members of his immediate family by bestowing their full names on his children. Most significantly, he did so after their deaths. His father died in 1859 and the namesake grandson was born in 1861; his mother died in 1874 and the namesake granddaughter was born in 1875. Significantly, Joshua also named a son Frederick Wordsworth Ward who was born in October 1870 – four months after the death of bushranger Fred Ward.[12]
16. Joshua Ward’s son Frederick was the younger of twin boys; the elder twin was named William Thompson Ward.[12] Clearly, Joshua gave his twin sons the same first names William and Frederick in the same birth order as his two youngest brothers. What about middle names? Joshua’s brother William acted as a witness to their sister Selina Maria Ward’s marriage,[13] signing his name William T Ward – the T almost certainly standing for Thompson, the same middle name used by their father Michael Ward in his Hanley Thompson Ward incarnation.This suggests that Joshua gave his twin sons not only the first names but the full names of his two youngest brothers, and therefore that the full names of Michael and Sophia Ward’s two youngest sons were William Thompson Ward and Frederick Wordsworth Ward. This also suggests that Joshua honoured his twin sons with his brothers’ names because both brothers were dead by the time the twins were born. In fact, the 1874 Death Certificate for Joshua’s mother’s Sophia – signed by Joshua himself – supports this contention as it omits the names of Sophia's youngest sons William and Frederick, including them among her “four dead male” children.
17. Bestowing middle names on children was uncommon in the first half of the nineteenth century Australia, only becoming popular in the second half. When early colonial parents did bestow middle names on their children, they tended to use other given names (eg. Sarah Ann, Joshua Michael). Using surnames as middle names (eg. Brenchley and Berfield) was even more uncommon. As Michael and Sophia Ward bestowed surnames as middle names on some of their children, they were clearly the type of parents who could have named a son Frederick Wordsworth Ward.
18. Michael and Sophia Ward settled in Wilberforce (near Windsor) prior to 1820,[14] and were apparently still residing there in February 1835 when a 22 month-old colonial-born child named Harriot Ward of Wilberforce was buried.[15] Michael and Sophia and their family were the only Wards known to have been living in Wilberforce at that time, Wilberforce itself being little more than a hamlet, making it highly likely that Harriot was their daughter. From the child’s burial entry, it is clear that she was born around April 1833. Michael’s wife Sophia, according to her own entry in the 1828 Census, was around 41 at that time, so she could feasibly have been Harriot’s mother; it wasn’t uncommon for women of the time to bear children until they were around 47 years of age.[16]
19. Naming patterns also suggest that Harriot could have been a member of this Ward family. The name Harriet (and spelling variations) was an uncommon name, falling 27th in the list of adult women names found in the colony in 1811[17]; as 75% of the women were named either Mary, Elizabeth, Ann, Sarah, Jane, Catherine or Margaret, a name falling 27th on the list was not common at all. Significantly, the Ward’s daughter Amelia named her eldest daughter Sophia after her own mother, her second daughter Amelia after herself, and her third daughter Harriet, suggesting that the name carried deep personal meaning.[18] As Harriet was not a Gough family name, this suggests that the connection lay with the Ward family. Additionally, Sarah Ann Ward, mother of the Garbutt brothers, named a daughter Harriet.[18] No doubt the infant Harriot Ward who died in 1835 was a child of Michael and Sophia Ward and was mourned and commemorated by her elder sisters.
20. Harriot Ward’s burial entry indicates that the Ward family were still living in Wilberforce in February 1835.[18] In October 1836, however, when Michael and Sophia’s ten-year-old daughter Esther Ward was baptised, Michael was listed as a farmer at Windsor.[19] Evidently Michael and Sophia Ward moved from Wilberforce to Windsor at some stage between February 1835 and October 1836. Significantly, bushranger Fred Ward stated that he was born at Windsor in 1835 (see When was Frederick Ward born?).
21. The 1841 Census, which named household heads only, recorded that the youngest two members of Michael Ward’s Windsor household were a boy aged between 7 and 13, and a boy aged between 2 and 6.[20] These were undoubtedly Michael’s youngest sons William and Frederick.
22. This census information indicates that Michael and Sophia’s son William was born between March 1827 and February 1834. William was listed as aged 30 on his father’s Death Certificate in April 1859, suggesting that he was born between April 1828 and April 1829 however it is necessary to use other sources to determine the accuracy of this information (errors frequently occur in the ages listed for children). The list of Michael and Sophia Ward’s children shown above (Entry 8) indicates that the couple bore children approximately every two years during their first dozen years in New South Wales, a normal pattern of parenting for the time. As other sources reveal that they had a daughter Esther born in November 1826[19] and a daughter Selina born in September/October 1828[21], it seems likely that their son William was born no earlier than mid-1830. As Harriot Ward was born around April 1833,[18] it seems likely that William was born no later than mid-1831. This indicates that William was in fact a year or two younger than his stated age of “30” on his father’s death certificate. In fact, other ages were listed incorrectly on that same certificate including that of the informant herself: Selina stated that she was aged “32” at the time of her father’s death, whereas her entry in the 1828 Census reveals that she was only 30 in April 1859. Clearly the children’s ages listed on Michael Ward’s death certificate cannot be considered reliable.
23. Michael Ward's Death Certificate listed that his son Frederick was aged either 30 or 20 at the time (difficult to decipher), however as the ages listed on this death certificate were clearly unreliable, other sources need to be used to more accurately pinpoint his age. The 1841 Census information for the Ward family indicates that Michael and Sophia’s youngest son Frederick was born between March 1834 and February 1839 (as the youngest boy in the household was listed as being aged over 2 and under 7 when the census was taken in March 1841).[20] This tallies with the 1835 birth-year claimed for himself by bushranger Fred Ward in the Maitland Gaol entrance book in 1856 (see When was Frederick Ward born?).
24. Knowing that Michael and Sophia had children born in November 1826 (Esther), September/ October 1828 (Selina), around 1830 (William), and around April 1833 (Harriot) allows simple averaging to be used to determine when their youngest son Frederick was likely to have been born. The periods between births tend to increase as a woman ages and her fertility decreases. The period between the births of Esther and Selina in 1826 and 1828 respectively was around 22.5 months. However, the period between the births of Selina and Harriot was approximately 54 months for two children (William and Harriot), which averages at 27 months each. Clearly, Sophia’s fertility was declining. Adding 27 months to Harriot’s approximate birth-month of April 1833 gives an approximate month of July 1835 for the birth of Sophia’s next child, Frederick. However time-frames between births are rarely exact so a 27 month-period between the births of each of Michael and Sophia’s four youngest children is too rigid. Assuming a gradual decrease in fertility as Sophia neared and passed the age of 40, the averages can be adjusted slightly to, say, 25.5 months between Selina and William, and 28.5 months between William and Harriot; these periods also add up to 54 months and reflect a more natural decrease rather than an abrupt decrease in fertility. Adding that same 28.5 month gap to Harriot’s approximate birth-month produces a possible birth around August/September 1835 for Michael and Sophia Ward’s youngest son, Frederick. If we assume another decrease in fertility similar to the previous decreases (that is, say 22.5 to 25.5 to 28.5 to 31.5 months as ballpark figures), and add 31.5 months to April 1833, this produces a possible birth around November/December 1835. Clearly this simple averaging suggests that Michael and Sophia’s youngest son Frederick was feasibly born between July and December 1835. Significantly, bushranger Fred Ward not only stated that he was born in 1835, but the ages he provided at two of his gaol admissions suggest a birth-window between late August 1835 and early November 1835 (see When was Frederick Ward born?).
Summary: The evidence is both compelling and convincing. Bushranger Fred Ward was not only born around the same time as Michael and Sophia Ward’s youngest son Frederick, but he had a close relationship with their children and claimed himself to be uncle to their grandchildren. As a clincher, his rare full name, Frederick Wordsworth Ward, was given to one of Michael and Sophia Ward’s grandchildren shortly after his death in 1870.
The parentage of bushranger Fred Ward is no longer open to doubt. He was the son of Michael and Sophia Ward and was born in 1835, around the time his parents moved from Wilberforce to Windsor.
Sarah Ann - born circa 1816; mother of the Garbutt brothers
Edward George - born circa 1818; died 1851
Amelia Brenchley - born circa 1820 (aka Emily); married James Gough in 1838
Joshua Michael - born circa 1822; died 1879
George - born circa 1824; died 1854
Esther Berfield - born 14 Nov 1826; married Michael James Wells in 1850
Selina Maria - born Sep/Oct 1828; married John Thomas Bussell in 1848
9. Michael Ward later became known as Hanley Thompson Ward, and died under that name in 1859; his identity is confirmed by the family members listed on his Death Certificate.[7] Michael’s death certificate also reveals that he and Sophia had additional children born after Selina, namely two sons called, significantly, William and Frederick.
10. Michael Ward’s son William was listed as aged 30 on his father’s death certificate,[7] indicating that he was born around 1829; this would explain why he was not listed in the muster and census returns of the 1820s.
11. Michael Ward’s son Frederick was listed as either 30 or 20 (his age is unclear as “3” was written over the “2” or vice-versa) on his father's death certificate.[7] This indicates that he was possibly born as early as 1828/9 or as late as 1839. This broad birth-window includes the year that bushranger Fred Ward declared himself to have been born: 1835. (See When was Frederick Ward born?)
12. The Death Certificate for Michael Ward’s wife Sophia, who died in 1874, omits these two youngest sons, William and Frederick, and indicates that both had predeceased their mother.[8] Significantly, bushranger Fred Ward had died in 1870.
The above information reveals that Michael and Sophia Ward lived in the district where bushranger Fred Ward said he was born and, in fact, had a son named Frederick who was born around the time the bushranger said he was born. They also had a son named William, which was the name of a known sibling of bushranger Frederick Ward. As a clincher, they also had grandsons named James and John Garbutt. Clearly Michael and Sophia Ward were the parents of bushranger Frederick Ward.
But there's more.
13. Prisoners on Cockatoo Island rarely received visitors – indeed most received none at all – however Fred Ward and his Garbutt nephews were fortunate enough to receive a number of visitors while on Cockatoo Island between 1856 and 1860, mostly members of Michael and Sophia Ward’s extended family.
On 13 January 1857, “John Gough and his wife and daughter” visited “J Garbutt and Fred Ward” on Cockatoo Island. This was almost certainly James Gough and his wife Amelia, the daughter of Michael and Sophia Ward as listed above. That the visitor was Amelia’s husband James Gough rather than an unknown John Gough is supported by the fact that James Gough visited Fred and the Garbutts on a later occasion as well.[9]
On 6 March 1858 Michael Wells and his wife visited the Garbutt brothers and Fred Ward on Cockatoo Island. This was Esther Berfield Ward, daughter of Michael and Sophia Ward, and her husband Michael James Wells.[10]
On 30 May 1860 “Joseph Ward” (almost certainly Joshua Michael Ward, the son of Michael and Sophia Ward) and James Gough, husband of Amelia Ward, visited Fred Ward and the Garbutt brothers on Cockatoo Island. Interestingly, James Gough was a resident of Windsor and Joshua Ward of Maitland at the time, suggesting that they were travelling together to Sydney to visit their Cockatoo Island relatives as Ward family representatives. Apart from the Garbutt’s mother, Sarah Ann (who lived in northern NSW and never visited her Garbutt sons in gaol), James Gough’s wife and Joshua Ward were the eldest surviving Ward children.[11]
Clearly bushranger Fred Ward and his Garbutt nephews had visits from three of Michael and Sophia Ward’s children during their years on Cockatoo Island.
14. Bushranger Fred Ward's full name was Frederick Wordsworth Ward, as shown on the Birth Certificate of his daughter Marina Emily Ward.
15. Joshua Ward, son of Michael and Sophia Ward, had a large family of his own. Joshua’s children included an eldest son named Handly/Andlee Thompson Ward (note that Joshua's father's Death Certificate was listed under the name Hanley Thompson Ward). He also had a daughter Sophia J.E.A. Ward (Joshua’s mother's full name was Sophia Jane Elizabeth Ann Ward as listed on her own Death Certificate). This shows that Joshua liked to honour members of his immediate family by bestowing their full names on his children. Most significantly, he did so after their deaths. His father died in 1859 and the namesake grandson was born in 1861; his mother died in 1874 and the namesake granddaughter was born in 1875. Significantly, Joshua also named a son Frederick Wordsworth Ward who was born in October 1870 – four months after the death of bushranger Fred Ward.[12]
16. Joshua Ward’s son Frederick was the younger of twin boys; the elder twin was named William Thompson Ward.[12] Clearly, Joshua gave his twin sons the same first names William and Frederick in the same birth order as his two youngest brothers. What about middle names? Joshua’s brother William acted as a witness to their sister Selina Maria Ward’s marriage,[13] signing his name William T Ward – the T almost certainly standing for Thompson, the same middle name used by their father Michael Ward in his Hanley Thompson Ward incarnation.This suggests that Joshua gave his twin sons not only the first names but the full names of his two youngest brothers, and therefore that the full names of Michael and Sophia Ward’s two youngest sons were William Thompson Ward and Frederick Wordsworth Ward. This also suggests that Joshua honoured his twin sons with his brothers’ names because both brothers were dead by the time the twins were born. In fact, the 1874 Death Certificate for Joshua’s mother’s Sophia – signed by Joshua himself – supports this contention as it omits the names of Sophia's youngest sons William and Frederick, including them among her “four dead male” children.
17. Bestowing middle names on children was uncommon in the first half of the nineteenth century Australia, only becoming popular in the second half. When early colonial parents did bestow middle names on their children, they tended to use other given names (eg. Sarah Ann, Joshua Michael). Using surnames as middle names (eg. Brenchley and Berfield) was even more uncommon. As Michael and Sophia Ward bestowed surnames as middle names on some of their children, they were clearly the type of parents who could have named a son Frederick Wordsworth Ward.
18. Michael and Sophia Ward settled in Wilberforce (near Windsor) prior to 1820,[14] and were apparently still residing there in February 1835 when a 22 month-old colonial-born child named Harriot Ward of Wilberforce was buried.[15] Michael and Sophia and their family were the only Wards known to have been living in Wilberforce at that time, Wilberforce itself being little more than a hamlet, making it highly likely that Harriot was their daughter. From the child’s burial entry, it is clear that she was born around April 1833. Michael’s wife Sophia, according to her own entry in the 1828 Census, was around 41 at that time, so she could feasibly have been Harriot’s mother; it wasn’t uncommon for women of the time to bear children until they were around 47 years of age.[16]
19. Naming patterns also suggest that Harriot could have been a member of this Ward family. The name Harriet (and spelling variations) was an uncommon name, falling 27th in the list of adult women names found in the colony in 1811[17]; as 75% of the women were named either Mary, Elizabeth, Ann, Sarah, Jane, Catherine or Margaret, a name falling 27th on the list was not common at all. Significantly, the Ward’s daughter Amelia named her eldest daughter Sophia after her own mother, her second daughter Amelia after herself, and her third daughter Harriet, suggesting that the name carried deep personal meaning.[18] As Harriet was not a Gough family name, this suggests that the connection lay with the Ward family. Additionally, Sarah Ann Ward, mother of the Garbutt brothers, named a daughter Harriet.[18] No doubt the infant Harriot Ward who died in 1835 was a child of Michael and Sophia Ward and was mourned and commemorated by her elder sisters.
20. Harriot Ward’s burial entry indicates that the Ward family were still living in Wilberforce in February 1835.[18] In October 1836, however, when Michael and Sophia’s ten-year-old daughter Esther Ward was baptised, Michael was listed as a farmer at Windsor.[19] Evidently Michael and Sophia Ward moved from Wilberforce to Windsor at some stage between February 1835 and October 1836. Significantly, bushranger Fred Ward stated that he was born at Windsor in 1835 (see When was Frederick Ward born?).
21. The 1841 Census, which named household heads only, recorded that the youngest two members of Michael Ward’s Windsor household were a boy aged between 7 and 13, and a boy aged between 2 and 6.[20] These were undoubtedly Michael’s youngest sons William and Frederick.
22. This census information indicates that Michael and Sophia’s son William was born between March 1827 and February 1834. William was listed as aged 30 on his father’s Death Certificate in April 1859, suggesting that he was born between April 1828 and April 1829 however it is necessary to use other sources to determine the accuracy of this information (errors frequently occur in the ages listed for children). The list of Michael and Sophia Ward’s children shown above (Entry 8) indicates that the couple bore children approximately every two years during their first dozen years in New South Wales, a normal pattern of parenting for the time. As other sources reveal that they had a daughter Esther born in November 1826[19] and a daughter Selina born in September/October 1828[21], it seems likely that their son William was born no earlier than mid-1830. As Harriot Ward was born around April 1833,[18] it seems likely that William was born no later than mid-1831. This indicates that William was in fact a year or two younger than his stated age of “30” on his father’s death certificate. In fact, other ages were listed incorrectly on that same certificate including that of the informant herself: Selina stated that she was aged “32” at the time of her father’s death, whereas her entry in the 1828 Census reveals that she was only 30 in April 1859. Clearly the children’s ages listed on Michael Ward’s death certificate cannot be considered reliable.
23. Michael Ward's Death Certificate listed that his son Frederick was aged either 30 or 20 at the time (difficult to decipher), however as the ages listed on this death certificate were clearly unreliable, other sources need to be used to more accurately pinpoint his age. The 1841 Census information for the Ward family indicates that Michael and Sophia’s youngest son Frederick was born between March 1834 and February 1839 (as the youngest boy in the household was listed as being aged over 2 and under 7 when the census was taken in March 1841).[20] This tallies with the 1835 birth-year claimed for himself by bushranger Fred Ward in the Maitland Gaol entrance book in 1856 (see When was Frederick Ward born?).
24. Knowing that Michael and Sophia had children born in November 1826 (Esther), September/ October 1828 (Selina), around 1830 (William), and around April 1833 (Harriot) allows simple averaging to be used to determine when their youngest son Frederick was likely to have been born. The periods between births tend to increase as a woman ages and her fertility decreases. The period between the births of Esther and Selina in 1826 and 1828 respectively was around 22.5 months. However, the period between the births of Selina and Harriot was approximately 54 months for two children (William and Harriot), which averages at 27 months each. Clearly, Sophia’s fertility was declining. Adding 27 months to Harriot’s approximate birth-month of April 1833 gives an approximate month of July 1835 for the birth of Sophia’s next child, Frederick. However time-frames between births are rarely exact so a 27 month-period between the births of each of Michael and Sophia’s four youngest children is too rigid. Assuming a gradual decrease in fertility as Sophia neared and passed the age of 40, the averages can be adjusted slightly to, say, 25.5 months between Selina and William, and 28.5 months between William and Harriot; these periods also add up to 54 months and reflect a more natural decrease rather than an abrupt decrease in fertility. Adding that same 28.5 month gap to Harriot’s approximate birth-month produces a possible birth around August/September 1835 for Michael and Sophia Ward’s youngest son, Frederick. If we assume another decrease in fertility similar to the previous decreases (that is, say 22.5 to 25.5 to 28.5 to 31.5 months as ballpark figures), and add 31.5 months to April 1833, this produces a possible birth around November/December 1835. Clearly this simple averaging suggests that Michael and Sophia’s youngest son Frederick was feasibly born between July and December 1835. Significantly, bushranger Fred Ward not only stated that he was born in 1835, but the ages he provided at two of his gaol admissions suggest a birth-window between late August 1835 and early November 1835 (see When was Frederick Ward born?).
Summary: The evidence is both compelling and convincing. Bushranger Fred Ward was not only born around the same time as Michael and Sophia Ward’s youngest son Frederick, but he had a close relationship with their children and claimed himself to be uncle to their grandchildren. As a clincher, his rare full name, Frederick Wordsworth Ward, was given to one of Michael and Sophia Ward’s grandchildren shortly after his death in 1870.
The parentage of bushranger Fred Ward is no longer open to doubt. He was the son of Michael and Sophia Ward and was born in 1835, around the time his parents moved from Wilberforce to Windsor.
Sources
[1] Legislative Assembly Tabled Papers: Statement of John Garbutt regarding Ludwig Leichhardt, 1857, &c. [NSWPA ref: LA TP 1857/409]
[2] Notebooks of Mr Justice Cheeke: Trial of Ward & Garbutt, 13 Aug 1856 [SRNSW ref: 2/2484]
[3] Darlinghurst Gaol - Description Book, John Charles Garbutt & James Garbutt [SRNSW ref: 4/6309, Year 1861 Nos. 1515 & 1616; Reel 860]; For references to other gaol admissions, see Timeline: Sarah Ann Ward and family
[4] Baptism: John Garbitt [SRNSW ref: Vol.19 No.717; Reel 5004]
[5] Marriage: John Garbitt & Sarah Ann Ward [SRNSW ref: ref: Vol.19 No. 1341; Reel 5004]
[6] Baxter, General Muster 1822, Entries A21845 & A21852-56; Baxter, General Muster List 1823, 1824, 1825, Entries 44223, 44231-36; Sainty & Johnson, Census 1828, Entries W0408-W0415; For further information about the Ward family, see Timeline: Michael and Sophia Ward and family.
[7] Death Certificate: Hanley Thompson Ward [RBDM ref: 1859/3745]
[8] Death Certificate: Sophia Jane Elizabeth Ann Ward [RBDM ref: 1874/5858]
[9] Cockatoo Island: Daily State of the Establishment [SRNSW ref: ref: 4/6511, 13 Jan 1857; & 4/6504, 30 May 1860]
[10] Cockatoo Island: Daily State of the Establishment [SRNSW ref: 4/6512, 6 Mar 1858]
[11] Cockatoo Island: Daily State of the Establishment [SRNSW ref: 4/6504, 30 May 1860]
[12] NSW Registry of Births, Deaths and Marriages Online Indexes; Birth Certificate: Frederick Wedsworth Ward [RBDM ref: 1870/0012476]; Baptism entry: Frederick Wordsworth Ward, 1870 [RBDM ref: Vol. 160 No. 2102]
[13] Marriage: John Bussell & Selina Maria Ward, 1848 [RBDM ref: Vol. 78 No. 560]
[14] Map of Wilberforce Township c1820 in Bigge’s Appendix [ML BT Box 25 p.5458]
[15] Burial: Harriot Ward [SRNSW ref: Vol.18 No.2321; Reel 5004]
[16] Claims have been made that Sophia was too old to give birth to Fred in 1835 because she was aged 47 at that time. While 47 is not too old for a woman to give birth, Sophia’s age at that time was only 43 according to the 1828 Census (see photocopy above). Those who state that Sophia was 47 have drawn upon the details provided on her Death Certificate; however this type of secondary-source information is notoriously unreliable because someone other than the deceased provided it. By contrast, Michael and Sophia provided their own ages for the 1828 census collector so the information can be considered more reliable.
[17] Baxter, Carol J. General Musters of New South Wales, Norfolk Island, and Van Diemen's Land, 1811, ABGR, Sydney, 1987
[18] See Timeline: Sarah Ann Ward and family
[19] Baptism: Esther Ward, 1836 [SRNSW ref: Vol. 20 No. 989; Reel 5004]
[20] 1841 Census: Michael Ward [SRNSW ref: X951, p.35, No. 282; Reel 2223]
[21] See photocopy of 1828 Census in Entry 7 above.
[1] Legislative Assembly Tabled Papers: Statement of John Garbutt regarding Ludwig Leichhardt, 1857, &c. [NSWPA ref: LA TP 1857/409]
[2] Notebooks of Mr Justice Cheeke: Trial of Ward & Garbutt, 13 Aug 1856 [SRNSW ref: 2/2484]
[3] Darlinghurst Gaol - Description Book, John Charles Garbutt & James Garbutt [SRNSW ref: 4/6309, Year 1861 Nos. 1515 & 1616; Reel 860]; For references to other gaol admissions, see Timeline: Sarah Ann Ward and family
[4] Baptism: John Garbitt [SRNSW ref: Vol.19 No.717; Reel 5004]
[5] Marriage: John Garbitt & Sarah Ann Ward [SRNSW ref: ref: Vol.19 No. 1341; Reel 5004]
[6] Baxter, General Muster 1822, Entries A21845 & A21852-56; Baxter, General Muster List 1823, 1824, 1825, Entries 44223, 44231-36; Sainty & Johnson, Census 1828, Entries W0408-W0415; For further information about the Ward family, see Timeline: Michael and Sophia Ward and family.
[7] Death Certificate: Hanley Thompson Ward [RBDM ref: 1859/3745]
[8] Death Certificate: Sophia Jane Elizabeth Ann Ward [RBDM ref: 1874/5858]
[9] Cockatoo Island: Daily State of the Establishment [SRNSW ref: ref: 4/6511, 13 Jan 1857; & 4/6504, 30 May 1860]
[10] Cockatoo Island: Daily State of the Establishment [SRNSW ref: 4/6512, 6 Mar 1858]
[11] Cockatoo Island: Daily State of the Establishment [SRNSW ref: 4/6504, 30 May 1860]
[12] NSW Registry of Births, Deaths and Marriages Online Indexes; Birth Certificate: Frederick Wedsworth Ward [RBDM ref: 1870/0012476]; Baptism entry: Frederick Wordsworth Ward, 1870 [RBDM ref: Vol. 160 No. 2102]
[13] Marriage: John Bussell & Selina Maria Ward, 1848 [RBDM ref: Vol. 78 No. 560]
[14] Map of Wilberforce Township c1820 in Bigge’s Appendix [ML BT Box 25 p.5458]
[15] Burial: Harriot Ward [SRNSW ref: Vol.18 No.2321; Reel 5004]
[16] Claims have been made that Sophia was too old to give birth to Fred in 1835 because she was aged 47 at that time. While 47 is not too old for a woman to give birth, Sophia’s age at that time was only 43 according to the 1828 Census (see photocopy above). Those who state that Sophia was 47 have drawn upon the details provided on her Death Certificate; however this type of secondary-source information is notoriously unreliable because someone other than the deceased provided it. By contrast, Michael and Sophia provided their own ages for the 1828 census collector so the information can be considered more reliable.
[17] Baxter, Carol J. General Musters of New South Wales, Norfolk Island, and Van Diemen's Land, 1811, ABGR, Sydney, 1987
[18] See Timeline: Sarah Ann Ward and family
[19] Baptism: Esther Ward, 1836 [SRNSW ref: Vol. 20 No. 989; Reel 5004]
[20] 1841 Census: Michael Ward [SRNSW ref: X951, p.35, No. 282; Reel 2223]
[21] See photocopy of 1828 Census in Entry 7 above.