Analysis: Did Frederick Ward take paternity leave?
According to a Thunderbolt website, Fred Ward took "paternity leave" when Mary Ann Bugg was pregnant (see below):[1]
Is this true? Let's examine the facts.
Fred Ward and Mary Ann Bugg had three known children: Marina, ?Eliza, and Fred Junior.[2] Marina was born in October 1861 after Fred had returned to gaol and, as a result, he did not meet her until she was around two years of age.[3] Fred and Mary Ann did not get back together until after Fred escaped from Cockatoo Island in September 1863 so the earliest a second child could have been born was mid-1864.
Their second known child, the child seemingly called Eliza on Mary Ann's death certificate (see Searching for Mary Ann Bugg's children?) was born between June and October 1865 during one of Fred’s busiest years as a bushranger. The child's birth window is determined by multiple references to its age, including reports in March 1866 that it was around nine months old and in January 1867 that it was around fifteen months old.[4]
So did Fred take paternity leave in 1865? His first gang was operational between January and April 1865, after which the three surviving gang members fled to Queensland.[5] Fred appears to have returned from Queensland in the middle of that year and spent a couple of months with Mary Ann in the Borah Ranges north-west of Manilla, probably around the time the child was born, before heading back to his comfort zone of the north-western plains.[6] His second gang commenced operations there in October 1865, and disbanded in January 1866.[7] Clearly, far from taking “paternity leave”, Fred virtually abandoned Mary Ann to look after herself, although he did contract a part-Aboriginal woman to assist with the baby’s delivery and remain with Mary Ann in the aftermath.[6]
Fred Junior was born in August 1868, long after Fred and Mary Ann had separated.[8] In fact, they seem to have separated in December 1867, shortly after Mary Ann fell pregnant. Fred took on young William Monckton in January 1868 and bushranged with him throughout that year.[9] There is no evidence to suggest that Fred even knew that Mary Ann had given birth to another child.
Considering the evidence, it is hard to understand how such a "paternity leave" claim could be made.
Sources:
[1] Facts Sheet on the death of Thunderbolt by Barry Sinclair - sighted 22 July 2011 [http://users.tpg.com.au/users/barrymor/Family%20Facts%20on%20the%20Death%20of%20Thunderbolt.html]
[2] See Searching for Mary Ann Bugg’s children and Mary Ann Bugg and her family for more detailed information and source-references.
[3] See Birth Certificate: Marina Emily Ward (1861) and Timeline: Frederick Ward 1835-1863
[4] See Mary Ann Bugg and her family and Timeline: 1865 - Between gangs and Mary Ann Bugg and Frederick Ward
[5] See Timeline: 1865 - First gang
[6] See Timeline: 1865 - Between gangs
[7] See Timeline: 1865 - Second gang
[8] See Frederick Wordsworth Ward: Birth Certificate (1868) and Baptism entry (1868)
[9] See Timeline: 1868
Fred Ward and Mary Ann Bugg had three known children: Marina, ?Eliza, and Fred Junior.[2] Marina was born in October 1861 after Fred had returned to gaol and, as a result, he did not meet her until she was around two years of age.[3] Fred and Mary Ann did not get back together until after Fred escaped from Cockatoo Island in September 1863 so the earliest a second child could have been born was mid-1864.
Their second known child, the child seemingly called Eliza on Mary Ann's death certificate (see Searching for Mary Ann Bugg's children?) was born between June and October 1865 during one of Fred’s busiest years as a bushranger. The child's birth window is determined by multiple references to its age, including reports in March 1866 that it was around nine months old and in January 1867 that it was around fifteen months old.[4]
So did Fred take paternity leave in 1865? His first gang was operational between January and April 1865, after which the three surviving gang members fled to Queensland.[5] Fred appears to have returned from Queensland in the middle of that year and spent a couple of months with Mary Ann in the Borah Ranges north-west of Manilla, probably around the time the child was born, before heading back to his comfort zone of the north-western plains.[6] His second gang commenced operations there in October 1865, and disbanded in January 1866.[7] Clearly, far from taking “paternity leave”, Fred virtually abandoned Mary Ann to look after herself, although he did contract a part-Aboriginal woman to assist with the baby’s delivery and remain with Mary Ann in the aftermath.[6]
Fred Junior was born in August 1868, long after Fred and Mary Ann had separated.[8] In fact, they seem to have separated in December 1867, shortly after Mary Ann fell pregnant. Fred took on young William Monckton in January 1868 and bushranged with him throughout that year.[9] There is no evidence to suggest that Fred even knew that Mary Ann had given birth to another child.
Considering the evidence, it is hard to understand how such a "paternity leave" claim could be made.
Sources:
[1] Facts Sheet on the death of Thunderbolt by Barry Sinclair - sighted 22 July 2011 [http://users.tpg.com.au/users/barrymor/Family%20Facts%20on%20the%20Death%20of%20Thunderbolt.html]
[2] See Searching for Mary Ann Bugg’s children and Mary Ann Bugg and her family for more detailed information and source-references.
[3] See Birth Certificate: Marina Emily Ward (1861) and Timeline: Frederick Ward 1835-1863
[4] See Mary Ann Bugg and her family and Timeline: 1865 - Between gangs and Mary Ann Bugg and Frederick Ward
[5] See Timeline: 1865 - First gang
[6] See Timeline: 1865 - Between gangs
[7] See Timeline: 1865 - Second gang
[8] See Frederick Wordsworth Ward: Birth Certificate (1868) and Baptism entry (1868)
[9] See Timeline: 1868