Summary: Mary Ann Bugg
_This website had
become so large with all the myth-debunking pieces, timelines, charts
and blog posts, that I have decided to make it easier for users to
access the different types of information by providing summary pages.
Those for Mary Ann Bugg are shown below. _For Fred, click Summary: Frederick Ward. For general topics, see General Summary.
Paternity
Claim: Mary Ann's father's surname was Brigg but he later changed it to Bugg. Her mother was an Aboriginal woman named Elizabeth who was forced by the authorities to leave James Bugg and was later killed by the Aborigines. Mary Ann never claimed Maori ancestry.
Fact: Mary Ann's father's surname was Bugg but the convict authorities incorrectly recorded him as Brigg. Her mother was an Aboriginal woman named Charlotte who remained with James Bugg until her death from liver problems in 1861. Many Aboriginal people found it expedient to claim Maori ancestry and Mary Ann was one of them.
Evidence:
Was Mary Ann's surname Bugg or Brigg?
See also Timeline: James Bugg and his family
See also Chart: James and Charlotte Bugg and their offspring
Maternity
Claim: Mary Ann's mother was an Aboriginal woman named Elizabeth who was forced by the authorities to leave James Bugg and was later killed by the Aborigines.
Fact: Her mother was an Aboriginal woman named Charlotte who remained with James Bugg until her death from liver problems in 1861.
Evidence:
Who was Mary Ann Bugg's mother?
Maori ancestry?
Claim: Mary Ann never claimed Aboriginal ancestry.
Fact: Many Aboriginal people found it expedient to claim Maori ancestry and Mary Ann was one of them.
Evidence:
Did Mary Ann Bugg claim Maori ancestry?
Relationships and children
Claim: Fred and Mary Ann were married. Mary Ann's only children were the four that Fred fathered.
Fact: Fred and Mary Ann were not married. Mary Ann gave birth to a total of fifteen children, of whom only three or four were fathered by Fred. She had four known partners: Edmund Baker (married 1848), John Burrows (co-habited 1850-1854-ish), James McNally (1855-1860, Fred Ward (1861-1867), John Burrows again (1869 until his death).
Evidence:
Did Frederick Ward marry Mary Ann Bugg?
How many children did Frederick Ward and Mary Ann Bugg have?
Who was Edmund Baker?
Searching for Mary Ann Bugg's children
See also: Chart: Mary Ann Bugg and her family
See also: Mary Ann Bugg and her husband Edmund Baker (1848-1849)
See also: Mary Ann Bugg and her "husband" John Burrows (1850-1855)
See also: Mary Ann Bugg and her "husband" James McNally (1855-1860)
See also: Mary Ann Bugg and her "husband" Frederick Ward (1861-1867)
See also: Mary Ann Bugg and her "husband" John Burrows (1869-1905)
Cockatoo Island escape
Claim: Fred escaped from Cockatoo Island in 1863 with Mary Ann Bugg's assistance.
Fact: Mary Ann Bugg did not assist Fred Ward to escape from Cockatoo Island. She was living and working in Dungog, north of Newcastle, throughout his second term of servitude there (1861-1863).
Evidence:
Did Mary Ann Bugg help Frederick Ward escape from Cockatoo Island?
Magistrate Thomas Nicholls' statement about Mary Ann Bugg
Nicknames and aliases
Claim: Mary Ann had the nicknames Louisa Mason, Yellow Long, and Sunday
Fact: Louisa Mason was a different woman entirely and Yellow Long was her nickname. Sunday was a nickname used in a work of fiction.
Evidence:
Who was "Louisa Mason"?
Was "Yellow Long" one of Mary Ann Bugg's nicknames?
Was "Sunday" one of Mary Ann Bugg's nicknames?
Death
Claim: Mary Ann died in 1867 as Louisa Mason.
Fact: Louisa Mason was another woman entirely. Mary Ann died in 1905.
Evidence:
Did Mary Ann Bugg die in 1867?
When did Mary Ann Bugg die?
Did Mary Ann Bugg have tuberculosis?
Other
Remembering Rosey
Paternity
Claim: Mary Ann's father's surname was Brigg but he later changed it to Bugg. Her mother was an Aboriginal woman named Elizabeth who was forced by the authorities to leave James Bugg and was later killed by the Aborigines. Mary Ann never claimed Maori ancestry.
Fact: Mary Ann's father's surname was Bugg but the convict authorities incorrectly recorded him as Brigg. Her mother was an Aboriginal woman named Charlotte who remained with James Bugg until her death from liver problems in 1861. Many Aboriginal people found it expedient to claim Maori ancestry and Mary Ann was one of them.
Evidence:
Was Mary Ann's surname Bugg or Brigg?
See also Timeline: James Bugg and his family
See also Chart: James and Charlotte Bugg and their offspring
Maternity
Claim: Mary Ann's mother was an Aboriginal woman named Elizabeth who was forced by the authorities to leave James Bugg and was later killed by the Aborigines.
Fact: Her mother was an Aboriginal woman named Charlotte who remained with James Bugg until her death from liver problems in 1861.
Evidence:
Who was Mary Ann Bugg's mother?
Maori ancestry?
Claim: Mary Ann never claimed Aboriginal ancestry.
Fact: Many Aboriginal people found it expedient to claim Maori ancestry and Mary Ann was one of them.
Evidence:
Did Mary Ann Bugg claim Maori ancestry?
Relationships and children
Claim: Fred and Mary Ann were married. Mary Ann's only children were the four that Fred fathered.
Fact: Fred and Mary Ann were not married. Mary Ann gave birth to a total of fifteen children, of whom only three or four were fathered by Fred. She had four known partners: Edmund Baker (married 1848), John Burrows (co-habited 1850-1854-ish), James McNally (1855-1860, Fred Ward (1861-1867), John Burrows again (1869 until his death).
Evidence:
Did Frederick Ward marry Mary Ann Bugg?
How many children did Frederick Ward and Mary Ann Bugg have?
Who was Edmund Baker?
Searching for Mary Ann Bugg's children
See also: Chart: Mary Ann Bugg and her family
See also: Mary Ann Bugg and her husband Edmund Baker (1848-1849)
See also: Mary Ann Bugg and her "husband" John Burrows (1850-1855)
See also: Mary Ann Bugg and her "husband" James McNally (1855-1860)
See also: Mary Ann Bugg and her "husband" Frederick Ward (1861-1867)
See also: Mary Ann Bugg and her "husband" John Burrows (1869-1905)
Cockatoo Island escape
Claim: Fred escaped from Cockatoo Island in 1863 with Mary Ann Bugg's assistance.
Fact: Mary Ann Bugg did not assist Fred Ward to escape from Cockatoo Island. She was living and working in Dungog, north of Newcastle, throughout his second term of servitude there (1861-1863).
Evidence:
Did Mary Ann Bugg help Frederick Ward escape from Cockatoo Island?
Magistrate Thomas Nicholls' statement about Mary Ann Bugg
Nicknames and aliases
Claim: Mary Ann had the nicknames Louisa Mason, Yellow Long, and Sunday
Fact: Louisa Mason was a different woman entirely and Yellow Long was her nickname. Sunday was a nickname used in a work of fiction.
Evidence:
Who was "Louisa Mason"?
Was "Yellow Long" one of Mary Ann Bugg's nicknames?
Was "Sunday" one of Mary Ann Bugg's nicknames?
Death
Claim: Mary Ann died in 1867 as Louisa Mason.
Fact: Louisa Mason was another woman entirely. Mary Ann died in 1905.
Evidence:
Did Mary Ann Bugg die in 1867?
When did Mary Ann Bugg die?
Did Mary Ann Bugg have tuberculosis?
Other
Remembering Rosey