Years ago, I tracked down William Hartley, my husband’s 3rd great-grandfather and black sheep of the family. William Hartley (born 1796 in Thornton near Bradford, Yorkshire, England) was a convicted felon who was dramatically apprehended by the local constable trying to pass two forged bank notes worth 10 pounds at an inn. This is the crime of “uttering”, and for it he received the sentence of transportation to Van Diemen’s Land (Tasmania) for 14 years. Having discovered this information earned me a nickname from my husband – “Dirt Digging Devil Wife.” That name is all in fun…I think. (William Hartley’s story is here and a follow up on his wife Martha Sutcliffe Hartley, bigamist, here.)

Despite having found a lot of information about William Hartley related to his crime and his subsequent pardon, I had not had much luck learning what became of the Hartley children later in life. Here are the children who were recorded for William Hartley and Martha Sutcliffe Hartley:

Hannah Hartley: Born 11 Dec 1814 in Thornton, Yorkshire, England
Sarah Hartley: Born 12 Dec 1816
John Hartley: Born 09 Aug 1819 in Ovenden, Yorkshire, England
Henry Hartley: 26 Jun 1822 in Ovenden, Yorkshire, England
Richard Hartley: Born 18 May 1826 in Ovenden, Yorkshire, England
Frederick Hartley: Born 07 OCT 1831 in Ovenden, Yorkshire, England; died 14 Feb 1868 in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania

My husband’s 2nd great-grandfather, Frederick, was just one year old in 1832 when his father was transported. Like many youngest children, he is the one appears to have stayed closest to his mother into early adulthood. However, in 1853, Frederick took off to the New World accompanied by his wife Mary Ann Hainsworth Hartley, leaving his mother behind in England.

I have pieced together only fragments of what may have happened to the Hartley family after William Hartley’s conviction. Filling in your family tree can be a lot like be a lot like working on a gigantic jigsaw puzzle. Sometimes you have to find one special piece in order to help you put together part of the picture.

It occurred to me that I had never located a will for William Hartley. After William finished his sentence, he made his way from Van Demien’s Land to Melbourne, Victoria. I knew full well that he was a property owner. He was a freeholder, having a cottage at 80 Rose Street, Fitzroy. Some years ago I connected with a resident of Melbourne who lived near that address on the Rootsweb Melbourne mailing list. She offered to see if the cottage was still standing, but when she checked it out she found a parking lot.

Since I have a date of death for William Hartley, 26 November 1874, the will was easily located from the Public Records Office of Victoria.  There were three files, but only two of them were available for digital download. (Be forewarned, these files take a very long time to download.)

William Hartley’s will seemed to incur the displeasure of his wife, Martha, who was named as heir. There seemed to be some dispute over the appointed executors. One was a gardener named William Johns(t)on and the other an erstwhile politician named Edward Delbridge. What William’s relationship was with these two men is unclear, but they were replaced by two attorneys who ultimately probated the estate. I was surprised to learn that William Hartley owned three cottages on the same property that were rented out to provide income. Martha lived in a 4th “worn” cottage.

The greatest value of this will for genealogical purposes is that William named his daughter as the successor to inherit after her mother’s demise. He specifically stated her name as Hannah Ingham, now wife of John Ingham residing at Hoppet Nell Green, Thornton, Bradford, Yorkshire. Finally, here was clue to lead me to one of William and Martha’s adult children!

Hannah Hartley was the eldest of William’s children, born 11 December 1812.

It is probable that she was named for William’s mother, Hannah Charnock. Hannah Hartley would have been about 18 when William was transported and already married. I discovered that she married John Ingham when she was just 15 years of age. John was about 19 at the time and was a worsted weaver. Hannah was listed on the marriage record as a “minor.” She wasn’t even old enough to receive the usual designation of “spinster” that was typically applied to females.

 

I have tracked down six children that were born to Hannah and John Ingham:

Richard Ingham: Born 1834 in Yorkshire, England; died 1 May 1847 in Denholme, Yorkshire, England
Henry Ingham: Born 1839 in Thornton, Yorkshire, England
Benjamin Ingham: Born 1842 in Thornton, Yorkshire, England: died 19 Dec 1860 in Denholme, Yorkshire, England
Mary Ann Ingham: Born 1845 in Clayton, Yorkshire, England
Hartley Ingham: Born January 1850 in Thornton, Yorkshire, England; died 19 July 1866 in Bradford, Yorkshire, England
Maria Ingham: Born 1853 in Thornton, Yorkshire, England: died 7 April 1867 in Denholme, Yorkshire, England

Sadly, four of six children, Richard, Benjamin, Hartley and Maria, died in their teen years. The other two, Henry and Mary Ann, still remain unfound. Mary Ann Ingham holds the distinction (at least for me) of being the youngest child I have seen enumerated as having a job. She was an errand girl at age five.

I have to admit that the will of William Hartley had me puzzling over why none of his children other than Hannah were listed as heirs. There may be a very simple explanation. It is possible that they were all dead. I know that the youngest, Frederick, died in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, in 1868 of tuberculosis .