Alexander Taylor

221

D Wong on 3rd May 2019

Ancestry Convict Indents: Alexander Taylor was 23 years old on arrival. Native Place: Surinam, West Indies. Alexander was literate, protestant, single, 5'7¾" tall, brown and freckled complexion, brown hair, hazel eyes, brown speck on left eye; scar, crucifix, tree, and serpent, human figure and sun, lower right arm; Britannia, cross, compasses, lower left arm, ring on middle and scar back of little finger of left hand, star back of left hand. 26/7/1841: COF.

19

Zoe Cochrane on 3rd May 2019

Alexander Richard Taylor's father's name was Alexander Taylor and his mother was Mary Hannan, they might have been from Scotland and emigrated to Suriname where their son was born. Alexander married Rose Garrigan in 1842, and Rose died young at the age of 27 in 1848, leaving Alexander to care for two young children. Alexander remarried in 1851 to Honora Devit, they were married for more than 30 years before he died. Alexander was tragically killed at the age of 76 at Shaw's Creek on his farm when a tree fell on him. His grandson Maurice Jeffery had been with him in the morning and when he returned half an hour later he found his grandfather on the ground dead with a tree on top of him. SHOCKING FATALITY. THE Coroner (A. M. Betts, Esq ) held an inquest, on Saturday, at Shaw's Creek, on the body of Alexander Taylor, who had been killed the previous day by a tree falling on him. William South deposed: I live at Gundary, and am a labourer; the body just viewed by the coroner and jury is that of Alexander Taylor; he was a farmer, and lived at Shaw's Creek, near Goulburn; yesterday, between 9 and 10 a.m., I saw deceased at work sawing a log about three or four hundred yards from where he lived; I spoke to him and remained with him about 10 minutes; there was a little boy with him about 10 years old; when I left him he and the little boy were sawing a log; I did not see deceased again alive. Maurice Jeffery : I am 10 years old; yesterday I was with deceased after South left him ; I stayed with him 20 minutes, and he then sent me home; when I left he was cutting down a tree ; I returned in half an hour, and I then saw deceased lying on his back, and the tree which he was falling when I left was on top of him; he was quite dead; I put a bag over his face and came down and told Latham; deceased's wife, Mrs. Taylor, was in Goulburn. John Parnell deposed: I am a labourer and live with Mr. Lansdown; I know deceased, A. Taylor; in consequence of something I heard yesterday at bout three o'clock I went to a place in the bush near Taylor's; I saw deceased lying on the ground on his back with the butt end of a tree right across him; I saw his arm and hand were injured; the tree was not a large one; it seemed to have fallen on to another tree and then kicked back and knocked deceased down; the tree at its thickest part was about 18 inches through; I helped to get deceased from under the tree and we then brought the body home; deceased could not have got away from under the tree himself, even if he were not dead when he fell; there were no marks as if deceased had struggled in any way. Honora Taylor deposed: The deceased was my husband; he was 76 years of age, and we had been married 34 years; he has left two children; we have lived at this place 26 years or so; deceased was always accustomed to work in the bush; I last saw him alive about half past eight yesterday morning; I then left for Goulburn; he told me he was going to work in the bush. The jury found that deceased died from injuries received by a tree accidentally falling on him. Goulburn Evening Penny Post , Tuesday 26 November 1883, page 4 http://nla.gov.au/nla.news-article110072831

19

Zoe Cochrane on 7th October 2016

Alexander Taylor in the New South Wales, Australia, Certificates of Freedom, 1810-1814, 1827-1867 Name: Alexander Taylor Age: 30 Birth Year: 1811 Native Place: Surinam West Indies Arrival Year: 1835 Vessel: Bengal Merchant Certificate Date: 26 Jul 1841 Advertisement in Sydney Morning Herald, Wednesday 20 October 1841 CAUTION I HEREBY CAUTION ALL CONSTABLES and others from molesting me in future, I having lost my certificate of freedom. Description-Name, Alexander Taylor; ship, Bengal Merchant ; year of arrival, 1835; native place, Surinam ; trade, seaman ; age, thirty ; eyes grey; hair, brown; height, five feet six and three-quarter inches; complexion, ruddy. General remarks-Man, tree, snake, crucifix, sun, on right arm ; Britannia, square and compasses left arm, ring middle finger left hand, scar on ball left eye. ALEXANDER TAYLOR.