Michael Conway, a scoundrel

Michael Conway (born in Limerick, Ireland about 1834) is Margaret Robinson’s great-great grandfather through his marriage to Jemima Morrison.  Based on contemporary newspaper reports of his deeds Michael was no angel.  Indeed it seems he was a scoundrel and one of the most "colourful" characters in Margaret Robinson's family tree.

1861

 

 

 

The marriage of Michael Conway and Jemima Morrison in 1862 produced the line to Margaret Robinson through their daughter Martha Conway and their grandson, Arthur Conway (who later called himself Arthur Sams and then Arthur Robinson).

Michael Conway's arrival in NSW

Based on details contain in his marriage certificate (more details below) Michael Conway seemed to have been born in Limerick, Ireland in 1833 or 1834, the son of Michael Conway and Mary Keefe. However another family researcher has found a baptism record for Michael that fits with his stated parents and birthplace which places his birth some years earlier, in 1827. The NSW Gaol Description and Entrance Books state that he arrived aboard the barque Bengal in 1859.   Other records seem to confirm he was a member of the Bengal’s crew, an ordinary seaman. Michael is described as 5 feet 7 inches tall and of "stout" stature and "fresh" complexion.

He married a widow, Jemima Hextell (born Morrison), in October 1862 – see later for more details.  Michael is recorded in the registry entry for that marriage as a farmer and a widower.  Details of any earlier marriage have yet to be discovered.  Possibly he had been previously married in Ireland. Another explanation is that he claimed to be a widower as cover for his parallel relationship with another woman,  Honora (surname "Burke" or "Graylish").

Michael and Honora

Michael’s escapades pre-date his marriage to Jemima.  The Maitland Mercury of 2 February 1861 reported that Michael was charged in the district with stealing “various articles of bedding”, being the property of a Thomas Graylish of Parramatta.

When Michael was arrested the stolen goods were found in his possession.  But he was also found to be living with “Graylish’s wife”.  Later the article refers to her as “Honora Graylish".

The NSW Birth, Death and Marriage registry records the death of a child, Jeremiah, to a Thomas Graylish and Honora, two years earlier in 1859.   A contemporaneous newspaper reports that Jeremiah's death was due to his drinking a tumbler of rum left by his "tippling" (drunk) parents.  It is uncertain whether this is the couple that later tangled with Michael Conway, but the names and timing do fit.

Michael was charged with stealing the goods from Graylish.  Fortunately for Michael he was later acquitted on the grounds that there was insufficient evidence that he had taken the goods or knew they were stolen.

Jemima, Joseph and Michael

Eighteen months later, on 6 October 1862, Michael married a recently widowed woman, Jemima Hextell (also spelt "Hestell" or "Hedstell" in some records).  Jemima, born Morrison about 1832 in Caithness, Scotland had arrived in NSW in 1839 with her parents, Hugh and Barbara Morrison.  The family came as free settlers.

Jemima had previously been married to Joseph Hextell in 1850.  Joseph, from Leicestershire England, had come to NSW as a convict but was later pardoned.   As Jemima herself was a free settler she needed the permission of the NSW government to marry Joseph.  Together they had seven children.  Joseph died in 1861, the result of a kick from a horse.  With a large family to look after it is understandable that Jemima would look to remarry quickly.

Michael and Jemima married in Scots Church, Sydney (diagonally opposite today's Wynard station) by the church’s founder, Dr Lang.  Coincidentally James Robinson and Elizabeth Johnson, the parents of Robert Robinson (and the source of the "Robinson" surname in this family tree) were to marry in the same church and by the same pastor a decade later.

Michael and Honora, again?

On 14 October 1862, just a week after his marriage to Jemima, Michael appeared in Parramatta police court.  Michael was accused by another woman, Honora Burke, with deserting their two children.  According to press reports the second of these children had been born less than a month earlier.   To leave in no doubt whom Honora considered to be the father, she named this child Michael Conway Burke.

Honora’s testimony was that Michael had told her that he was leaving to find work.  Instead it seems he found himself a wife!  Honora's case was partially upheld and Michael was forced to pay her support for a year for this child.

The Empire, 17 October 1862 report on Honora Burke's claim of child support against Michael Conway

One Honora, or Two?

It is unclear whether the "Honora Burke" involved in the 1862 child support case was the same Honora, the legal or de facto wife of Thomas Graylish, with whom Michael Conway had previously been involved.

There are several possible explanations.  Michael had been arrested in 1861 at the home of a “John Burke”, where he and Graylish’s wife had taken lodgings.  Perhaps the newspaper report was wrong and the woman involved in the 1861 stealing case was the wife of landlord John Burke, not Thomas Graylish.  This seems unlikely as the matter went to court and was reported on by several different newspapers.

Alternatively it may be that Honora's real name was "Burke" (there's no evidence of a formal marriage between Thomas Graylish and an Honora) and she had reverted to this name after separating from Graylish. 

A third possibility is that Michael was involved with two different women - Graylish and Burke - who both just happened to be both called "Honora".

In any case Michael must have had no difficulty finding his way to Parramatta court, because Honora’s case against him occurred just two days after he had appeared on a separate charge of using “threatening language” brought by a John Aitken.  Michael was found guilty and placed on a twelve-month good behaviour bond as well as fined £40.

Less than four months later, on 12 February 1863, Michael was again in court, this time on a charge of assault brought against him by Jemima.  Found guilty (again), Michael served 14-days in goal rather than pay a fine.  Whether he was unable to pay the fine or chose the custodial sentence is unknown.

Jemima’s Life after Michael

Jemima’s desperate position and Michael’s treatment of her is clear from a letter written by a Neil Stewart (the informant on Joseph Hextell’s death certificate and who also hailed from Caithness in Scotland, near to Jemima’s own birthplace) on 19 February 1863 on Jemima's behalf. This letter was written just a week after Michael’s latest court appearance. In the letter Stewart appeals for two of Jemima’s children by Joseph Hextell, Thomas and Elizabeth, to be taken into an orphan school.

The letter states:

"I do myself the honor to bring under your consideration the case of a poor woman in the town named Jemima Hextell, who is desirous of appealing to you for permission to have her two youngest children admitted into the Protestant Orphan School at Parramatta as she finds herself quite unable to either protect or support them.

About 20 months ago she was left a widow with seven children in very destitute circumstances, fiver of whom were soon afterwards benevolently provided for - two by Mrs Murray, one by Mrs Ritchie, one by Mrs Allan all residing in this town and one by Mrs Sharpe of the North Shore.

Unfortunately for this poor woman, about four months ago she united herself to a man named Conway who has turned out a drunken disreputable violent tempered man, in fact she has lately been turned out of doors by him.

The names of the children now appealed for are Thomas Hextell aged five years and Elizabath Hextell aged three years."

Four months later, in July 1863 a daughter, Martha, was born to Jemima and Michael.  She was their only recorded child.  Martha Conway was the mother of Arthur, the future Arthur Robinson, the presumptive father of William Patrick “Pat” Robinson and grandfather of Margaret Louise Robinson.

Jemima and Thomas

Jemima’s fate in the years immediately after Michael deserted her is unclear.

But by August 1869 Jemima was located in Flyers Creek near Carcoar where she was in the service of Thomas James Lawson of Errowanbang. Lawson had an estate of 25,000 acres in the Flyers Creek area and it seems Jemima may have been in some sort of domestic position with him. At this time she requested the return of Thomas from the Protestant Orphanage, suggesting she was now able to care for him.

Jemima married a third time in 1875 to Thomas Bland.  They lived in Carcoar, NSW until Jemima’s death in 1890.  They had no children.  Jemima is buried in Carcoar cemetery.  Thomas Bland died in 1904.  Several of the Hextell children seem to have also settled in Carcoar.

Michael’s Later Life

It appears that that soon after the birth of his daughter Martha by Jemima in 1863 Michael returned to Honora Burke, fathering three more children by her in 1864, 1867 and 1869. All were born in the Wagga district, where Michael and Honora seem to have settled. A "Nora Conway" died in 1896. Possibly this is Michael’s partner.

Jemima's registration of marriage to Thomas states that Michael Conway, her previous husband, had died on 24 December 1874. It’s still to be established if this is correct, and if so where Michael died, as no definite documents have been uncovered far.

Conclusion

Michael Conway is certainly one of the most interesting characters in the Robinson family tree. His disputable behaviour had a major impact on the lives of those around him, notably Margaret Robinson’s her 3xGrandmother, Jemima and 2xGrandmother, Martha. Hopefully further research will uncover still missing details of Michael’s life and death.