Details Page

Participant Info

First Name

Ruth

Surname

Stephens

Native Place

Wicklow

Age On Arrival

14

Parents

John & Eliza (living in Sydney)

Religion

Church of England

Ship Name

Thomas Arbuthnot (Sydney 1850)

Details

shipping: house servant, read & write, parents in the colony. She is wrongly noted in 'Barefoot & Pregnant' as 'Shepherd'. Sisters, Ruth & Jane Stephens on 'Thomas Arbuthnot', both hired from Hyde Park Barracks after 21 days as house servants by Mr M Bowerman of Macquarie St., Sydney. Ruth indentured for 3 yrs at ₤6 pa & Jane, being younger was indentured for 4 yrs at ₤6 pa. Their father had been convicted in Wicklow for stealing cows & transported per ‘Tory’ to VDL. Their mother, Eliza, obtained a passage on orphan ship ‘Lismoyne’ to Sydney late 1849-she was 37, daughter of Isaac & James Markes (both dead); shipping noted her husband John Stephens was in VDL. The family was reunited in Tasmania by July 1850 and another 4 children were born. At one stage Ruth worked for the Archers at Longford. Ruth married William Eley in Tasmania.

Story

Stephens, Ruth & Jane per Thomas Arbuthnot