The Lawrence PONSONBY (1841- ) I am researching was a member of an Irish Catholic family. Most Ponsonby’s with recorded family trees are from the English Protestant family who ran the Ponsonby estate in Ireland and were members of the English peerage. Maybe the name was acquired by a favoured illegitimate child or maybe the family acquired the name purely from living on Ponsonby owned land. If anyone knows the answer, I would love to hear from you.
Lawrence was the son of Irish parents, John Ellis PONSONBY (1806- ) and Mary Ann WHELAN (1811-1845). He was born in St Giles in the Fields and St George, London, England (which was a popular settling place for poor Irish immigrants) just after the 1841 census. As his older brothers and sisters were also born in England the parents must have left Ireland sometime before 1826. The children at time of immigration totalled five: James (abt. 1826-1875), Mary Ann (abt. 1828-1878), Theresa (1831- ), Agnes (1834-1889), John (1836-1919) and Lawrence. On the 29 October 1841 the whole family left for Nelson, New Zealand on the Bolton (Ship), arriving at their destination on 25 Mar 1842.
These were the very early days of European settlement in New Zealand. John and his eldest son James are listed as signing a “Petition to Parliament” dated 15 June 1844 protesting about the non action of local government to revenge the killing of twenty-two Europeans by the local Maori tribe on 17 Jun 1843. This event, now known as the Wairau Affray, left the European settlers anxious. However, the Government of the day recognised that the Maori people were not to blame for what occurred. The Ponsonby family must have heard reports of life being easier in Australia. They packed up again and left New Zealand on 22 Oct 1844 on the Sir John Franklin (Ship) bound for Launceston, Tasmania. The Ship hit bad weather, and what should have been a short journey stretched out with the ship “driven into Twofold Bay by contrary winds” (Nelson Examiner, 28 Dec 1844). The ship was there for five or six days and John PONSONBY, senior, a plasterer by trade, was offered work and decided they would stay in New South Wales and not continue on to Tasmania. Confusingly the shipping intelligence in The Courier (Tasmania) still has “Mr and Mrs Ponsonby and 7 children” disembarking in Launceston, but an letter sent from Mary Ann PONSONBY to friends back in Nelson, New Zealand shows the true landing place of the family (see, http://home.freeuk.net/mrowbotham/lettersnelson.htm). Possibly there was a seventh child born in New Zealand, but I can find no record of their birth. The family did go on to have another daughter, Anastastia in 1847.
Lawrence married Emily MARTIN (1849-1915) on 26 Jul 1866 in Bathurst, New South Wales and is recorded on the marriage certificate as being a cabinet maker. Emily was only 17 and her mother gave written permission for the marriage. They had three recorded children together: William Henry (1868-1903), Emily Jane (1870-1871), George Albert (1872-1927). This is where it gets very confusing. Emily MARTIN was my Great Great Grandmother, and I was told her husband was William STEVENS, a Cornish miner. I am descended from her daughter Frances Jane STEVENS. After failing to locate the birth record for Frances, I decided to get the birth certificate for one of her brothers, John James Lachlan “Lock” STEVENS (1890-1947) and around the same time I was sent Lock’s death certificate by a generous online contact. To my surprise his mother on the birth cerficate was listed as Emily PONSONBY, but as Emily MARTIN on the death certificate. The previous issue of William STEVENS and Emily was listed as one boy and two girls living, and two boys and one girl deceased. Frances Jane had been born a PONSONBY, not a STEVENS, but there was no father mentioned on the birth registration.
I know from family stories that Frances had a sister Maude (Caroline Maude MELL nee STEVENS, b. 1885 in Carcoar, New South Wales), and brothers, Harry & Lock. The youngest, Maude and Lock were registered as having two parents, William STEVENS and Emily. I believe there was also an Emily Susan STEVENS (1883-1884 in Carcoar, New South Wales) who would match the “one girl deceased”. Initially I could not find a suitable birth record for Harry. He is listed as next of kin on Lock’s WWI record and was known as HM STEVENS. On the Electoral role he is listed as Henry Martin STEVENS. However, I think it likely his birth name was William PONSONBY as there is an entry similar to the one for Frances with no father listed registered in Lithgow, New South Wales. My instinct says he was named William Henry after his father, William STEVENS as a sign of paternity. Possibly the presence of his mother’s maiden name as a middle name shows Emily had reverted to using her maiden name after the disappearance of Lawrence.
In 1874 & 1875 there are two other birth records which are of interest and would match the “two boys deceased”. In 1874 there is the birth of John Stevens PONSONBY to no father, mother Emily at Bathurst. Also, in 1875, there is the birth of James H STEVENS to William and Emily in Bathurst. These possible match two death records from 1889 at Mt Hope, New South Wales for John STEVENS (Parents, William & Emily) and James STEVENS (Parents, William & Emily).
William and Emily married on the 24th March 1882 at the Wesleyan Parsonage, Bathurst, New South Wales. Emily is listed as Emily PONSONBY, widow, and their residence at the time was in Lithgow. I can find no record of Emily’s first husband having died. It is possible that Emily learnt of his death sometime after their separation and was therefore not free to remarry for some time. Alternatively, as divorce was hard to obtain and desertion was a problem in the early colonies, it was common for people to be declared widowed if their spouse could not be found after an absence of several years. Emily STEVENS is buried at Waverley Cemetery, Sydney with her son HM STEVENS. The stone says “Wife of William Stevens” and at its base “Mother”. Her death certificate states she was married at a time which would have made all the children legitimate offspring of William STEVENS. It does not mention Lawrence PONSONBY, and interestingly includes “George A.” as the eldest living child.
I am still hoping to find out what happened to Lawrence. His children with Emily went on to have children of their own and I would love it one day if someone who knows the story could fill in the missing link.
