My third great grandfather John KILDUFF was born about 1793 in County Roscommon Ireland, one of the smallest Irish counties and its name derives from the Irish - Ros Coman, meaning St Coman's Wood. Its social history is mainly based around agriculture and it was badly affected by the great famine of 1845-47. He married Mary McCARTHY 1796-1870 at Roscommon about 1816. Mary McCarthy was born about 1796, to William and Ellen McCarthy, also of Roscommon.

There were no records of John, Mary, their parents, their marriage or any children in the 2000 version of the International Genealogical Index. John and Mary may have had one or two children in Ireland, since her death certificate (1870) indicates that at the time there were four children living and one male and one female deceased. They had at least four children in the Colony but there is no surviving record of other children.


John was involved in illegal activities even after he was married. He was arrested and tried in County Roscommon Court in July 1820. He was convicted of Ribbonism and was sentenced to transportation for fourteen years. The crime is recorded on his Certificate of Freedom dated 11 October 1834. In a sense John was a political prisoner, although Ribbon societies in the first half of the nineteenth century were responsible for disruptive activities and violence against landlords and others.
Once in the colony John kept out of trouble.


He was embarked on the "John Barry" at Cork, Ireland which sailed on the 16 June from Cork with Captain Roger Dobson and Chief Surgeon Dan McNamara, and arriving in the Colony on 7 November 1821.

The Convict Indents papers, record that he was a labourer, that he could not read or write and was a Catholic.
A physical description indicates that John was 5 ft 5? in (about 1.67 m) tall with a fairly pale complexion, fair hair and grey eyes.


The following reconstruction of where John and later his wife Mary lived is based on various sources including parish and civil, birth, marriage and death records and Census records.


John was first assigned to John Good in the District of Bathurst and Melville, where he worked to clear the land and plant crops. About a year later another convict Thomas Killier was also assigned to Good. For some reason John was not recorded in the 1822 Muster of convicts, although Killier is, as a servant to John Good. John Kilduff is recorded in the Muster of 1824/1825 at Melville.


In 1825, John Kilduff petitioned the governor for mitigation of his sentence:

"To His Excellency Sir Thos. Brisbane KCB, Captain General and Commander in Chief of the territory of New South Wales and its Dependencies ? We hereby certify that John Kilduff, who came by the Ship John Barry, which arrived in the year 1821 has not been convicted of any crime or misdemeanours in this Colony, but is to our certain belief an honest, sober and industrious character, having served faithfully John Good residing in the District of Bathurst from the 10th November 1821 to August 1825. [Signed] J. Harris, Resident Magistrate, John Joseph Therry RCC Clergyman, John Good, Master"
Even with such eminent signatories as Doctor John Harris and the senior Catholic cleric, his petition was unsuccessful, possibly because he had served only about four of his 14 years.


His wife Mary sailed to Sydney on the Thames, which arrived in Sydney from Cork on 11 April 1826 with 37 free women and 107 children as passengers and a cargo of government stores. It's Captain was Robert Fraser and the Surgeon Superintendant Dr. Linton


John was still assigned to John Good. It is thought that he allowed them (with government permission) to live in a house at Seven Hills. In late 1827 when their daughter Mary was born they were almost certainly at Seven Hills. Some time after this John was reassigned to Daniel Kelly at Wilberforce, possibly to allow better living conditions for his wife and child. John Good comes back into the story later, as the uncle of my second great grandfather Patrick William Hall 1821-1900

The Census of October and November 1828 records John, Mary and the 1 year old child Mary at Wilberforce. John was a labourer assigned to Daniel Kelly, a former convict. Three other convicts were also assigned to Kelly. John Good was still at Seven Hills.


John's sentence expired by servitude in 1834. By the time of the 1841 Census the family was living at Pitt Town. John was the householder and was a farmer. The surviving records are only abstracts. The household consisted of John Kilduff and his wife and three sons and one daughter, all aged seven and under fourteen at the time of the Census and all born in the Colony. There were no convict servants. The house was described as of wood and unfinished but inhabited. The householder was classed in the category landed property, merchants, bankers and professionals so John must have owned or leased the land.


John remained at Pitt Town for the rest of his life. He died on 6 February 1854 aged 60 at Pitt Town. His burial is recorded in the parish record of St Matthews Catholic Church, Windsor which gave his occupation as farmer. He died before civil registration of deaths began (1856) so no other details are available.


Mary Kilduff died on 24 April 1870, age 74 at Cornwallis probably at the home of William and his family. She was laid to rest beside John at the Windsor Catholic Cemetery, Windsor New South Wales.
Her death certificate provides most of the known details of her family and children.

The children of John Kilduff 1793-1854 and Mary Kilduff nee McCarthy 1796-1870 were:-

1.Female Kilduff

2.male Kilduff

3. Mary KILDUFF b: 25 November 1827 at Pitt Town d:17 July 1911 Sydney, On 25 November 1847 married Patrick William Hall 1821-1900 The children of this marriage were:-
Mary Ann Josephine HALL 1848 - 1923
William HALL 1849 - 1910
Bridget HALL 1852 -
John Joseph HALL 1855 - 1906
Edward HALL 1859 - 1864
Sarah Mary HALL 1862 - 1938 m. Edward William MCKEE 1884-1962
Emily Johanna HALL 1867 - 1953
Ellen HALL 1869 - 1869
Patrick Henry HALL 1869 - 1871
Agnes HALL 1872 - 1874

4. John Kilduff b: 21 July 1831, Pitt Town, NSW d: 25 April 1911 at Windsor, NSW. On the 1 December 1858 at Windsor, NSW married Sarah BUCKRIDGE 1840-1930.
The children of this marriage were:-
Eleanor Kilduff 1859 - 1949
John Robert Kilduff 1860 - 1906
Ada Sarah Kilduff 1863 - 1928
Amy Adeline Kilduff 1865 -
Minnie Elizabeth Kilduff 1868 - 1937
George Norbert Kilduff 1870 - 1954
Alfred Rowland Kilduff 1873 - 1889
Ida Mary Kilduff 1875 - 1907
Cecily Mary Kilduff 1878 - 1951
William Martin Kilduff 1881 - 1902
Mary Isabella Kilduff 1883 - 1904

5.William Kilduff b:1832 Riverstone, NSW d: 23 April 1911 Windsor, NSW. On the 3 May 1855 at St. Matthews Catholic Church, Windsor, married Mary Sophia SEYMOUR 1837-1916.
The Children of this marriage were:-
Mary Ann Kilduff 1855 - 1855
Lucy Kilduff 1856 - 1928
Mary Anne Kilduff 1858 - 1938
Elizabeth Margaret Kilduff 1862 - 1945
William Joseph Kilduff 1864 - 1865
Therese Lydia Kilduff 1865 - 1945
William Charles Kilduff 1868 - 1911
George Martin Kilduff 1870 - 1914
John Joseph Kilduff 1872 - 1926
Edwin Leonard Kilduff 1875 - 1943
Frederick Leo Kilduff 1878 - 1908
Francis Kilduff 1883 ? 1954 m. Mary Ivy Williams 1890-1929

6.Unknown Kilduff 1834 - after 1870, according to Mother's death certificate still living when she died

Sources:
1828 New South Wales, Australia Census (TNA Copy)
New South Wales, Australia Convict Ship Muster Rolls
and Related Records, 1790-1849
1841 New South Wales, Australia, Census
NEW South Wales Registry of Births Deaths Marriages
New South Wales, Australia Historical Electoral Rolls, 1842-1864
New South Wales State Records
Australian National Archives
Wikipedia
A huge thanks to
Colin Kilduff,another tireless researcher

janilye

Below is a photograph of John Kilduff's Certificate of Freedom,
granted on 11 October 1834