I AM LOOKING FOR DESCENDANTS OF GEORGE HENSON WHO WAS TRANSPORTED TO TASMANIA FROM LINCOLNSHIRE ENGLAND IN 1838. AFTER BEING FREED AFTER 14 YEARS HE SETTLED IN THE CAMBRIDGE AREA OF NEW ZEALAND AND I BELIEVE HE DIED ABOUT 1910.
FROM POLLYWOLLY

Hello Pollywolly, I found the information below, which may interest you, on another website.

George Henson was born in Elsham, Lincolnshire and worked with his family as a servant (gardener) to the Lord at Elsham Hall.
In July 1837 he was found guilty of housebreaking and stealing silverware from the local magistrate John Uppleby and interred in Lincoln Prison, inside Lincoln Castle to await sentencing.
He was able to read and write, and this, combined with his good general health noted by the Prison surgeon, saved him from being hanged as a thief. He was instead sentenced to 14 years transportation to Hobart, Van Diemen's Land (Tasmania).
He was transferred from Prison in August 1837 to the Prison hulk Justitia in London, until October and then moved to the ship Neptune 2, and set sail for Hobart. He arrived in January 1838 and continued to disobey orders, run away, and misbehave.
He was flogged several times, put in leg irons and worked doing hard labour and finally imprisoned at the prison in Port Arthur for 3 years. When he came out he behaved well, finally getting his ticket of leave and then freedom in 1852.
He left Launceston,Tasmania by boat for the Melbourne area in May 1853, presumably to make some money from the gold fields. By 1866 he had met and married (de facto) Dinah Alford and had a child, Eliza in Hobart. By july 1867,he and his family moved to the Waikato area around Cambridge, and Maungekawa, Auckland, as New Zealand was being settled by the British. He bought acreage of farmland around these areas and settled in Cambridge.
His other children were born there and the family prospered. He continued his interest in botany and gardening learned at the estate in Elsham, and discovered an almost extinct species of tree, and later planted trees in Cambridge Park.
George died in 1909 a well respected member of the community. His sons George, Reuben, Samuel, (possibly two other sons, Edgar Somerville Henson and Claude James Henson), and eldest daughter Eliza Butler (nee Henson) moved to Auckland in 1910 while daughters Jane and Martha stayed in Cambridge.
Are there any descendents of George still in Auckland? Would they like to share the Henson family tree or contact me on elainesmith9@hotmail.com to say hi and exchange information about our Hensons? Thanks

HI Pollywolly,

apparently Edgar Somerville Henson (1883-1974) and Claude James Henson (1885-1972) were sons of James Richard HENSON of Surrey, England (1839-1909) & Pamela Louisa HOWE of Wapping, Middlesx (1851-1940) who married in 1879 in Bunhill Row, Middlesex then came to Auckland about that year

Edgar and Claude married sisters, 2 daughters of Roland/Rowland ELLIOTT (1874-1944) & Marion Jean LOVE (1874-1969)

Edgar Somerville Henson married Jessie Eleanor Elliott (1893-1980) in 1914
Claude James Henson married Bertha Priscilla Elliott (1894-1975) in 1920

HI NGAIREDITH, THANKS FOR THE INFO ON EDGAR SOMERVILLLE HENSON AND CLAUDE JAMES HENSON. LOOKS AS THOUGH TWO BROTHERS MARRIED TWO SISTERS! I DON'T THINK THEY ARE MY HENSONS BUT THANKS AGAIN.
FROM POLLYWOLLY

I agree with ngairedith. My mother, Alice Jean, was a Henson and a daughter of Howe Henson, who was Edgar and Claude's brother. Howe died in Auckland in 1950. He formed the importing firm H and C Henson Ltd with his brother Claude.

Geoff Blake
gjnblake@hotmail.com