Is this your couple only you give no idea of whee they are from or dates of birth

Australia, Marriage Index, 1788-1950
Name: Christiana Hughan
Spouse Name: Robert Alfred Wells
Marriage Place: Victoria
Registration Place: Victoria
Registration Year: 1855
Registration Number: 220

Victoria, Australia, Assisted and Unassisted Passenger Lists, 1839–1923
Name: Christine Hughan
Estimated birth year: abt 1828
Age: 27
Arrival Date: 22 Apr 1855
Arrival Port: Melbourne, Australia
Departure Port: Liverpool
Ship: Gambia
Nationality: English and Welsh
Born Cheshire
Occ Dom Servant

Traveled with Grace aged 24

Australia, Death Index, 1787-1985
Name: Christina Hughan
Birth Year: abt 1828
Age: 39
Death Place: Victoria
Father's name: Thomas
Mother's name: Ann Unknonn
Registration Year: 1867
Registration Place: Victoria
Registration Number: 8635

Death above for Christina Hughan is incorrect

This might help but will need to be check against records:


Robert (Alfred) Wells (An Australian convict)
1811-1865
Written by Verna Coley (Great Granddaughter)

Robert Wells was born on 23 July 1811 in Oulton, Aylsham, Parish, Norfolk, England his parents were George Wells and Christiana Smith. He was baptised on the 28 July 1811 at St Peter and St Paul Church, Oulton, Norfolk as Robert Wells but in later years he had added Alfred as a second name. It was stated on Robert Wells convict records that he was married to Elizabeth, she was living in Brickling, Norfolk. I found a U K Norfolk Parish record that states that on 13 November 1833 Robert Wells married Elizabeth Blogg in St Andrews Church, Blickling, Norfolk, England. Their witness was George Wells (possibly Robert's brother) and Robert Bulter (this Robert Butler is possibly a father to a Right Bulter who married a Sarah Ann Blogg a illegitimate daughter of Elizabeth Blogg)
Sarah Ann Blogg was born 28 April 1833 this was about 8 months before Robert and Elizabeth were married, she was later known as Sarah Ann Wells and she married Right Bulter, on 13 January 1853 at St Andrew Church, Blickling, Norfolk, England as Sarah Ann Blogg. The name Bulter is the second name of a grandchild of Robert's from his daughter Annie Elizabeth (Wells) Bradshaw who was born in New Zealand. Robert must have had some close ties with the Bulter family back in Norfolk.
Robert Wells was convicted of horse theft on 15 October 1834 this was the property of John Simms, the trial was in the county of Norfolk, England his Gaol term was "LIFE". .
Robert's trial was on 13 October 1834 about 11 months after he married Elizabeth Blogg. He was transported as a convict to Van Diemans Land (Tasmania) Australia on the ship called "Mangles" the ship departed London on 21 April 1835 and arrived in Van Diemans Land 1 August 1835 it took 102 days with 310 male convicts on board. His convict records describe him as being five feet six and a quarter inches tall, having a fresh completion, eyes blue, an oval and full face with a large chin.
He was assigned to work for a WWT Sharland in 1835, he is also listed in the 1841 Convict Musters as working in Campbell Town work party which is in Northern Midlands of Tasmania. It appears that Robert got his Pardon in 1846 and ended up in Melbourne, Victoria where he married Christina Hughan in St James, Catholic Church, Melbourne, Australia on the 9 February 1855. Christina was born in Kirkmabreck, Kircudbright, Scotland. Her family moved to Liverpool, England and from there they immigrated to Australia in 1854 living in Ballarat, then immigrated to New Zealand on 29 November 1855 on board the "Gil Blas" there they settled and farmed Taieri Beach, Otago south of Dunedin.
Shortly after Robert and Christina were married they to immigrated to New Zealand on 13 April 1855 on board the "Spray" landing in Nelson, New Zealand. (I believe that Roberts brother Samuel may also have emigrated to Nelson). Robert and Christina stayed in Nelson, New Zealand for a few years, three of their five children were born there.
Mary Christina born 14 January 1857 (who is my Great Grandmother)
Annie Elizabeth born in 1959
Dianna born October 1860
Shortly after Dianna was born Robert, Christina and their family moved to Dunedin as little Dianna died there she was only 7 weeks old.
Robert, Christina and their children moved to Taieri Beach close to where Christina's parents lived. This was a small isolated farming settlement on the East Coast of the South Island of New Zealand. Robert who was commonly called "Rabbie" worked as a farm hand. This farm was successively own by Richard Stoddart, John Hall, James and Samuel Fairbairn. Rabbie erected a little wattle and daub hut on the north west corner of this farm for his family. Christina had another child while living at Taieri Beach they named him Robert Alfred and he was born in 1863.




A story that Robert Wells was reputed to tell the locals at Taieri Beach is that he was a "ticket of leave man" this was a document given to Australian convicts when granting them freedom to work and live within a given district of the colony before their sentence expired or they were pardoned. On being asked what he was transported for he would reply " It was for taking a piece of rope ----------- but it had a horse on the end of it. Convicts could leave the colonies after their sentences were completed or after being granted an Absolute Pardon.

Robert and Christina Wells went back to Australia sometime after 1863 their last child was born there he was John Hughan Wells born in 1865 he was registered in Victoria, Australia, but was probably born in Hobart as on his cemetery records it stated that he was a native of Hobart, Tasmania.
It has been said that Robert went out one evening and never returned and that foul play was suspected, the only death that I have found for a Robert Wells in 1865 was in Hobart on 13 November and he died in the Hobart Hospital. He would have been 54 years old.
After her husband died Christina was left with a young family to raise on her own so her mother Mary Marie Hughan and her brothers Thomas and William made arrangements for her to return to New Zealand to live at Taieri Beach. It appears that Christina travelled back on the ship called "Albion" on the 13 November 1866. It left Hobsons Bay (which is at the northern end of Port Phillip Bay, Melbourne, Australia and arrived in Dunedin, Otago, New Zealand.
Christina did not have a long life she died at the young age of 43 on the 11 September 1870 in Dunedin, New Zealand of consumption (pulmonary tuberculosis). Christina is buried in the Southern Cemetery Dunedin. Her mother looked after her children for a short time before she to passed away three years after her daughter’s death on 17 December 1873. Robert and Christina's children all married in the Otago area of New Zealand.
Mary Christina Wells married William Walter Wallis, (my Great Grandparents)
Annie Elizabeth Wells married John Robert Bradshaw
Robert Alfred Wells married Eliza Mahon
John Hughan Wells married Isabella Edith Campbell.

More information
On 10 July 1834 Elizabeth Blogg married George Wells (Robert’s brother) ( info LDS) as her husband Robert was transported for life he would not have been able to return to England. Elizabeth is listed as a spouse of George Wells in the 1851, 1861, 1871 census. In the 1841 census George Wells is listed as being in Norwich Gaol. It appears that Elizabeth went with her husband's brother George as soon as her husband Robert was in Gaol in October 1834.
George and Elizabeth did have a large family of twelve children they are as follows
Sophia Wells b 2 June 1835
Samuel Wells b 16 December 1837
Martha Wells b 21 Jan 1839
Catherine Wells b 24 March 1841 : d bef 1845
Maria Wells Aug b1843
Katherine Wells b 27 Oct 1845
George Thomas Wells b 3 Jan 1848
Matilda b 5 June 1850
William Wells b 1852 : d 1852
Arthur b14 August 1855
Emma Adelaide Wells b 1857
Elizabeth Jane Wells b 1861
Elizabeth Blogg had a daughter in about 1833 she named her Sarah Ann Blogg. Sarah Ann used the name of Wells in later years.

Elizabeth Wells (Blogg) would have become pregnant early September with her second child Sophia, about 5 weeks before her husband Robert was arrested, was Sophia Robert's child or was Elizabeth with George by then?( that is something that we will never know)
Elizabeth Wells had died in 1873 and George Wells died about 1889. He lived with his son Arthur and his wife Mary in Pound Road, Aylsham, Norfolk, England.

Researcher Verna Coley
copyright Apr 2008
revised 2010 and 2013
vernadunn@yahoo.com.au

Accuracy is strived for but not guaranteed

well well.you say your great grand parents were mary christina wells and william walter wallis. if info my deceased mother gave me is accurate they are my great grandparents too. can you provide some of your family tree that includes them and maybe extended family following down from them? my grandfather was percival stanley wallis, youngest of about 13 children and i thought they were all born in glenore out of milton out of dunedin. percivals wife (my grandmother) always told us percivals mother was born on the west coast (greymouth/westport) but mum had info (i dont know if ive seen evidence such as birth/ death certificates ).apparantly on my grandfathers birth certificate it had william walter wallis's occupation as hotel waiter.(maybe he had honest employment by then (too cold for horses down there)percival was born about 1902, give or take a year. i do have some documents, not sure what now. they are with my mothers executors and i hope to get them all back when those matters are put to bed. my e mail is (case sensitive)LAWRENCE.KNIGHT2@nzdf.mil.nz

further to my response. i believe my my william walter wallis died in his early 50's apparantly still with plenty of libido.mary apparantly said if he hadnt died she is sure she would have ended up with more kids.so i guess william walter died about 1900? i dont know any of my grand fathers 12 siblings names ,i know some were living around levin/wellington area in my late teens (im 60)one who was a senior official with nz railways died about 1949 at rangiora canterbury in the south island after his jigger was in a head on with a locomotive. apparantly my grandfather said he was the only decent one among all his siblings

My grandfather Harold George Wallis was 1 of William Walter Wallis and Mary christina Wallis (nee Wells) Children. William Wallis was admitted to Seacliff Asylum where he died around 1903. Mary was left with the children. The older children helped her where they could. at some stage she moved to the Wellington Area where she died in Plimmerton. She is buried at Karori Cemetery (no headstone). My grandfather and grandmothers ashes have also been scattered at karori cemetery.
If you would like more information feel free to contact me sharonandamanda@gmail.com