The John Small and Mary Parker Story

 

Facts from the records in the Archives Office of the Library of New South Wales

and the Mitchell Library

concerning JOHN SMALL and MARY PARKER who arrived on the First Fleet.

Records show that only one person named John Small arrived in the Colony in 1788.

Submitted by Sybil Small

JOHN SMALL

Ship Charlotte was sentenced at Exeter on 14th March 1786 for 7 years transportation.

Tried at Devon Lent Assizes, held at Exeter Castle on Monday 14th March 1785.

For feloniously assaulting James Burt in the Kings Highway, feloniously putting him in corpora fear and danger of his life.    And feloniously and violently taking from his person and against his will in the said Highway one metal Watch and Tortoiseshell Case value 30s.one pruning knife value 6d and five shillings his goods.

 

MARY PARKER

Ship Lady Penrhyn convicted at London 26th April, 1786 for 7 years transportation.

She had been in service and was convicted for privately stealing.     She was 28 years of age in 1787.     Tried at the Old Bailey at Session beginning 26th April, 1786.

Indicted for burglariously and feloniously breaking and entering the dwelling house of John Hickman about the hour of eleven in the night, on the 19th day of April last, and burglariously stealing therein, two muslin gowns and coats value 40s., a cotton gown value 10s., three cotton frocks value 4s., a calico bed-gown value 2s., four pair of cotton pockets value 4s., eleven shirts value 3d., one shift value 2s., and one diaper clout? value 6d. his property.

Guilty of stealing, but not of the Burglary.

 

A Muster taken in 1822 shows:    John SMALL      F.S.      Charlotte      7yrs      Constable

F.S. stands for Freed by Servitude and not Free Settler as some people are apt to think.

The abbreviations for a Free Settler would be C.F. Came Free.

 

In 1828 a census was taken of all the people in the Colony and for John Small the following information was given.

John Small 60 years, Freed by Servitude, arrived on the Charlotte, was sentenced in 1786 for a term of 7 years.   He was a protestant.   John had 30 acres of land, all cleared, 20 acres of which was cultivated.

John Small and Mary Parker were married on Sunday 12th October 1788 by the Rev. Richard Johnson with Samuel Barnes and Thomas Akers as witnesses.   St. Phillips Register showed that there were more than fifty marriages recorded before that of John & Mary.