Ann Elizabeth EATHER

   Another name for Ann was Ann EATHER.

  General Notes:

First Australian born Eather

In 1836, Ann, as Joseph Onus's widow, sought depasturing rights on crown land for 2000 cattle, 1000 sheep and 50 horses. John Bazley was still the head stockman on the Namoi.

Ann, the first child of Thomas Eather and Elizabeth Lee, was the first Australian born Eather. Her birth took place at Parramatta on Thursday, 18 April 1793 when the British colony of NSW was little more than five years old. She was baptised at Parramatta on Sunday, 5 May 1793. The only clergy in the colony was the Reverend Richard Johnson who came out on the first fleet. The inscription on her tombstone records her name as Ann Elizabeth, but she was baptised Ann, and virtually nowhere in other historical references to her of the name Elizabeth to by found.

When she was four years of age, Ann moved with her parents and younger brother Robert and sister Charlotte, to the land grant in the bushland near the Hawksbury River at Mulgrave Place. Ann had very little formal education during her childhood, living in a community that was largely illiterate, and at a distance from the townships of Sydney and Parramatta. It appears that Ann did not grow up completely illiterate,in adult life she was able at least to sign her name upon documents.

About the age of sixteen Ann became the wife of Joseph Onus, a convict who was then about the age of twenty-nine. Whether Joseph and Ann had a wedding ceremony will probably never be known. There is no record of their marriage in any of the church registers then in the colony. This lack of record of such an event does not mean that theirs was a de facto relationship, as church registers of those years prior to 1830 are known to be wanting in many instances. Of their six children only two are listed in the births index . It was about 1809 that Ann become the wife of Joseph and from then until 1835 her story runs parallel to that of her husband.

Ann married Joseph ONUS 11 March 1810 in ,,New South Wales,Australia. (Joseph ONUS was born 11 March 1781 in Sheerness,,Kent,England, died 22 June 1835 in Richmond,,New South Wales,Australia and was buried in Richmond,,New South Wales,Australia.)

Ann next married William SHARP 14 February 1837 in Windsor,,New South Wales,Australia. (William SHARP was born 6 November 1810 in Parramatta,,New South Wales,Australia and died 17 November 1897 in Richmond,,New South Wales,Australia.)

  Marriage Notes:

Saint Matthews Church of England