Most families have legends – those stories told over and
over and generally believed to be true until someone comes along and disproves
them.
In our McCann family that someone was Dick Sansom, a cousin
who wrote a meticulously researched family history called, “With Conviction”
about the descendants of Peter McCann, convict.
And then later, it was Paul and I who had to break the news
gently to another branch of the family, for whom yet another legend had been
their belief.
Legend No 1 was that Peter McCann, although a convict, had
been an honourable one. He had
participated in the United Irishmen’s Rebellion of 1798 (the Wolfe Tone
Rebellion) and had been transported as a political prisoner.
Alternatively, he was a political prisoner who had been a
soldier in the British Army and had refused to fire on his fellow Irishmen
during the 1798 uprising.
The descendants of Peter’s grandson, Charles John McCann all
heard this story
Legend No 2 came from the descendants of another of Peter’s grandsons,
also Peter McCann, who all read his booklet called,
“History of
descendants
Of
Peter McCann, Who
Landed in Australia in 1799
And
the Establishment of
the Cement Industry
and its
Development in
Victoria.”
It begins thus:
“As nearly as I can calculate, my Grandfather, Peter
McCann landed in Australia (then New Holland) in the year 1799; and I believe
my Grandmother came out in the same ship.
He was a man of splendid physique.
He was six feet three inches in height, stout in
proportion, and weighed sixteen stone.
As my Grandmother would say, he was a straight as his own ram-rod.
The Governor obviously realised he had in him the
making of a good colonist; as he selected him, along with others, to till and
work a large area of land. Under the
bounty system then existing, he was provided with implements, provisions, seed
and cattle until such time as he could make the land yield a return.
Whether any special affection had manifested itself
between my Grandparents up to this time, I am not in any position to say, but
it seems fairly evident that their marriage synchronised with my Grandfather’s
first efforts as a colonist.
My father described my Grandmother in terms of never-ending
praise. She was his beau-ideal of a wife
and mother. It is clearly evident that
she was a frugal and industrious wife and an affectionate mother. Because of the fact that my Grandmother had
been brought up to farm life and my Grandfather possessed of great physical
strength, activity and of great capacity of industry, together with the high
price obtained for their produce, they quickly began to prosper in life.
Their success, however, seems to have been short lived
for when my father could not have been more than three years old, my
Grandfather in crossing a narrow log bridge over a creek in high flood, missed
his footing and was drowned. By this
sudden and unfortunate accident, my Grandmother was left a widow with two
little children, my Father Nicholas McCann being the eldest”
It’s difficult to know where to begin to unpack this story –
almost all of it is untrue.
1.
Peter McCann landed in Australia in January 1800
on the convict ship, “Minerva”
2.
He had been sentenced to 7 years for robbery.
3.
His wife, Mary Fitzgerald was transported, also
for robbery. She arrived in 1802 on the
“Atlas 1”
4.
It is extremely unlikely that an Irishman of
Peter’s class would be of “splendid physique”, particularly after incarceration
in the Dublin Provost, and then on a convict ship. It does seem, however, that he was over 6 feet tall, which was unusual at the time.
5.
Peter and Mary married at St John’s Church,
Parramatta on 9 January 1804. Their son,
Nicholas (born 20 November 1803) was baptised on that day.
6.
Like all convicts, Peter was assigned to work by
the Government – in his case as a labourer.
He was working for Mr Thomas Jamison of Parramatta early in 1803 when he
was charged with drunkenness, insolence and neglect of duty and sentenced to 50
lashes.
7.
Peter’s death was recorded in the “Sydney
Gazette” on 26 October 1806.
“Peter McCann, a labourer, was
unfortunately drowned on Tuesday night at Hawkesbury, in attempting to swim
across Rickerby’s Creek.”
8.
Mary, a young widow with two small children, quickly
married again (the best means of survival in these harsh times) and had two
more children. When her second husband died, she married a third, and then
after his demise, a fourth husband. All
were convicts
1. This branch of the family were builders and stonemasons, and
they became the founders of the Cement industry in Victoria, so their business
and social positions were such that it is unsurprising that they believed and
promulgated the fake story about their heritage
It was not until late in the 20th century that Australians began
to acknowledge and take pride in their convict ancestors. These days it is seen as being something akin
to the American boast of a Mayflower Pilgrim.
Even in our branch of the family, the timber getters and
small farmers who were descended from Peter through Charles John McCann did not
talk about their origins, and it is doubtful even if they knew.
