Thomas Burn was born in 1809 and died on 26th December 1889. He came from Kilburn, York England. At age 24, he was convicted of horse stealing and sentenced to life on 13th July 1833 and transported to Van Diemans Land on the vessel “Moffat” on 9th May 1834.
Gaol report – industrious and sober
Hulk report – orderly
Surgeons report – behaved well
On arrival in VDL, he was assigned out as a farm labourer.He married Elizabeth Mann (a free woman) at St Davids Cathedral Hobart on 21st November 1836
He was granted a ticket of leave on 27th May 1842 and recommended for a conditional pardon for the Australian Colonies on 24th June 1845. Pardon approved 12th June 1846
Their children were John, Jane, Mary, Thomas, Henry, William and Charles
Charles Burn was born at Hamilton on 21st March 1855 and died at New Norfolk on 4th September 1927.
Mary Ann Bryant was born in 1859 at Hamilton and died on 10th November 1933 at New Norfolk
They are both buried at St Marys Church of England Gretna
They married (possibly in 1881) and had 14 (or 15) children as follows: *
Annie married Alfred Morris
Ida married Roland Slade
Elsie married Albert Edward Rainbird (my grandparents)
Olive married Frederick Bleathman
Dorothy married Colin Triffitt
Daphne (Kitty) married George Rayner
(Daphne on her deathbed told Judith about Sheila – possible surrogacy)
Myrtle married Weymouth Geard
Mona married Ronald Smith
Charles married Minnie Brown
Walter married Gladys Vinen
Frederick married Constance Phillips
James married Amy Latham
Fleetwood married Constance Chugg
Darcy married Elvie Chugg
* Charles Burn’s death certificate quotes Marriage Issue (children) living – 6 males,8 females, dead -1 male
Mary Ann Burn’s death certificate quotes Marriage Issue (children) living – 7 males,6 females, dead – 1 female
My father, Thomas Albert Burn Rainbird was the eldest son of Elsie and Albert (from family of 10) and had 8 sisters and 4 brothers
My name is Graeme Burn Rainbird