Hi Ray I have a feeling that Joseph Harpur, even though he was a convict, came from pretty top stock before he was transported. Another family story, which I have tried to follow up on, but can't...for legal reasons etc....was that Joseph was of Royal Blood. Story goes one of the Princes of England of that time had several children to "a commoner" lady???? and the Royals werent sure what to do with these children, so they gave each the name of HARPUR and sent them to different countries all over the world. Many years ago, I read about this same story, referring to a HARPUR in America who they suspected was of Royal blood, it was before I was into family history and I didn't bother to keep the story !! If you go back through the Austalian Harpur family they always wanted to achieve for better, Joseph and Sarah's children were educated, and Charles was a poet, Joseph Jehosephat was a politician for Patricks Plains etc. I can only say that this proudness must have carried on through to my grandmother, she was a very proud lady, she would get up every morning, even when she was living in the Nursing Home,and in her eighties, and put her makeup on her face, and always dress with beads to match her dress etc. And Just to end with a bit of trivia,did you know that our rellie, on Lewis Australia Harpur's line was the late newsreader Jim Ange (Son of Don Angel)l. I remember he used to visit my Nana and family with his family when he was small. I have many tales I could tell you about our Harpur family......mostly all factual too... Cheers from Jennie in Northern NSW > > ------------------------------ > > Message: 2 > Date: Thu, 12 Nov 2009 15:50:28 +1000 > From: "Ray" <ray15@optusnet.com.au> > Subject: Re: [HHHV] HARPUR & the MACARTHURs > To: <aus-nsw-hills-hawkesbury-hunter-valley@rootsweb.com> > Message-ID: <19579484AD1D459C849454E5E566696C@linda> > Content-Type: text/plain; format=flowed; charset="iso-8859-1"; > reply-type=original > > Thanks for this Jennie. It accords perfectly with what it says in that > notice of his death. > > Of course WE have the problem of ascertaining the extent to which such > statements were factual, and the extent to which there was a bit of family > 'puffery' involved. Not an easy thing to do, with our family egos on the > line there. ha ha. > > For example, given John Macarthur's well-known antipathy to socially mixing > with his 'inferiors', I would wonder to what extent a convict / ex-convict > such as Joseph HARPUR would have been a 'manager' of Macarthur's business. > > _________________________________________________________________ Looking to move this spring? With all the lastest places, searching has never been easier. Look now! http://clk.atdmt.com/NMN/go/157631292/direct/01/