Hello fellow researchers In the course of researching my mothers family history, I discovered that my gg grandparents were John and Amelia Shepherd. A fellow researcher forwarded this article that was written by Joan Mullens in 1984, also a descendent of John and Amelia. It may be of interest to someone out there and add to their stock of historical knowledge and family research!!! If anyone has anything to add, please let me know. Ross Downie John Shepherd "Fleming's Jack" For 6 years I searched, for details of the arrival in Australia of my Great, Great, Grandfather John Shepherd. Over the years I found several John Shepherd arrivals. It seemed a common enough name, but nothing to identify any one of them as being my John. While searching through old Windsor-Richmond Gazettes (on microfilm) for notices of Births, Marriages, Obituaries etc. I came across a weekly article called, "Some Ups and Downs of an Old Richmondite" by Mr. Alfred Smith. It commended on November 13, 1909 and ran till November 5, 1910. I found it very interesting, about his recollections of the people and places of this district. The Gazette on August 27, 1910 contained families of Kurrajong and Comleroy and in it I found the following. The present John Shepherd's father, rented some land from Mr. Robert Pitt, he grew a lot of corn and I have paid him as much as 6/- a bushel. He also brought wattle bark occasionally to town with his horse and cart. He was a jolly old man and was always ready with a joke. They used to call him "Fleming's Jack". Shepherd's wife was a Miss Parker and a very jolly woman she was. I don't know what period in time this was referring to as Amelia died on December 27, 1877 and John on February 15, 1890. The name "Fleming's Jack" always puzzled me. It was not until June 30, 1983 while researching at the Mitchell Library, Sydney that I cam across a microfilm reel of Prisoner Arrivals from 1828-1832 which I had not previously viewed, so I settled down to the slow and tedious process of checking all the names on each ship. On the "Lord Melville" which arrived on October 22, 1830 was a John Shepherd assigned to Jos. Fleming of The Hawkesbury. I was so excited, here was the proof to the rightful identity of my John "Fleming's Jack". I hurried down to the State Archives in the Rocks to view the microfilm reel containing a listing with full description of the 176 male English convicts who arrived on the ship "Lord Melville". There was my John, a lad of 17 years, height 5 ft. 7 inches, hair brown, eyes grey, complexion ruddy and freckled, trade ? Dyer's Boy. He had been sentenced at Nottingham Quarter Sessions on October 21, 1829 to 7 years beyond the seas for stealing a handkerchief valued at 5/s. I know nothing of the 7 ½ months between his sentence and his departure from Downs on June 6, 1830. The ship "Lord Melville" arrived safely in Port Jackson on October 22, 1830. The long monotonous voyage was over. Sydney Cove was a forest of masts and spars. The wharves were a scene of activity as good for Colonial Settlers were unloaded. Fear of the unknown gave way to a sense of excitement and adventure. John was assigned to work for Joseph Fleming, a free settler at Wilberforce. Nothing is known of his first 7 years but he must have lived a trustworthy and hard working life as a farm boy and received his Certificate of Freedom on February 20, 1837. He was now 23 or 24 years of age. As yet I do not know his exact date of birth in 1813. There is record of him holding 430 acres of land on the Bullridge in 1840. For the next 5 years I can only assume that he farmed this land. During this period of his life he must have courted Amelia Packer of Wilberforce, daughter of Daniel and Rebecca Packer nee Furness. John married Amelia at St. John's Chapel Wilberforce on October 6, 1845. They must have had a happy marriage for they produced 3 sons and 9 daughters as testimony to this. Two of their daughters, Ann and Sarah died in infancy. Amelia died suddenly of a heart attack at Sally's Bottom (near Tennyson) on December 27, 1877 leaving John to rear their family alone, the youngest Selina Ann (Annie) being only 7 years of age. No doubt one of the older girls, who by this time were married, would have taken their little sister. I know nothing of John's remaining 12 years but he died at Kurrajong on February 15, 1890 aged 77 years. He and Amelia are both buried at St. Phillip's Church of England North Richmond. This article was written by Joan Mullins (Researcher)- 28-8-1984.