Thanks Judy, I'm getting more interested ..... I wonder then if the Wards were Wesleyan ... my ancestors (English/Irish) are Wesley Methodist too ( ... when they weren't later on being Salvation Army). And set onto Fred's trail at Narran Lake was none other that black tracker Constable Byrne. Just a coincidence .. the Byrne's too are very Irish (.... when not being Scottish). Now I was told by someone else (Bob) that you must not speak ill of Frederick Wordsworth Ward .. because half of Gosford is related to him, and they might come looking for you(?). But none of this so far has helped us know why his middle name was Wordsworth. It might be because his mother, who is held to have been Sarah Ward the daughter of Michael Ward, convict (note unmarried which is perhaps why the birth was not registered ... but that could be for many reasons - as already noted) was of a family who admired Wordsworth the poet ?? Michael Ward (Michael Handley Thompson Ward) was sent to Australia for stealing one gallon and a half of rectified spirits plus one gallon and a pint of rum. Ward, aged 26 was sentenced to death for this; then reprieved to transportation. Ward sailed aboard the convict ship, the "Indefatigable" in May 1815. Two months later his 23 year old wife, Sophia followed him aboard the "Northampton" from Liverpool as a free person. If BDM is searched for Sophia Ward mother you find she gave birth to a daughter Esther : V1826898 20/1826 WARD ESTHER MICHAEL SOPHIA J May have been earlier children and they didn't register them .... and the 1828 census has Michael a labourer with a small farm at Wilberforce; children Sarah 12, Emily 8, Joshua 6, George 4, Hester 2 (= the 'Esther'), and Selina one month. Thus Fred was born after 1826. Some think he was born 1833 (Sarah then 19). Some write that Fred was born in a slab hut at Freeman's Reach, opposite Gardiner's Hotel (wherever that was exactly) - Freeman's reach is just upstream of Wilberforce. Uralla history ( [1]http://www.uralla.biz/history/details.php?who=8 ) has the Fred Jr details as: "Mid 1867 - Frederick Wordsworth Ward (Jnr) born - baptised Wesleyan - Methodist Tamworth Distict Circuit. Birth Reg in 1868. Birth probably contributed to Mary Ann's death." Note also " March 1866 - Mary Ann Ward born Mallaley" presumably another of Mary Ann's ("Mrs Thunderbolt's") children Cheers, John On Thu Mar 24 17:58 , sent: Hi John and listers I just checked the old Pioneer series of CDs (limiting my search to 1868) for comparison with the online version and got exactly the same info plus denomination Wesleyan Methodist and Registration Year 1868, Registration No. 0. Judy > > However, if instead you just search ALL Frederick Ward births .... > over > entire search span, it does pop up then" > """" > > V18681400 161/1868 WARD FREDERICK W FREDERICK W MARY A > > """" > That's apparently it ... Frederick Wordsworth Ward, born to Mary Ann > Bugg. > Yet search for all Ward births in year 1868 and you will not find it !!! > Why is that? There seems to be some funny things about the system? > Does that registration say who the informant was ... etc. > Maybe the most recent author has considered all these things. > Cheers, > John >> References 1. http://www.uralla.biz/history/details.php?who=8

John wrote.. " It might be because his mother, who is held to have been Sarah Ward the daughter of Michael Ward, convict" I do not agree with this "recent" theory, the basis for which was originally the age of Sarah's Mother..It was implied that at age 47, Sophia was too old to have a child !.. so naturally he had to be Sarah's boy...Recently further weight was given to the argument with the discovery of Sarah's application to marry a prisoner named John HASWELL in August 1832..Calculations based on data from certificates put Fred's birth year around 1833 making the prisoner a likely candidate.HASWELL'S application was refused, but what is overlooked is that in Sep 1833 a 17 year old Sarah Anne WARD of Windsor was granted permission to marry another prisoner named Morgan CARROLL.Whether or not that person was our Sarah remains to be seen.. regardless, she did end up marrying John GARBUTT on the 7th December 1835.According to prison records Fred was born in either 1835 or 1836 in which case John Garbutt may well be Fred's Father !In reality, the only person with the correct answer is his Mother.. be it Sarah or Sophia ! Ken