Good morning Listers, Thank you to everyone who responded to my posting last week regarding the KING, PLUNLETT and WILD families of Patrick and Jerry's Plains. The information was very much appreciated. My cousin has contacted me again, with fresh information after I put some questions to her to assist me in researching her father's KING side of her family. She in turn contacted a distant cousin, whom she remembered had carried out some research on the family and I have included this information below. I had believed that the Thomas KING who arrived on the Bounty Immigration ship the "Forth" in Sept of 1841 was the Thomas who married Mary PLUNKETT, also a Bounty Immigrant who arrived on the "Adam Lodge" in 1840 as a 16 year old. However, I now have to discount this Thomas KING, as the marriage of the couple took place at St Mary's RC Church in Castlereagh Street in Sydney on 17th May 1841, four months before the arrival of the "Forth". Witnesses were Edward KEOUGH and Mary Anne NISSOLE. Thomas and Mary KING's son John was baptised on 19th January 1843 and daughter Jane was born/baptised on 15th August 1845, both at St Mary's RC in Sydney (though the baptisms could have been carried out by the travelling priest anywhere in NSW and later recorded at St Mary's from the priest's Journal). Now to the family story of Mary KING (nee Plunkett) dying young and Thomas KING having to leave the children with either friends or family, so he could go interstate to find work. I found that strange that he had to go interstate, as there would have been plenty of work in the Patrick and Jerry Plains districts and also in Newcastle around the late 1840s. I found a death of a Mary Ann KING and also the death of a baby, Mary Ann KING in 1849 (however no district mentioned on the Website). You always think that if a woman dies young back in Colonial days, that it maybe in or after child birth. The age of this Mary KING is 36 at the time of death. This could be a transcription error either on the death certificate or the Bounty Immigrants CD, as if it is our Mary, she would have been 26, going by the age of the Bounty immigrant, though she may have been 26 when she immigrated then the age at death would be correct. Also, I thought about the explanation of the disappeared of Thomas KING, I had a look on the Free Settlers and Felons Website and I found a number of Thomas KINGs mentioned in the right time line, and one of them had been arrested for murder???? I also found a few Thomas KING's who died in the right time line, one in particular died in 1848 at the age of 34. There are so many Thomas KINGS around at this time and not knowing who his parents were, makes it difficult. Though an elderly relation had carried out research many years ago, (now deceased and all records lost), had information that Thomas had lived in Thomas Street, Dublin and had arrived in the Colony in 1841 (convict or free unknown), though marrying in the year he arrived, makes you think he would have arrived as a free settler. When I found that Thomas and Mary's daughter Jane KING married 24 year old Englishman William WILD, on 17th July 1862 at Patrick Plains, I noted she was only 16 years old and would have had to receive consent to the marriage. Again I contacted my cousin to find out who were Jane's guardians, and they were Thomas and Catherine PRICE. Does anyone on the List know anything about the PRICE couple living in Patrick Plains? It would appear that Thomas and Catherine PRICE may have raised brother and sister John and Jane KING. William and Jane WILD (nee KING) had at least 13 children, all births registered either at Patrick Plains or Muswellbrook. John KING aged 21, married Mary "Jane" Geneviece McCarthy on 10th January 1864 at Jerry's Plains. Mary Jane McCarthy arrived in the Colony in 1860, on the "Lady McDonald" she was 20 years old. She came from a well to do family, was educated and a Governess. One may assume that she took up a position as a Governess to a family in the Patrick Plains district and that is how she met John KING and they married. John and Mary "Jane" had at least 10 children, all births registered at Patrick Plains. My cousin and her father's KING side of the family, wish to solve the mystery of Thomas and Mary KING (nee Plunkett), however, as this couple fall into the time when a lot of information was not required on birth, marriage and death church registrations, it makes it very difficult to find out what happened to them. Also, another story passed on down the family is that Mary KING (nee PLUNKETT), could trace her Irish ancestry back to Saint Oliver Plunkett, an Irish Martyr and I know if this can be proved, there would be a lot of excitement in the family. I have been able to find Mary's father Edward PLUNKETT on the 1851 Census, he was 55 years of age and living in St Mary's Lane in Kilmainham in Dublin, her mother Judy PLUNKETT (nee Miles) is not listed. http://www.irishpage.com/prayers/Plunkett.htm Any suggestions would be very much appreciated, especially through descendants of John KING and his sister Jane WILD (nee KING). Thank you. Regards, Janice Belrose - Sydney