Dear Lesley, Warren and Listers The PJ thread regarding Hugh Donohue/Donoghue really made me realise just how important it is to think about what was happening in the Colony at this time around 1840. Transportation to Port Jackson was coming to an end. The last convict transport (except for a smattering of 4 or 5 in 1849) to arrive in NSW was (I think) Eden I (2) arriving 18 Nov 1840. The Hugh Donoghue I found in the Archives of Tasmania embarked on the British Sovereign in Dec 1840 and arrived in VDL 1841. Would he have known his destination? Would he and his wife have known that the decision to cease transportation to NSW had been taken by the British government of the time. Perhaps when his wife petitioned free passage she thought Hugh was going to NSW. Hugh Donoghue per British Sovereign was married as indicated in the full text on the link below. http://search.archives.tas.gov.au/ImageViewer/image_viewer.htm?CON33-1-7,196,70,S,80ght Hugh and Bridget may have been caught up in a cruel twist of fate. Also on the same British Sovereign was a Christopher Moran. In the Tasmanian Archives in his digitised record from the Conduct Book of the British Sovereign Christopher is recorded as saying "I committed this offence to get out to my father" ...only problem was it appears that his father had been transported to NSW many years before not to VDL. So I don't think Christopher was expecting to land in VDL or maybe he may not have known about that stretch of water that separates the mainland from the island. Christopher's father appears to be Michael Moran per Fergusson 1828 (yet to be proven beyond doubt). Michael applied around 1836 to have his wife and four children brought to NSW at the expense of the government. This was approved but it wasn't until 1840 that his wife and daughter arrived on the Isabella and one son arrived on the King William. I have been searching for the other two children for at least two years but have not been able to find them arriving in NSW. I had claimed Michael Moran per Fergusson on Claim a Convict as I have full documentary proof that he is my GGG grandfather. Just before Christmas I was contacted from Tasmania via Claim a Convict regarding Christopher Moran per British Sovereign. What a valuable resource is "Claim a Convict"!. Thank you Lesley for maintaining it. This is the second connection I have had through Claim a Convict ...in fact it is how my family history research really began. So maybe Bridget and Hugh never did get back together. Hugh would have had to serve his sentence before going to NSW and Bridget would probably not have had the money or connections to get to VDL. Christopher likewise would have had to serve his 7 year sentence before going in search of his father in NSW ...did he find him? I wonder how long it will take me to find out if I ever do? Regards Rhonda