Dear All, I joined your list yesterday in the hope that someone might be able to discover the fate of the above man's wife, after he was transported to Van Diemen's Land. William petitioned the governor to have his wife sent out after he'd been in the colony for several years, and the relevant sections of that petition follow: ".William Wright, per Lady Harewood in July 1829 [aged 35] , sentenced seven years, prays to have his wife sent out from England.......That your Petitioner has been Gamekeeper to the Marquis of Exeter and Lady Lindsay and was seventeen years Corporal and Staff Sergeant in the Royal South Lincoln Militia... That your Petitioner is a Married Man, having been so for eighteen years, and being extremely desirous of having his wife.. Your Petitioner therefore humbly prays of your Excellency to grant him the great boon of causing his wife to have a free passage to the colony at an early opportunity." By the time of his marriage to Mary Ann Underwood, [in Hobart Town May 1837] William Wright stated that he was a bachelor, rather than a widower, an unusual statement if he was married with a wife living in Lincoln. This implies that his wife refused to travel to V.D.L. rather than died in the interim - convicts were allowed to marry after a period of 7 years in the colony if their spouses left behind chose not to join them. Unfortunately, William's wife is not named in the document I refer to, and there seem to be two possibilities, according to Family Search. They are "Name: William Wright Spouse's Name: Mary Sewells, Event Date: 16 May 1809, Event Place: Lincoln, Lincoln, England"and "Name: William Wright Spouse's Name: Amey Hannibal Event Date: 11 Oct 1809 Event Place: Holbeach, Lincoln, England "IF Holbeach is anywhere near Lincoln. William's story is told in much more detail on my website here: http://www.heavenandhelltogether.com/?q=node/253 and in the following page. He became a prominent citizen and was a really flamboyant and colourful character - it's been a joy researching him! I know this is a difficult propsition but, amazingly, I've been able to discover the fate of the wives of other convicts I've researched, thanks to the kindness of researchers like you, and wonders of the Internet, and, just maybe, this might ring a bell for someone on the list. Best wishes, Carol Brill, Tasmania.