Hi. Looking for assistance on finding any Australian records for the children of John Derbyshire/Darbyshire and Charlotte Meek. Darby's rock (also known as Darby's monument) at Sorrento ocean beach was named after this gentleman, after he became marooned on the rock sometime in the mid 1800s and spent 4 days and 3 nights there. Here's a summary of what I've found: - John Derbyshire was born/christened in High Legh (parish of Rostherne), Cheshire, England in 1803. Parents were Thomas Derbyshire and Martha Hewitt. - John and his father Thomas both appear to have been convicted at Chester Quarter Sessions on 9th April 1829 (John for larceny, Thomas for receiving stolen goods). They were sentenced to 7 years and 14 years transportation respectively. Transported to V.D.L. on the Bussorah Merchant, which arrived in Hobart 18 Jan 1830. - John got his ticket of leave in 1835, whereas Thomas's convict record says "Died 11 Nov'r 1842". I'm thinking that he died as a convict in Tasmania (from his convict record, he received harsh treatment for misdemeanors). - John Derbyshire later recounted that he came out from Van Diemen's Land with Gellibrand's party in 1835 (possibly 1836, from the biography of the lawyer and explorer, who died in 1837). - Derbyshire later settled at Point Nepean (Portsea) and was for a time a limeburner. - He appears to have married Elizabeth Ann Miles on 29 Jan 1853 (however the cert I downloaded for this is a little odd - it's just a hand-written signed statement by Derbyshire and a church minister to the effect that the marriage took place). - His 2nd marriage was to Charlotte Meek 30 May 1854 in Geelong. On the cert, he wrote "Widower April 1853", however I haven't been able to find his 1st wife's death. Local history has it that she is buried in a small cemetery on Sorrento golf course (used before the current Sorrento cemetery). - On John's death certificate in 1886 (name given as Darbyshire), his children were listed as: Elizabeth, deceased. Martha, age not known. Jane, deceased. - I located an additional child, Charlotte, who died as a baby in 1862, and also found Martha's birth at Point Nepean in 1856. Apart from that, I can't seem to find anything for Elizabeth or Jane, and also what happened to Martha (alive in 1886). - John's wife, Charlotte, possibly died in Collingwood in 1906 and was buried in Springvale cemetery (unmarked grave). I have temporarily placed copies of some files and certificates here: https://drive.google.com/folderview?id=0BxlGEUmD-tydU0lFWE1mcHhpRXc&usp=sharing If anyone can provide any info on the Derbyshire/Darbyshire children or whether Thomas Derbyshire (the father) died in Tasmania in 1841, I would very much appreciate it. At some point in the future, the Nepean Historical Society may look at erecting a plaque for Derbyshire in Sorrento somewhere, hence my search for information. regards, Martin Elliget Greensborough, Victoria