This is for people researching Richard WARNER abt 1819-1873 & Eliza WRIGHT (1820-1865). They arrived at Nelson with a young son on the ship OLYMPUS in 1842 and had 11 more children at Nelson. It is becoming increasingly likely that Richard was known as VOLLER as well as WARNER back in Sussex England. Why, I don't know yet Further arrivals at Nelson on the ship THOMAS SPARKS were Abraham VOLLER (abt 180401875) & Elizabeth JONES (abt 1811-1873) and their three daughters Elizabeth (Betsy) (1827-1861), Mary Ann (1830) and Jane (1834). Both Richard WARNER and Abraham VOLLER set out for New Zealand from Ore, Sussex (on the outskirts of Hastings) and both escaped the Wairau massacre in 1843. The story goes that when Eliza WRIGHT died far too early at Nelson in 1865, in only her mid-forties, her two youngest children, Abraham WARNER (bo1859-1938) & Martha WARNER (1863-1947), were raised out of the family. Martha was adopted by people called O'LOUGHLIN living at Richmond. The information given in the registrations for Abraham WARNER's marriage and death is that his father was Richard WARNER and his mother was Mary DOUGLAS, yet his mother was definitely Eliza WRIGHT. Richard WARNER did not marry again. It is likely that Mary DOUGLAS was Mary Ann VOLLER (born 1830) the daughter of Abraham VOLLER & Elizabeth JONES. Mary married James MARSH but had lots of issue to Hugh DOUGLAS. Back in Sussex Abraham VOLLER married Elizabeth JONES at Ore parish in 1827. A curious thing is that for the baptisms of of each of their three daughters at Ore parish in 1827, in 1830 and 1837, i.e. over quite a lengthy period, Abraham was known as Abraham WARNER. Richard WARNER was the son of Joseph & Elizabeth WARNER who in the 1841 census lived in the All Saints part of Hastings with another son Robert WARNER. Robert's brother Richard WARNER had recently married Eliza WRIGHT and they resided at Ore in the household of Eliza's parents in 1841, James & Elizabeth WRIGHT. Joseph WARNER died 1851 in the workhouse at Ore and his wife Elizabeth also died 1851, both after the 1851 census. The informant for the death of Elizabeth was Sarah Ann VOLLER of Ore, present at the death. I wondered for some years who Sarah Ann was, until I realised that she must be Sarah Ann FOORD who married Robert VOLLER at Ore in 1843. This couple is in the 1851 census as WARNER. The implication is of course that Robert VOLLER and Richard WARNER are one and the same. 30 Mar 1851 Census England & Wales @ The Down, Ore, Sussex Robert WARNER Head Marr 30 Ag. Lab b. Hastings Sarah Ann WARNER Wife Marr 28 b. Battle Harriet WARNER Dau 07 Scholar b. Ore Maria WARNER Dau 01 b. Ore That was the point I reached a few years ago regarding the WARNER versus VOLLER thing. Then I discovered that Eliza WRIGHT's brother, William WRIGHT, was transported to Van Dieman's Land on the ship MOFFAT. In records at the Tasmania end William gives a description of the the crimes of which he was convicted. He got 7 years for stealing a pair of trousers and seven years for stealing "my sister's watch," making a 14 year sentence altogether. While a prisoner he suffered various punishments for misdemeanours such absconding, stealing soap which was the property of her Majesty, and so forth, the worst of which was 100 lashes. There were lesser numbers of lashes and solitary confinement as well. Eventually he gave no more reasons to punish him and after a few years was pardoned in 1852 roughly ten years after he was first sentenced in 1842 at the Lewes assizes. The last I have found of him is on a ship called the LADYBIRD going from Launceston to Melbourne in 1842. Information at the Tasmania end gives William's birthplace as "Elsham nr Lewes." There is no Elsham near Lewes - I checked with the county record office at Lewes to make sure. Elsham will be Hailsham parish with the 'H' dropped. Hailsham is where James WRIGHT & family lived at the baptism of son Aaron in 1829 before moving to Ore where their youngest child Amelia was baptised in 1831. Daughter Eliza's baptism in 1828 at Hailsham parish specifically states that she was born 01/01/1820. The family was arrested on the common at Hailsham in 1820 when Eliza was 3 months old and taken to the House of Correction at Lewes. After a week the family was returned to Hailsham via a removal order based on a settlement examination which determined that the parish of settlement was Hailsham. The removal order gives the family structure in 1820 with William age 4. Information at the Australian end gives sister Elizabeth Hannah's birthplace variously as Leisham or Elsham, but I am sure that Hailsham was meant. James the father was the son of Edward & Elizabeth WRIGHT who were travellers, with Edward likely to be the son of Adam & Jane WRIGHT who were travellers, possibly from Ireland. There were plenty of Romany travellers in East Sussex and a couple of the WRIGHT's married into them, James' sister Maria WRIGHT who married Mark RIPLEY. William WRIGHT was convicted 3rd Jan 1842 at the Lewes assizes. To which sister did the stolen watch belong? The candidates are Elizabeth Hannah WRIGHT who married Henry HEAD at Ore in 1832 and went to Australia in 1841 arriving Jan 1842 (i.e. she was at sea when the watch was stolen on 9 Dec 1841), Eliza WRIGHT who married Richard WARNER at Ore 13 March 1841, and Amelia WRIGHT who was aged only 10 when the watch was stolen (married Edward CRUMP in 1854). There were other sisters - Charlotte, Mary Eleanor (Ellen), and Diana - but they were deceased well before the watch was stolen. The weekend before last I was contacted by a descendant of Edward WRIGHT. Edward WRIGHT was a brother to James WRIGHT the father of Eliza WRIGHT. The descendant has been researching for only two years but he is handily located at Croyden and recently retired, and he's getting into his genealogy boots and all. Another researcher sent him some indexes re Sussex genealogy, one of which was an index to victims of crime. According to the index the watch stolen by William WRIGHT belonged to R. VOLLER. Another index of a similar nature but with extra details tells us that the crime was committed on 9 Dec 1841 at Ore and the watch belonged to Richard VOLLER. And now I have discovered a couple of newspaper articles regarding the crime at the British newspapers website, with similar information and the names of the members of the jury. William pleaded not guilty. Now, in Tasmania, William stated that he stole his sister's watch, not Richard VOLLER's watch. The only way I can resolve this is via the WARNER versus VOLLER thing. I'm assuming that Richard VOLLER is actually Richard WARNER the husband of Eliza WRIGHT!!! Under the property laws of the time perhaps Eliza's watch was regarded legally as the property of her husband Richard. Unfortunately Richard WARNER aka VOLLER's parents, Joseph & Elizabeth WARNER, are a brick wall for me as I can't find them in the 1851 census to see their birthplaces. I've looked for both WARNER and VOLLER and variants including WELLER which is how Abraham VOLLER and family appear in the 1841 census. Joseph & Elizabeth have to be in the 1851 census because they died after it...but I just can't find them. They are in All Saints, Hastings in the 1841 census described as not born in the parish. Kent? Hampshire? Surrey? London? Abraham VOLLER (21) and his sister Ann VOLLER (12) were subject to a removal order from Winchelsea parish in Sussex to Titchfield parish in Hampshire in 1825. It is possible that Abraham VOLLER was baptised at Widley parish Hampshire 30 Sep 1804 to John &Eliz. VOLLER( IGI ). I've had a look for a possible baptism or a marriage for Richard WARNER but haven't come up with anything likely yet. In Nelson, Abraham VOLLER was known as Jerry VOLLER. Here's an amusing piece about him from Papers Past. http://paperspast.natlib.govt.nz/ Marlborough Express, Volume XXI, Issue 86, 18 April 1885, Page 2 LOCAL AND GENERAL NEWS. A Reminiscence. — A correspondent of the Colonist writes : — In 1855, the good people of Nelson were in a high state of excitement regarding the war that was then raging between England and Russia, and every day we were expecting to receive a visit from a Russian warship. One fine morning the flagstaff at the signal station was covered with flags, which threw the Nelsonians into a great state of excitement, for they could not imagine what the display of bunting meant. On Pilot CROSS proceeding to the signal station, he found poor old Jerry VOLLER in a high state of excitement, which had been greatly increased by the strength of the famous Nelson brewed malt liquors. On inquiring what was up, Jerry replied — " It's all up with us, the Russians have come." Shortly after the Provincial Council met, and as as often customary in those days, they were seized with a fit of retrenchment, but the only saving effected was to take sixpence a day off Jerry's salary. I do not know whether his method of announcing the supposed visit of the Russians had anything to do with making the Councillors dock poor Jerry's screw. However, he was the only victim on that occasion. — Old Resident. VOLLER researchers will know of the circumstances regarding Jerry VOLLER's death and found some items about it at Papers Past, but maybe they haven't seen this bit from Trove: http://trove.nla.gov.au/ndp/del/article/8942292 The Mercury (Hobart, Tas. : 1860 - 1954), Monday 10 January 1876, Page 3. One of the oldest of the Nelson settlers, a man named Abraham VOLLER, was recently drowned. He arrived in the colony by the Thomas Parkes [sic - s/be Thomas Sparks] in 1842, and, except for a few months when he assisted to establish the first settlement of Wellington, VOLLER has resided in Nelson. He was one of the survivors of the historical Wairau massacre, and was one of the crew that helped Captain CARKEEK to sail a craft of 32 tons burden from England to Adelaide in the early days. CARKEEK was appointed sub-collector of customs at Nelson in 1842. Peter