Norah Ahern From Convict Rags to Riches
Convict Series Part 3
Hanorah Ahern was my 4x great grandmother and my convict ancestor. This is the third in the series about my convict ancestors. Before reading this, it would be best to catch up with the story of Hanorah and how she came to be transported to Australia, serve her term and receive her ticket of freedom. We pick up Hanorah’s story as she is about to be married.
If you missed part one and two of this series, the links are below:
Do You have a Convict in Your Family: Part 1
The Female Convict in Our Family: Hanorah Ahern
Hanorah Ahern Marries
On 21 February 1815, Hanorah married George Lowe, at St. David’s parish, Hobart. St. David’s church had not as yet been built. George had been transported to Australia in 1803 for stealing. He was emancipated in 1813. By the time he and Hanorah were married, he had become a respectable, wealthy businessman, having acquired a large amount of property, in and around Hobart.1
Hanorah was aged 20, at the time of her marriage, and signed the marriage record with an X . As she was still a convict, Hanorah would have had to apply for, and receive, special permission to marry George.
Family
Hanorah and George had seven children over a period of almost 15 years. Their daughter Caroline was born in London when George and Hanorah went for a trip back to England. The other children were all born in Tasmania.
James Lowe born 18 December 1815, Hobart, Tasmania
Elizabeth Lowe born 11 December 1817, Hobart, Tasmania
Mary Ann Lowe born 08 November 1819, Hobart, Tasmania
George Lowe born 13 July 1822, Hobart, Tasmania
Caroline Lowe born 22 July 1824, England
William Lowe born 02 March 1827 born at New Norfolk, Tasmania
Ann Norah Lowe born 02 March 1829 born at New Norfolk, Tasmania
Death of Daughter, Elizabeth
From: Hobart Town Gazetter and Southern Reporter, Saturday 20 February, 1819, page 2
On the evening of yesterday fortnight, as a young child about 14 months old, daughter of George Lowe, settler at New Norfolk, was playing near the door of its parents, a large black snake, which was unobserved on the premises, bit the infant in the knee. The parents at first considered it only a slight puncture, not being aware that it was then bit; but shortly after the poor infant was seized with the dreadful symptoms attending the bite of a snake, and continued in the greatest agony till Monday evening last, when the infant died. This is the first distressing calamity of the kind we have heard of in the Settlement.
Coming Up Next: Hanorah Ahern and George Lowe: A Successful Life Part 4
Further Reading:
https://www.digitalpanopticon.org/
George Lowe’s story is quite long and detailed and will coming in a separate post after Hanorah’s story has been told. Much of George’s and Hanorah’s stories coincide, but there is much more to tell about George, that doesn’t involve his wife.
George had clearly done well for himself. I would think that a return trip to England would have been quite an expensive undertaking. How common would poisonous snake bites have been then? Snakes are something I am very conscious of when in Australia. I appreciate living in a country that doesn't have any!
I love that he is described as a settler in the news report. People were vary careful to hide evidence of their convict past if they became successful.