[Index]

Thomas HOWE

Children	Self + Spouses	Parents	Grandparents	Greatgrandparents
George HOWE (1769 - 1821)	Thomas HOWE

Near Relatives of Thomas HOWE
Relationship	Person	Born	Birth Place	Died	Death Place	Age
Self	Thomas HOWE
Son	George HOWE	abt 1769	St Kitts, West Indies	11 May 1821	NSW, Australia	52
Daughter in Law	Mary MCLEAY			1800	At sea
Daughter in Law	Elizabeth (HASTINGS) (HASTEN) EASTON			1828	Sydney, NSW, Australia
Daughter in Law	Sarah HARDING	Aug 1776	London, Middlesex, England	08 Jul 1823	Sydney, NSW, Australia	46
Grandson	Robert HOWE	30 Jun 1795	London, Middlesex, England	29 Jan 1829	Sydney, NSW, Australia	33
Grandson	Thomas Terry HOWE	02 Apr 1803	Sydney, NSW, Australia
Granddaughter	Mary Ann Risdon HOWE	01 May 1805	Sydney, NSW, Australia	1832	Kawhia, Auckland, New Zealand	27
Grandson	George Terry HOWE	18 Dec 1806	Sydney, NSW, Australia	06 Apr 1863	Chippendale, NSW, Australia	56
Granddaughter	Ann HOWE	06 Feb 1809	Sydney, NSW, Australia	10 May 1811		2
Granddaughter	Sarah Risdon HOWE	27 Sep 1810	Sydney, NSW, Australia	1879	Redfern, Sydney, NSW, Australia	69
Granddaughter	Jane HOWE	09 Nov 1816	Sydney, NSW, Australia	23 Nov 1880	Fitzroy, Victoria, Australia	64

Events in Thomas HOWE's life
Date	Age	Event	Place	Notes	Src
abt 1769		Birth of son George HOWE	St Kitts, West Indies
11 May 1821		Death of son George HOWE (aged 52)	NSW, Australia	Note 1	52, 55

Note 1: Reg No V18215068 2B/1821 - George Howe - age 51 ******************** Johnson, Keith A. Comp. Gravestone inscriptions, N.S.W. Volume 1. Sydney burial ground : Elizabeth and Devonshire Streets "The Sandhills' (Monuments relocated at Bunnerong) / compiled by Keith A. Johnson and Malcolm R. Sainty. n.p., the compilers, 1973 Text: Mr Edward WILLS died 14th May 1811 aged 32 years Also George HOWE a Creole of St. Kitt's born 1769 died 11th May 1821 aged 52 years He introduced into Australia the art of Printing instigating the 'Sydney Gazette' and was the first Government Printer (fourth oldest stone at Bunnerong). ***************************************** OBITUARY of George Howe in Sydney Gazette SYDNEY GAZETTE. IT HATH at length fallen to the task of surviving friendship to announce, in a Column of the SYDNEY GAZETTE, the Death of its Printer, Mr. GEORGE HOWE ; which lamented event took place in the forenoon of Friday last, the 11th instant, at his house in George-street ; and in the sorrowing testimony of affectionate relatives, and sympathising acquaintances, we have traced the sincere regard and respect due to departed worth, and to the memory of an upright, liberal, and benevolent Member of Society. That such are the faithful attributes of the Character to which this humble tribute applies, will, we trust, be universally acknowledged ; and particularly in those circles where his philanthropy and urbanity were displayed; and which, retiring from public notice, ministered, unwitnessed and in private, the consolatory balm to indigence and affliction» Mr. HOWE was a native of St. Kitt's, in the West Indies, where his Father and Brother conducted for many years the Government Press, which is still continued by his Family in that Island. As a Printer, Mr. HOWE is said to have attained distinguished preeminence in England, and was for a long time employed on some of the most respectable Journals in London. As the original Printer of this Gazette, he had to struggle, in the outset, with many difficulties incidental to such an undertaking, in a remote Colony ; but by perseverance, attention, and the liberal encouragement of the present Government, he at length surmounted them. Mr. HOWE was in his 52nd year. ************************** http://adb.anu.edu.au/biography/howe-george-1600 Australian Dictionary of Biography George Howe (1769-1821), printer, editor, publisher and poet, was born on the island of St Kitts in the West Indies, the son of Thomas Howe, government printer at Basseterre on St Christopher's Island. George and his brother were both apprenticed to the printing trade. His later work indicates that his education was thorough along the classical lines of the eighteenth century, and that he was well read in European literature. In 1790 Howe went to London and worked on The Times and other newspapers. He married and his son Robert was born in 1795. In March 1799, together with a companion, Thomas Jones, and under the name of 'George Happy alias Happy George', he was tried at the Warwick Assizes for shoplifting at Alcester; he was sentenced to death but this was commuted to transportation for life. Robert Howe later referred to Alexander McLeay as 'the benefactor of myself and my poor mother', and it was probably McLeay who enabled Howe's family to embark with him in the Royal Admiral. He arrived at Sydney in November 1800, but his wife died on the voyage. Howe himself recovered from a serious illness in 1801 and attributed his survival to D'Arcy Wentworth. Almost immediately Howe became government printer, and the range of his printing far exceeded the broadsheets and orders of his predecessor, George Hughes. In 1802 he issued the first book printed in Australia, New South Wales General Standing Orders, comprising Government and General Orders issued between 1791 and 1802. On 5 March 1803 he began the publication of the first newspaper, the Sydney Gazette and New South Wales Advertiser. Robert helped in the printing office when the paper began and 'had the honour, even in those infant days, of gaining the smile and eliciting the astonishment of the King's Representative when he saw us perched on a stool'. According to Robert the old printing press was worth only £2 and they had to manage with a mere 20 lbs. (9 kg) of type; but Howe was an 'ingenious man' and managed in spite of the inadequate press, a chronic shortage of ink and paper, and the refusal or inability of many of his subscribers to pay their debts. He was conditionally pardoned in 1803, and fully emancipated in 1806. Howe formed an irregular alliance with Elizabeth Easton and between 1803 and 1810 she bore him five children, one of whom, George Terry Howe, later became the first newspaper editor in Launceston. To add to his income he opened a stationery shop and became a private tutor. He offered to teach reading, writing and mensuration and 'the Grammar of the English tongue upon the principles of Drs Lowth, Johnson, Priestly and other celebrated writers who have united their efforts in improving the Grammatical structure of their own beautiful and comprehensive language, which every Englishman ought to be acquainted with, but few attain that have not had the advantage of a classical education'. Howe's shop and his tutoring enabled him to survive between 30 August 1807 and 15 May 1808, when because of the quarrel between Governor William Bligh and his enemies the Gazette ceased publication. The reason given was lack of paper, but Robert Howe later revealed that the government stores had large stocks of paper. After Bligh's arrest Howe had to threaten to publish the names of his debtors unless they paid him within a fortnight. In 1810 Howe's printing office was almost destroyed by lightning, but the newly-arrived Governor Lachlan Macquarie renewed his appointment as government printer, and next year granted him a salary of £60. Howe's economic position improved still further when in 1812 he married Sarah, the widow of Edward Wills, who had inherited a profitable store from her husband. Of her five existing children, Sarah married Dr William Redfern in 1811 and Eliza married Major Henry Antill in 1818; a son, Horatio Spencer Wills, became editor of the Gazette and published the first paper edited by a native-born Australian, The Currency Lad, which first appeared in August 1832. After his marriage Howe became more active in commerce. In 1813 he joined Mrs Mary Reibey in a speculation in sandalwood. In 1817 he became one of the fourteen foundation subscribers to the Bank of New South Wales. In 1813 he published the first natural history and art book printed in the colony, Birds of New South Wales with their Natural History, a collection of eighteen coloured plates of Australian birds with short descriptions of their habits and environment. The artist was John Lewin. In 1819 First Fruits of Australian Poetry, containing two poems by Barron Field, the first book of poetry published in Australia, came from his press. Howe was preparing to publish the first periodical magazine when he died on 11 May 1821. He left property worth £4000. Robert Howe was dissipated as a young man and in 1819 fathered an illegitimate son. Next year, however, he experienced a spiritual awakening and, in his own words, was 'wonderfully and mercifully visited by God and snatched from infamy in this world and Hell in the next'. He joined the group of Methodists who were working in Sydney and their influence, particularly that of Rev. Ralph Mansfield, was apparent when he published The Australian Magazine; or, Compendium of Religious, Literary, and Miscellaneous Intelligence, the first periodical to appear in Australia. The first number appeared in May 1821 and the publication continued until September 1822. In the meantime, in 1821 Robert Howe had married the colonial-born Ann Bird, who finally agreed to rear Robert's natural son as her own. She bore him four more children, Robert Mansfield, Alfred Australia, Ann Wesley and Mary McLeay, whose names commemorated the strongest influences in Howe's life. Although his education had not been thorough, Robert Howe continued to edit the Gazette which he had helped his father to publish, but the tone of the paper changed completely. Morality and religion became its main themes. Howe considered that to be 'Printer to Immanuel' was more important than being government printer. A plan to establish another press devoted exclusively to the aims of the Wesleyan mission did not eventuate; but the Gazette reflected Howe's conviction that religion was the only possible means of progress in Australia and the only way to rescue the colony from the 'depths of awful depravity to Righteousness in the Son of God'. This outlook, together with the Gazette's traditional policy of supporting the government, made it impossible for Howe to join the struggle for the freedom of the press between 1826 and 1829. Added to this was the fact that Alexander McLeay, his old benefactor, had become colonial secretary. Despite criticism, the Gazette prospered and for a short time in 1827 became the first daily newspaper in the colony. Robert Howe also continued his father's tradition as a publisher. In addition to religious tracts, in 1826 he published Wild Notes from the Lyre of a Native Minstrel, the first book of poems written by a colonial-born poet, Charles Tompson, whose work had already appeared in the Gazette. Howe's own personal life was never really happy. On the night of 15 June 1822 he was attacked while returning from a meeting at the Methodist chapel. He could not avoid a number of libel actions arising from the strong denunciation of those who opposed his policy, and in 1827 Redfern publicly horse-whipped him. He wrote that he was 'debilitated through excessive fatigue, mental anxiety and unprecedented and unexpected domestic disquietude and grief to which I have for years submitted'. In 1827 he made a will in which he left most of his estate to his natural son and £100 a year to his wife. Next year he revoked this and left his wife an 'equal division' of his effects which amounted to over £10,000. Contemplating retirement, he installed Mansfield as co-editor of the Gazette; but on 29 January 1829 he was drowned while fishing near Pinchgut and his widow became the proprietor of the paper. George and Robert Howe had performed important work. To have a newspaper as early as 1803 was of inestimable benefit to both government and settlers. A series of the New South Wales Pocket Almanack, issued in conjunction with the Gazette from 1806, supplemented the dissemination of news and knowledge throughout the colony. The Gazette kept the settlers in touch with home. News from England and excerpts from English literature kept loyalty to England alive. From the beginning George Howe encouraged education and published material calculated to aid both teachers and pupils. He also fostered literature and before 1810 printed more than forty poems, many of which he wrote himself. During Macquarie's administration he printed a further seventy poems including the patriotic odes of Michael Robinson. He has, therefore, a strong claim to the title of 'Father of Australian Literature'. The main difference between George and Robert was that, whereas George Howe advocated reason and common sense, Robert fostered religion.

Personal Notes:

Ancestor Treasure Hunt - Thomas Howe was the Government printer at Basseterre, on the island of St. Christopher, West Indies *************************** Lots of interesting posts about the ancestors of Howe family of St Kitts at http://boards.ancestry.com.au/surnames.howe/985.1.1/mb.ashx ********************** http://genforum.genealogy.com/howe/messages/4202.html Hi Beth, I am a descendant of Thomas Howe in St.Kitts. Information I have is; Thomas Howe m Ann Risden 19 October 1766 Children: Cordeilia Howe b.April 1766 d.17 Jun 1767 Charles Howe b.08 May 1768 d.23 Feb 1769 George Howe b.1769 d.11 May 1821 Sydney Aust.(my line) Thomas Risden Howe b.08 Jun 1770 d.1815 Robert Howe b.05 Aug.1771 George Howe b.1769 St. Kitts married (1) Mary McLeay. She died at sea on the way to Aust. He lived with (2) Elizabeth Hastings b.1784 Maidstone Eng., d.1828. He married (3)Sarah Harding 05 October 1812. She was b.06 April 1776 London Eng. d.08 Jul 1823 Sydney. Children of George Howe & Mary McLeay; Robert Howe b.30 Jun 1795 London d. 29 Jan 1829 Sydney. Sarah Howe b.20 Nov 1797 London. Children of George Howe & Elizabeth Hastings; Thomas Terry Howe b.02 Apr 1803 Sydney. Drowned at sea. Mary Ann Risden Howe b.01 May 1805 Sydney d.19 Feb 1834; m John Cowell 02 Jul 1821 Sydney. George Terry Howe b.18 Dec 1806 Sydney d.06 Apr 1863 Syd Risden Howe b.1808 Ann Howe b.06 Feb 1809 Sydney d.10 May 1811 Sydney Sarah Howe b.27 Sep 1810 Sydney d.09 Nov 1891; m Edward Lee 04 Mar 1828. Child of George Howe and Sarah Harding Jane Howe b.09 Nov 1816 Sydney d.23 Nov 1880 The Howes were Printers in the West Indies George's grandfather John founded the St. Christopher Gazette and Caribbeen Courier in 1747, and his father Thomas had taught George the art of printing. He was sent to London in 1790 for further training working for several newspaper including The Times. In 1799 George was tried at Warwick for shoplifting, and sentenced to death, but instead was transported, along with his wife(who died on the voyage of Typhus) and son Robert. Soon after Goerge arrived in Australia he became Government Printer, and started Australia's first newspaper The Sydney Gazette in March 1803. Robert Howe b.1795 Lon. d.29 Jan 1829 met (1) Elizabeth Lee Child of Robert Howe and Elizabeth Lee (my Line) Robert Charles Howe b.11 Jan 1820 Sydney d.14 Jul 1875 Rylstone Aust. married Sarah Bloodworth 03 Sep 1840 Sydney. Robert Howe b. 1795 married (2) Ann Bird 17 Jul 1821 children of Robert Howe and Ann Bird; Robert Mansfield Howe b.12 Nov 1822 Syd. d.26 Feb 1824 Alfred Australia Howe b.21 Apr 1825 Syd. d.20 Jan 1837(died from shark attack in Sydney Harbour.) Ann Wesley Howe b.01 Apr 1824 Syd.d.05 jun 1866 m John Randall Morris 06 April 1843 Mary McLeay Howe b.21 Apr 1827 Syd. d.1885 m Colin MacKenzie 21 No 1850 Robert Charles Howe b.1820 & Sarah Bloodworth Children of Robert Howe & Sarah Bloodworth; Robert b.06 Jul 1841 Syd. d.1930 m Elizabeth Mulholland Maria Elizabeth b.03 May 1843 Syd. d.22 Sep 1913 m Robert Thompson Highfield George Alfred b1845 Syd. d28 Dec 1910 Sarah Jane* b.17 Jan 1848 Syd. d.03 Mar 1922 Kandos Aust. m John Bremmer Morrison (my Line) Mary Rebecca b.1855 d.08 Jul 1860 Rylstone Aust. Thomas b.1858 d. 1924 m Emma Robbins William b.1860 d. 23 Jul 1861 James Bloodworth b.1863 d.28 Jun 1908 m Isabel Flanagan Charles b.09 Feb 1866 d. 14 Aug 1947 m Mary Stollery Sarah Jane Howe* b.1848 was my g.g.grandmother. Regards Robyn Fleming. ************************** Sydney Morning Herald 1 Oct 1927 THE HOWES, PRINTERS First in Australia. SOME FAMILY HISTORY. (By E.M. WALKER.) So many untrue statements have been published of George Howe, first Government Printer in New South Wales, that a few real truths heard from his daughter and grand- daughter, and now written by his great granddaughter, may not seem out of place. Thomas Howe, an Englishman, and brother to Admiral Lord Howe, settled In St. Christopher, in the West Indies (called St. Kitts), in 1764, and established the art of printing there. He married a wealthy planter's daughter. Thomas Risdon Howe succeeded his father, and was in turn succeeded by his own son, John A. Howe. Thus father, son and grandson were Government Printers of that colony. George Howe, second son of Thomas Howe, was born in St. Christopher in 1769. He received his education there, and was then apprenticed in his father's ofllce to the printing trade. Later he went to London, and was for some time employed on the "Times." He married into a good Scotch family. His eldest son was bom in London. In 1800 George Howe came to Sydney in the ship Royal Admiral, and established the first newspaper in Australia in 1803. He was of medium height and stout build, and he had light brown hair, hazel eyes, and sallow complexion. While his parents lived he regularly received remittances from home, but I suppose there were times when he was short of cash, for ships were then so long in coming. All honour to the man who turned his attention to teaching, etc., rather than run into debt. He had been brought up in a good home, by a religlous mother. MARRIED THREE TIMES. This first Australian Government Printer married three times. His first wife, Miss Macleay, mentioned above, died on the voyage out to Sydney, leaving one child, Robert. The second wife was Spanish, a very beautiful woman; she died, leaving him with five young children. The third wife was the widow of his dearest friend, Edward Wills, but owing to her disposition he did not live happily with her. She was jealous of his love for his eldest son, who had been his companion since his arrival In Sydney in 1802, when he was 7 years of age. There was one child, a daughter, by the third marriage. The parents of both George Howe and his wife did not wish the wife and child to follow him to Sydney, but she loved her husband so sincerely that she would come, with the sorrowful result that she died on the voyage out. I can plcture the feelings of the husband who was looking forward to reunion with the wife of his youth, only to find when the ship arrived that she had been dead for four months and was burled at sea. I understand that so deep was his grief that no paper was published for a month. George Howe died on May 11, 1821, at his residence. 96 George-street, Sydney, in his fifty-second year, loved and respected by everyone. He was buried in his own vault in the Church of England Cemetery, Elizabeth-street, Sydney, with his second wife and his friend Edward Wills. His family was well provided for, the Underwoods (of Underwood Estate) being the trustees of his estate till the youngest daughter came of age. The three eldest sons of George Howe met their deaths by drowning. Thomas Howe and Risdon Howe, second and third sons, were lost while on a voyage to Launceston in their own pleasure launch, to spend Christmas of 1825 with their youngest brother, George Terry Howe. ROBERT HOWE. Robert Howe, the eldest son, who became the second Government Printer of New South Wales, was of medium height, with fair complexion, red hair, and blue eyes. He served his apprenticeship in the office of his father, and at his father's death removed the "Gazette" to his own building in George street, four doors from the corner of Charlotte-place, now known at Grosvenor-street. His private residence was at Miller's Point. Robert Howe was very fond of boating and fishing, and with his servant man Williams and his youngest son was out in a boat fishing off Fort Denison, on January 29, 1829. A sudden squall upset the boat, which immediately sank. He was a good swimmer, and made an effort to save his son (Alfred Australia, the flrst to be called Australia in this part of the world), but his hands became entangled in the fishing lines, and he was drowned. The boy and Williams were rescued, and ultimately the former lost his life at Port Macquarie through having one of his legs torn off by a ground shark while fishing, again with the man Williams. At the time of his death Robert Howe was 34 years of ago. He was buried in his father's vault until his wife erected another vault to his memory in the same cemetery in Elizabeth-street, when the remains were removed to the new resting place. He had been a strict Methodist, but was married in old St. Philip's, Sydney, Generous and liberal, it is said of him that his purse, his pen, and his influence were always ready in the cause of philanthropy. When his father died he took his step-brother and sister home to live with him, and on the passing of his second step-mother he also took her daughter into his home. All lived with him till they married and set up homes for themselves. To the memory of his father he had erected In the "Gazette" office a marble tablet bearing the following Inscription: "IN MEMORY "OF "GEORGE HOWE, "a Creole of St. Kitts, born 1769, died May 11, 1821, aged 52. He introduced into Australia the Art of Printing, instituted the "Sydney Gazette." and was the first Government Printer; besides which, his charity knew no bounds." When the "Gazette" office was flnnlly closed George Robert Howe gave the tablet to George Terry Howe, who resided in a cottage at the back of Devonshlre-street cemetery, and while it was there it was accidentally knocked down and broken. On an occasion some time before his death Robert Howe had an attack made upon his life. A man who felt himself aggrieved by an artlcle which had appeared in the "Gazette" met him and stabbed bim. The victim was never again as strong as he had been, and his widow always thought that was why be lost his life in the boating accident. PASSING OF THE GAZETTE. Robert Charles Howe, the third Government Printer of New South Wales, and the seventh and last Government Printer in the Howe family, was the eldest and only surviving son of Robert Howe. He was born at the "Gazette" office, in George-street, Sydney, and succeeded to the control of his late father's paper when he came of age. A splendid, generous-hearted man, tall, with very fair complexion, he lacked the guidance of a father, and so got in with a gay set of young men. Champagne suppers and horses soon brought the "Gazette" to ruin. It was Robert Charles Howe who passed the "Gazette" over to the Government, with three apprentices to finish their time-Thomas Richards, who afterwards became Government printer, Thomas Garrett, and George Risdon Howe, only son of George Terry Howe. George Risdon Howe was for 14 years in the Government Printing Office in Brisbane. When Robert Charles Howe closed the "Gazette" office as a private undertaking in 1842, he took up statlon life at Little Hartley, in the Blue Mountains, and used to travel down to Sydney with his own teams, transporting wool, etc. Having a little difference with his brother-in-law. Thomas Bloodworth, he left Little Hartley and, went to Rylstone; but that was a mistake, for he did not succeed there. He died at Rylstone on July 14, 1876, aged 54 years. GEORGE TERRY HOWE. George Terry Howe was the youngest son of George Howe, and served his appren- ticeship to the printing trade also in the office of his father at 96 George-street, Sydney, He published the flrst newspaper In Tasmania at Launceston in 1825, being then only 19 years of age, and the youngest Go- vernment Printer on record. He was very tall, wlth dark bair and eyes, and of proud, independent spirit. His good looks and quick temper he inherited from his Spanish mother. Eventually George Terry Howe returned to Sydney with his wife and family of three, and became overseer of the "Gazette" for his nephew. Robert Charles Howe. When the newspaper failed he lived on his means, and died on April 6, 1863, at the age of 56. His remains were burled in his father's vault, being the last to go there. His wife. Sarah, was buried in Robert Howe's vault with her mother and sister, and hers was the last funeral to that vault. That was in 1871. She had lived to be 74. The two vaults were opened on August 13, 1901, and all the remains were reinterred at La Perouse on August 22, 1901. There passed away recently, at the age of 55 years, Sydney George Rouse Walker, of the Government Printing Office, Sydney, great grandson of the first Government Printer, and the last compositor in the Howe family. He was educated at Newington College under the late Rev. J. Fletcher, and the late Dr. Kelynack. So ends the history of the Howes proprietors and editors of the "Gazette" in St. Kitts, in Sydney, and in Launceston. ************************** http://boards.ancestry.com.au/surnames.howe/985.1.1/mb.ashx (1) Hello there My name is Christine Finlay and my ancestor George Howe (b1769-1821) was the son of Thomas Risdon Howe. I have information from an archiivst at the NSW State Library that George Howe was related to the famous Admiral Richard Howe family. I can trace from George Howe's arrival in Sydney on 1800 with great acuracy, but going back further than that is a bit of a muddle, but apparently there were letters indicating that Thomas Risdon Howe the government printer in Basseterre St Christopher's was George Howe's father and related to the aristocracy. I think that Ann Risdon was a West Indian Creole as even my great grandfather, grandmother and father were very dark complexioned. I am quite swarthy too. According to the State library archivist, it is most likely that George was accused of shoplifting & transported for political reasons as Thoma Howe was trying to rid St Kitts of English rule. Because of the aristocrat connections and family disgrace of conviction, George Howe's identity was hushed up and he was transported as "George Happy". George Howe was married to a wealthy women, Mary Mcleay, whose brother Alexander McLeay had interceded to save George from the gallows and have him transported instead. Fortuitously for George, Alexander McLeay owned a part share in the ship George was transported to Sydney on, the Royal Admiral. Less fortuitously, George's wife Mary died of typhoid in the advanced stages of pregnacy on the way to Sydney. The name Risdon pops up occasionally amongst descendants of George Howe over here ie in NSW Australia. Where do you live? My email address is cc.finlay@optusnet.com.au Regards and all the best... Christine (2) The tomb of Australia's first newspaper proprietor and book publisher has vanished. Archives in the Records Section at Sydney's Rocks say he should be in Section D of Lot 262 of a cemetery, but the question is which one? His headstone was allegedly prised out of the ground and trundled away twice... first from Sydney's oldest cemetery between Devonshire and Elizabeth Streets to Central Railway Station and then Botany Cemetery. His headstone was moved to the Sandhills Cemetery now Central Station and then shortlisted to go to the pioneer section of botany Cemetery. A search of Botany's Pioneers' Memorial Park (ph 96615655) proved futile, although records say that George Howe's Francis Greenway designed tomb is there. During Central Station's construction the old stones were stored awaiting decisions on their fate. Historians Keith Johnson and Malcolm Sainty were commissioned to shortlist headstones for reinterment at Botany's pioneer section (see attachments titled The sydney... arch & Sydney Burial Grounds). And our city elders believed that all went according to plan- Plaque 44 erected by Randwick City Council in memory of George Howe trustingly says his headstone is at Bunnerong Pioneer section (as the memorial park was then known) as does a book by Keith Johnson and Malcolm Sainty on Sydney's old burial grounds. George Howe was an aristocratic Creole from St Kitts and the nephew of Lord Richard Howe the famous admiral. The Howe family is said to have been the illegitimate offspring of George I of England who was a German nobleman offered the English throne. There were complications however, George I had locked up his wife in a castle and had several mistresses, one of whom he brought with him from Germany and married off to an impoverished Irish nobleman, Emanuel Howe. The mother of Admiral Richard Howe and his brother William was Sophia Kielmansegge. She was believed to be the illegitimate daughter of George I and herself became the mistress of royalty to become Countess Howe. One of her sons Thomas was my ancestor. Countess Howe had several children including the famous admiral Richard and William the famous general. One of her children, Thomas broke the mold and married a black plantation owner's daughter in St Kitts the West Indies- a more than rational decision by today's standards, swapping war's rigours for a luxurious life in a tropical paradise married to a beautiful black woman. This African connection was a closely gruared secret, I had been told that the swarthy complexion was due to a Spanish greatgrandmother. An archival search found no Spaniards in over seven generations. Thomas's son George Howe married Mary McLeay the daughter of Alexander McLeay. Alexander Mcleay later moved to Sydney to become Colonial Secretary and build Elizabeth House (see attachment Historic Eliza..). George Howe sailed to London to work on the London Times as a printer and journalist, but soon fell into disfavour. Despite his own wealth and that of his wife Mary McLeay, he was accused of shoplifting and sentenced to the gallows. Family rumour says that he was too wealthy to shoplift and the charges were trumped up due to Thomas Howe's political activism; he was trying to rid St Kitts of English rule. Mary's father, Alexander McLeay lobbied to save George from the gallows, having the sentence reduced to transportation. George travelled to Sydney on the Royal Admiral, a ship part owned by Alexander McLeay and bought in a consortium to transport missionaries around the Pacific. George travelled under the alias "Happy George" to save disgracing the aristocratic Howe name. His wife Mary and six-year-old son Robert were free passengers. Mary died in advanced stages of pregnancy from typhoid and was buried at sea. George arrived in Sydney in 1800 and was almost immediately appointed government printer. He lived with another convict from the Royal Admiral, Elizabeth Easton who had several children to him including George Terry Howe (see bottom photo attached). He published Australia's first book New South Wales Standing Orders in 1802 and started the Sydney Gazette in 1803 printing them in a shed behind the old parliament house now the site of towering office blocks near Town Hall station. Robert Howe married the daughter of Sarah Bird, Ann. Sarah Bird was Australia's first female publican gaining a licence in 1797 for the Three Jolly Settlers. Sarah Bird's daughter, Ann Howe was the only Howe to successfully run the Sydney Gazette after George Howe's death in 1821 where he left an estate of £4000. George Terry Howe left an even larger estate of £10000 and went into business ventures, but did not involve himself with the Sydney Gazette after his father's death. George Terry Howe established two newspapers in Tasmania, one of which he sold. George Terry Howe had five daughters and one son with Sarah Howe, another daughter of Sarah Bird. One of these daughters of George Terry and Sarah Howe is Emily Howe, my great great grandmother. George Howe married the wealthy widow Sarah wills who had a prosperous shop close to his new premises at the Rocks george Street. They lived in the widow's home, 96 George Street Sydney, now a council reserve for tables and chairs for the Rocks street markets. As well as George's missing headstone, mystery also surrounds the location of the headstones of: Sarah Bird, Sarah Howe, Ann Howe who later became Ann Salmon and died in 1842, George Terry Howe (1806-1863) and Robert Howe. Regards and all the best, Christine Finlay (3) Hi Christine, I have been able to trace my ancestor Thomas Risden Howe (born 1770), brother of George, back to their father Thomas Howe who married Ann Risden in 1766. I have seen claims (no documents) that Thomas Howe was born on St Kitts and his father was John Howe, a government printer who came to the island in 1747 from Ireland. The 1766 and 1747 dates seem a bit skewed and if the Irish ancestry is true it seems that there is no connection to the Howe brothers of American Revolution fame. If you have any information refuting the above I would welcome it as I have a family bio that also states there is a connection to the brothers and it would be great to document the connection. Thanks for your help. Greg Maynard (4) Hi there Greg Lovely to hear from you. Yes there is a fair bit of evidence that the famous Admiral and General Howe are related to the St Kitts government printer Howe family. Firstly, somewhere in the Howe family letters etc there was talk that this was the case. I don't have this documentation, but a state library archivist told me that Adrmiral and General Howe were related and that this was documented in state library archives. I forget whether she said they were uncles, great uncles or grandfathers of George Howe as I talked to her about this in 1995 and have lost the notes I took. I rang her because the family is so swarthy and I thought that perhaps this was due to Aboriginal ancestry. She was employed as an Aboriginal archivist as part of a government initiative called "Reconciliation" that aimed at finding Aboriginal people's lost family connections. She looked it up for me saying that normally she would not have done the research, but the story was so fascinating and she also felt some sort of research was justified because of the skin colour obligation. I have an old photo of George Howe's son, George Terry Howe and he was quite black in appearance. His people were very wealthy and George Howe senior had an extremely extensive classical education. Both George snr and his sons George Terry Howe and Robert Howe were newspaper proprietors who left large estates at their deaths, so that was unusual for people with the disadvantage of their color. George was charged with shoplifting in London. He was married to Mary Macleay and they had a four-year-old son, Robert. Initially, George and another Times journalist were sentenced to the gallows for this crime. The rumour was that George was framed because he was too wealthy to shoplift and also because his family in St Kitts was part of a push to remove English rule from their island and so a false charge of shoplifting would get him out of the way. George's wealthy aristocratic brother-in-law, Alexander Macleay intervened in some way and saved him from the gallows. Alexander also bought part shares in the Royal Admiral, the convict ship that brought George to Sydney, so george probably did not have the usual deprivation on his journey out. George was married to Mary Macleay, who was the sister of Alexander Macleay. Alexander Macleay came out to Australia a few years after George Howe to become the Colonial Secretary. Alexander Macleay built a stunning mansion in Potts Point Sydney that is open to the public called Elizabeth House. There is a lot of stuff like this on how well connected and protected George Howe was. D'arcy Wentworth, another of Sydney's founding fathers and a wealthy aristocrat nursed George back to health when he arrived in Sydney in 1800. George had lost Mary on the voyage out. She died of typhus in the advanced stages of pregancy and although it is not stated that George had typhus, he was very ill in some way when he arrived and it took him about a year to recover. The story of how George got to Australia from St Kitts is interesting. After his arrival in London to work as a printer and journalist on the London Times, it is possible that the London Howes were aware of his arrival and the appearance of a black relative may have gone down like a lead balloon. Not only were the famous Howe brothers aristocrats, but they were also the illegitimate offspring of George 1, so a black relative would have been most unwelcome to many in that illustrious regal circle. If you Google the famous Howe brothers there is a very complex history of their mother and grandmother who were aristorcratic and enjoyed all sorts of favours from George 1 and George II (and I think George III too from memory). One of these ladies was officially recognised as illegitimate blood kin with a coat of arms. Both women had wealth and titles heaped upon them. The Ireland connection comes in through Emmanual Howe who was married to either the mother or grandmother of the famous Howe brothers. it is very complex and I forget who was married to who, but the aristocratic ladies made the Howe brothers' fortune and it would appear, also that of Emmanuel Howe, an improverished Irish aristocrat. It looks as if Emmanuel provided the window dressing for one of the kings to have a family with one of his mistresses. Have a look at the google stuff, I have notes somewhere of who was married to who etc and it gets very complicated. but anyway the upshot of all the regal behnd the scenes stuff was that one of the aristocratic royal mistresses had ten children, one of them being Richard Howe the admiral, the other the famous general and one of them the ancestor of the St Kitts Howe line. Emanuel Howe, their Irish pseudo father, was made governor of Barbados and this was how the Howe line got to St Kitts. Apparently too, Admiral Howe had interests in the West Indies. The first Howe of the St Kitts line married a black plantation owner's daughter, as there were some wealthy black people in the West Indies. I think he had tuberculosis, but I the good climate and fabulous food may have cured him somewhat as he seemed to have lived after it and have a family. perhaps the family thoght he had come to the end of his line when he got TB and there were no protests at his marriage or perhaps they were broad minded for people of those times. Now you say the dates are skewed for Thomas Risden Howe etc. It is very complex stuff this putting together of family history. I know what it is like, having worked out who did what with the famous Howe line, only to lose the notes in a clean up. I would be fascinated to find out who Ann Risden was (or is it Risdon?) and how it all happened in St Kitts. Some of the Howe line in Sydney were given the name Risden by the way. I am going to visit the island in 2012 on a Carribean cruise and will look up the family. Hopefully they won't be too horrified to see me and I won't get charged with shoplifting on my holiday. Regards Christine Finlay (5) Hello listers, I have a connection to George through his association with Elizabeth Hasten/Easton/Hastings who was transported on the "Speedy" 1800. Elizabeth looked after Robert shortly after their arrival in NSW and had her own son William Pierce in 1801. William was known as William Howe and raised by George who supervised his apprenticeship as a seaman later on.George and Elizabeth had 5 children together before he married Sarah Wills and Elizabeth went on to marry James Winter. Keen to share histories and sort out some discrepancies Cheer penne (6) hello again. Christine, there is quite a lot available on Elizabeth. Unfortunately it was to early for photos and no painting has so far appeared, but although born in England she was of Spanish appearance.I'm not quite sure how I can give you the mountain of information via this message board. She was born in Maidstone Kent an illeg dau of a person of some standing as her education and care was paid for, then suddenly when she was about 12? it stopped and she was put out, she stole a dress off a washing line and thats how she came to be transported.cheers penne (7) Elizabeth married James Winter and died in 1828 - Cheryl Pinchen (8)hello Elizabeth, she married James Winter, had two children to him, died young and those children went into care. If you contact me on my mail pennell at xtra dot co dot nz I can give you many pages of information. From whom do you descend plse? penne (9)If anyone in this thread is interested, I photographed the grave of Maria and Tamar HOWE at Waikaraka cemetery, Auckland, NZ last week. They are the wife of a George Terry HOWE c1858 - 1933 and that George is also buried in the same cemetery. Appears there is a strong Maori connection to this line and as the name is identical to another HOWE connected to early printing in Australia I wouldn't be surprised if there is a connection to that family. I am not a relation, I was just interested in the wife and daughters headstone because they died so close together http://www.flickr.com/photos/porkynz/10234014076/in/photostr... and http://www.flickr.com/photos/porkynz/10234016176/in/photostr... *************************

Source References:

55. Type: Book, Abbr: Edward Wills Family and Descendants, Title: Ancestor Treasure Hunt; The Edward Wills Family and Descendants in Australia 1797 - 1976, Auth: R.V. Pockley, Publ: Wentworth Books - Sydney, Date: 1976

- Reference = (Name, Notes)

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