A Family of Eight.

I am introducing Part B - A story of Thomas Peters and Mary Ann Peters (nee Hews), with the death notice for ‘Anne’ Peters. The notice makes clear reference to her eight children.

Mary Ann (Ann) Peters (nee Hews) died in Hobart Town on 26 May 1819. She was buried in St Davids cemetery. She was the free wife of Thomas Peters, a convict, they both arrived in Tasmania aboard the Calcutta in 1804. Mrs Thomas Peters is mentioned variously as being nee: "Ann Hews", "Mary Ann Hews", "Mary Ann Hughes", and "Ann Hughes". She is also (in the cases of her children Mary Ann and Richard Giles) recorded as ”Mary Ann" nee Warrick.

These discrepancies in the recording of Mary Ann’s name are not unusual for the records of the time. However I feel sure that they did contribute to the obscuring of the identities of two of her children, Mary Ann Peters, and Richard Giles Peters.

The first child who was born to the Peters in Australia was Martha. She is clearly recorded as their daughter. Martha predeceased her mother by eleven years. Martha had one older sister, Elizabeth, who arrived as a child aboard the Calcutta with their parents. Elizabeth Peters married George (Jnr) Armytage in 1818, the year prior to her mother’s death. Three other daughters also married into families who were, or soon became, very well known in the new colony. These marriages ensured that formal and informal records of their identities were preserved.

Charlotte Peters married Francis (Jnr) Flexmore (1829)

Louisa Peters married John Hayes (1828)

Sophia Peters married James Pillenger (1836)

The youngest of the Peters children was Anne. She died at age 14 years of spear wounds received during Tasmania's Black War. Her death was reported in the newspapers of the day.

There are records for two more children of Thomas and Mary Ann Peters. These children are Mary Ann Peters and Richard Giles Peters. However their identities were not ‘preserved’ in the same manner as that of their siblings.

The death notice for Mary Ann (Ann) Peters (nee Hews) makes reference to eight children being “left motherless”. I believe that this press report conflates the total number of children who were born to the Peters, with the number who actually survived their mother’s death. This is supported by the fact that The Hobart Town Population Muster, 1818 records that ‘Mrs Peters’ has 6 children living ‘off the stores”, and in the same muster she herself is recorded separately (as ‘My Ann Peters’) along with her 17 year old daughter Elizabeth. It is clear that Elizabeth is no longer included in the category of ‘children’ but there are six siblings who are.

I have not found a record of any child other than those whose names I have listed. I believe that only 7 Peters children survived their mother’s death, with an eight child, Martha, having predeceased her by many years. 

It is my hope that by beginning Part B with the identification of the children of Thomas and Mary Ann Peters their connection to the family trees of several other well known families will be readily apparent to other researchers.

 Research  - Part B