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Can anyone help me with Benjamin ?

Born 1835 in Dorset parents George Wells and Eliza Smith they were travellers/vagrants

I have him in the 1851 census and in Dorchester prison in 1852 for larceny and in1854 as Benjamin Wells alias John Smith for "cattle stealing" sentenced to "15 years transportation "

Have not managed to find anything about him after that-travellers are notoriously difficult to track as they dodged the census and used different names :-(

Maybe the clue is 15 years transportation

They would often be transported to Australia

Online travel though doesn't start till 1890 but maybe looking for any info in Australian records may find him

Possibly below...

Chris :)

06 July 1854 - Dorset County Chronicle - Dorchester, Dorset, England

Transportation. Fifteen Years. - John Wells, alias John Smith, for stealing a dark bay horse, of the value of fifteen pounds, the property of Robert Day, of Manston.


https://convictrecords.com.au/convicts

(should be on above)


England & Wales, Criminal Registers, 1791-1892 (Ancestry)

(Benjamin Wells (alias John Smith) 27 Jun 1854 Dorset, England)


(Ancestry have various Records relating for Convicts)


Edits

https://convictrecords.com.au/convicts/wells/john/1217

(John Wells above, Ship, William Hammond)


http://members.iinet.net.au/~perthdps/convicts/con-wa17.html

(Wells John 3937 15y 18 Dorchester 29 06 1854 Horse stealing)


(nothing to do with below family is it, from google search)

http://www.armadale.org.uk/wellsgenealogy/Wells/wells1.htm

STURMINSTER. My great great grandparents were William and Eliza Wells (nee Bland or Jeffs and probably a few other maiden names) William, affectionately known as "Black Billy" was I believe born in Sturminster, Dorset around 1831 and married an Eliza Bland/Jeffs who was born in Sutton, Dorset in 1840. They had at least 8 children, Priscilla, Josiah, William, Mary, Benjamin, Henry, George and Ellen. I am having a lot of trouble sorting out the ancestors for William and Eliza. William's parents are possibly George and Eliza Wells (nee Smith) born in Dorset around 1805. No ideas about Eliza's parentage. Another possibility for William is the one born in Blandford Forum (nr. Sturminster) c. 1831, with parents Thomas and Ann Wells.

(also)

Romany Heritage -

https://www.facebook.com/permalink.php?story_fbid=993965167346804&id...

This is my Great Grandfather Henry Wells, Black Billy's son. Henry was Horse Master and Dealer to Lord Congleton, somewhere near Salisbury. Is there anything anyone can tell me about Romanichal William "Black Billy" Wells, born in Dorset in the 1830's and was married to Eliza Bland please? Or any information about ...

Following on from Chris's finding/s .... same John Wells obtained
Ticket of Leave 10/8/1859
Conditional Pardon 18/8/1861
Cert. of Freedom 18/10/1872.

There's a (WAus) death for a John Wells age 55yrs 1891 (reg.no.380)
(parents unknown birthplace unknown)

Suggest you 'Ask a Librarian' at the 'West Aus State Library' (on-line) about this John Wells - they can also check 'State Records Office' (next-door). (I can't find any marriage or chn- yet!)

Valerie
WAus

Name: John Wells
[Jno Smith]
Vessel: William Hammond
Convicted Date: 27 Jun 1854
Voyage Date: 3 Jan 1856
Colony: Western Australia
Place of Conviction: Dorset, England

Thank you all very much - I do have an Ancestry sub and quite an extensive" tree" on the family (it is the one quoted by Shirley) but nothing seemed to come up re his transportation

I am very grateful for the help and will follow up with the "Ask a Librarian" Service
:-)

Would be below for 1891 Death...

Chris :)

https://tinyurl.com/y75h97k6

(John Wells, admitted 7th March 1890, died 10th July, aged 55, of softening of the brain.)

(above from below link. Newspapers)

https://trove.nla.gov.au/newspaper/search?adv=y


http://www.abc.net.au/news/2015-07-20/perth-poor-houses-history/6634006

(about Mount Eliza Depot)


http://www.eastperthcemeteries.com.au/search-genealogical-results/15499-wells.html

Thank you for those links Chris Ho !

Poor Ben/John Wells appears to have had a rough time.