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MOXHAM, James b. 1794/5 Birmingham

Michelle Yates

Brummie babby
Hello! I have a Moxham mystery. I wonder if you guys could help, please?

I have found information that a James Moxham, apparently born in 1794 and baptised in 1795 in Birmingham to Thomas and Sarah Moxham was sent to Australia on a convict ship. Thomas Moxham was a gun maker.

There is a James Moxham who was convicted in Northampton and sent to Australia. When he’d served his sentence he was advertised as available to work in his previous profession, as a gun smith.

Thomas Moxham is my direct ancestor and I thought that I had found another of his children. However, I looked at the baptism record for his daughter, Jane and it was initially recorded as James, son of Thomas and Sarah, then amended later. The amendment says, ‘The name should have been Jane, daughter of Thomas and Sarah Moxham’.

But Jane did exist, got married, had children. And James existed too. My brain is scrambled. Where is James’s baptism record? Is he, in fact, the son of my Thomas? Is it just a coincidence that both were gun smiths?

Thank you for any help or thoughts!
 
Is this the James that applied to marry whilst still in N.S.W? (Diane Hughes alias Mary ...... Rycroft?) Age 35 sentenced for Life) Date of application 12 June 1826. Where did you find that he advertised for work, was it in the UK?. It looks like there may have been more than one James Moxham transported to Australia or is it the same one 12 July 1823 14 years. However that looks like Wilts (Wiltshire ?) Vessel: Chapman, Ah. now I have found James Moxham transported to Van Diemans Lane (Tasmania).
 
The Northants one was born n Birmingham


Title
MOXHAM James
Index Name
Convicts Index 1791-1873
Name
James
Surname
MOXHAM
Index Number
65
Ship
Prince Regent
Year
1820
ECommerce
Category A
Record Type
Ticket of Leave
Entry No
31/77
Remarks
District: Sydney; Born: Birmingham; Trade: Gunsmith; Tried: Northampton Ass
 
Is this the James that applied to marry whilst still in N.S.W? (Diane Hughes alias Mary ...... Rycroft?) Age 35 sentenced for Life) Date of application 12 June 1826. Where did you find that he advertised for work, was it in the UK?. It looks like there may have been more than one James Moxham transported to Australia or is it the same one 12 July 1823 14 years. However that looks like Wilts (Wiltshire ?) Vessel: Chapman, Ah. now I have found James Moxham transported to Van Diemans Lane (Tasmania).
In the New South Wales Gazette it advertised trades people who were convicts but were becoming free men. Sept 30th1841 was his freedom date, he left England in 1819 and arrived in NSW in Jan 1820. It showed their name, the ship they came in on (Prince Regent in this case) and their trade: a good gunsmith in his case.

I have seen elsewhere that a James Moxham married Diane, and it was presumed to be the same man. I haven’t got that far in my research though.

Thank you very much for your reply.
 
The Northants one was born n Birmingham


Title
MOXHAM James
Index Name
Convicts Index 1791-1873
Name
James
Surname
MOXHAM
Index Number
65
Ship
Prince Regent
Year
1820
ECommerce
Category A
Record Type
Ticket of Leave
Entry No
31/77
Remarks
District: Sydney; Born: Birmingham; Trade: Gunsmith; Tried: Northampton Ass
Ooh, very interesting! Thank you so much. Where did you find this information? Much appreciated.
 
Thank you so much everyone! It seems that this James is the son of my direct ancestor, Thomas Moxham. The age, place of birth and trade all point to this. I’m still puzzled by the baptism record though. It seems so bizarre to have apparently made an error on both the name and gender of the baby, and Jane did also exist.
 
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