The first Thews in Australia, John & Mary, were in Sydney for the 1841 census and their response is detailed in the following table. Note that that the document is damaged on one side and I’m not able to make out the responses to a couple of questions—they are marked with an X in the table. Images of the census form are below.
| Question | Males | Females |
|---|---|---|
| Children under Two | x | 0 |
| 2 – 7 | x | 1 |
| 7 – 14 | x | 1 |
| 14 – 21 | x | 1 |
| 21 – 45 | x | 1 |
| Married | 1 | 1 |
| Single | 4 | 3 |
| Born in Colony | 3 | 2 |
| Arrived Free | 2 | 2 |
So that’s 5 males and 4 females in the family.
John & Mary had two children and their approximate ages in 1841…
| Child | Born | Age in 1841 |
|---|---|---|
| Anne | 1823 | 18 |
| George | 1826 | 15 |
I guess that the age in 1841 value may be off by one – it depends on the child’s birthday and when the census was performed.
Since I can’t make out the ages of the male children, I’ll stick to the four females and add their names to the census answers.
| Age range | Females | Names |
|---|---|---|
| Under Two | 0 | Mary was born after the census was held(?) |
| 2-7 | 1 | Frances |
I scanned the census form to create the following two images. Note that they are black & white images and I’ve inverted the colours for the entry for John Thew in an attempt to make it a bit more legible.
