My Seymour ancestry is closely connected to the early history of Australia. Thomas Seymour ( 1781 - 1865) was born in Sunderland, Co Durham and on 15 July 1809, was convicted at York Assizes for stealing a horse. This was a very serious crime and he was sentenced to transportation for life. After a period spent on the hulks he arrived on the convict transport ship Admiral Gambier in 1811, and was assigned as a 'government servant' to a retired sergeant in the NSW Corps called Robert Higgins.

 

On 15 March 1815, Thomas Seymour married Mary Higgins (born Sydney 1795) at St John's Church, Parramatta, NSW. They had four children and I am a descendant of their eldest son George Seymour (1816 - 1853)

 

I have written a book about the history of this family in Australia which was self published for family members, and am currently completing a book about early convict settlers at Elderslie, a district south of Sydney. The book will be published later this year.