When the Pieces Fall into Place
One of the enduring puzzles in my family history research has been how my two convict ancestors, Hannah Brown and Thomas Maslin, met. The records show that Hannah arrived in Sydney in 1814 aboard the Broxbornebury. She was assigned work in Sydney but was then sent to Newcastle for three years as a secondary punishment in 1817. In 1818, Thomas Maslin disembarked from the Glory, also sentenced to transportation. At some point, their paths crossed. They had a son together, my great-great-grandfather, It is likely that they did not marry or that the birth of their child was registered. Hannah acknowledged Thomas Maslin by naming her son after his father. The exact circumstances of their meeting and the details of their relationship have remained elusive.
That is, until recently.
While examining the Colonial Secretary’s Papers, I came across a brief but telling reference about Hannah’s work in Newcastle as part of her secondary punishment. The detail that caught my attention was her assignment to a Mr George Evans, who held a surveying role in the Newcastle district at the time. That reference, taken in isolation, might not have carried much significance. But when considered alongside what we know of Thomas’s work history, it opened a new line of thought.
Thomas went into government service in the stables and was then assigned to William Cox, a prominent figure involved in government construction and exploration. Thomas was involved in some of the early exploration after the crossing of the Blue Mountains with Blaxland, Wentword, and Lawson. Importantly, Cox also had connections with George Evans, the man responsible for surveying much of the interior of New South Wales. It is plausible, though not yet confirmed, that Cox may have sent Thomas to Newcastle in some capacity to liaise with Evans. If so, this could have been the moment when Hannah and Thomas encountered each other and established a relationship through Thomas’s visits to Evans on Cox’s behalf. Perhaps Thomas was temporarily assigned to Evans to support his work of exploration and surveying.
Of course, this is still a hypothesis. But it is supported by fragments of archival evidence that now seem to align. And it marks one of those satisfying moments in family history work when something that once seemed unclear begins to make sense. After months—sometimes years—of tracing records, one connection reveals itself.
Have you had moments like this in your own research? A time when a lingering question found its answer, or when the puzzle finally began to resolve itself? I would love to hear about your breakthrough moments—those small, hard-won discoveries that give new life to old stories.
