William Henry Fishburn

  Noted events in his life were:

• source. W & S Sdn & http://www.easystreetretreat.com.au/australianroyalty where it is noted:
William's father Andrew died five days before William's first birthday. He lived around Parramatta and Windsor as a child with his mother and elder half sister Ann Williams was also known as Ann Fishburn) and his younger half siblings George, Mary Sarah and Edward Mellon/Millin.
The 1810 muster records William as apprenticed to landowner G. J. Palmer at Windsor. He was still employed by Palmer in 1814, when that year's muster recorded a young convict woman, Mary Harlow, as being a servant at the same establishment.
William was granted 60 acres of land No. 129) at Castle Hill by Governor Lachlan Macquarie. The area today is bounded approximately by the Old Northern Road, Parsonage Road, Fishburn Crescent and Sherwin Avenue. It appears that they did not reside at the farm until after their third child Eleanor was born in 1830.
On 3 September 1821 a letter was sent from the Court of Magistry at Parramatta by Hanibal Hawkins, a nephew of wood producer John Macarthur, to the Colonial Secretary Frederick Goulburn recommending:'William Fishburn, a free man and landholder at Castle Hill to act as Constable for the District of Castle Hill and Pennant Hills in lieu of John Rogan - dismissed from that situation for drunken conduct and neglect of Duty.'
The recommendation was accepted and five days later the appointment was announced in the Sydney Gazette.
The previous constable, John Rogan, was the father of Jane, who was later to marry William, and Catherine's eldest son William.
The district constable of the 1820's held a responsible and sometimes difficult position in having to maintain law and order throughout the area. There were very few free men in the young colony and the Colonial Secretary was often forced to appoint trusted ex convicts to the position.
William resigned his position as Constable. This was announced in the Sydney Gazette and New South Wales Advertiser on August 18 1825.
The 1828 census lists William as aged 33, born in the Colony, a protestant and a publican and living at Baulkham Hills. His family was listed as Catherine, 32 Years, a protestant and incorrectly states that she was born in the colony. The children, all born in the colony and protestants, were Elizabeth 11, William Jr 8, Ellen 7, Andrew 6, Amelia 5, John 4, Sarah 2 and Ann 9 months.
William had 60 acres, 20 cleared, 20 cultivated, 2 horses and 22 head of cattle.
William's publican's licence was not renewed after 1830.
William was assigned a male convict during 1831 although he had not applied for any. The convict was to assist on his farm at Castle Hill. When he applied for two convicts for the year 1832, he was assigned only one. The extra help was possibly needed for his newly purchased 60 acres on the 19 Oct 1931 which was situated on the bank of the Castle Hill Creek roughly bounded by today's Rosberrt Road and the curve of Kings Road, Kellyville.
Four months after his first wife Catherine had died, William, a widower with 8 children to care for, married Elizabeth Bean (nee Bradley) the widow of William Bean - herself the mother of 8 children. The Beans, Bradleys and Fishburns had been neighbours for many years. Although there were no children from this marriage, Elizabeth would have played an important role in the lives of the younger Fishburn children. She could read and write in a colony of mainly illiterates. The younger children of William learned to sign their names yet the older ones marked their 'X' when they signed official documents.

• Occupation. Publican/Constable/Farmer

William married Catherine Ash, daughter of Christopher Ash and Eleanor Welsh, on 8 Jul 1816 in St Johns C of E, Parramatta, Sydney, NSW Australia. (Catherine Ash was born on 5 Jan 1796 in England UK, christened on 10 Jan 1814 on board the 'HMS Kangaroo' on way to Australia and died in 1839 in Castle Hill, Sydney, NSW Australia.)

William next married Elizabeth Bradley in 1843. (Elizabeth Bradley was born in 1796 in England UK and died on 20 Oct 1870 in NSW Australia.)

William next married Mary Harlow. (Mary Harlow was born circa 1800 and was christened in 1814 on board the 'Wanstead' on way to Australia as a convict.)