Catherine Kitts (or may be Conway)

   Other names for Catherine were Kate Conway and Cath Kett.

  General Notes:

Jane Ninner notes:
There are a lot of families who have Patrick and Catherine as their ancestor. One person states Catherine's maiden name was Conway and that she was married/associated with a man named Kitt. On board ship there is talk of her having given birth to a daughter while in prison and having two other children. I don't know if all of her children came with her.

They add:
According to Dr Craig Smee's book "1788-1800 Born in the Colony of New South Wales" Catherine Kitt arrived with a daughter Mary Donoghue - born at sea. She was stated as being in a defacto relationship and a government servant. She is listed under "Mother of Child" index and the baby is listed under "Children of Convicts - Minerva Jan 1800".

Catherine's Voyage
Catherine Kitt's maiden name was Conway. She was born about 1774 in Limerick, Ireland.
She was tried in Limerick in March 1798 and sentenced to 7 years.
Whilst in the Bridewell in Cork City in 1798 she gave birth to a daughter. It is believed that she already had two children.
A petition was submitted on her behalf by the Jailer of the Bridewell of Cork to the Lord Lieutenant of Ireland, the Marquis of Cornwallis in January 1799, requesting a stay of transportation.
The petition stated that she was:
... a poor unfortunate woman the Mother of Three Children who had during her imprisonment Suffered Uncommon distress having been delivered of A Child Since her transmissions to this preason (sic) from which and other Causes she is reduced to the most Deplorable Condition. May it therefore please yr. Excellency to take her case into consideration and that of her infant children. In hopes that Yr. Excellency may in yr Great Clemency be disposed to Afford them Relief by mitigating Petitioners sentence and in duty bound will ever Pray.
The Minerva left London on Monday, 6^th August 1798 and arrived at Cork on Friday, 10^th August (Captain Joseph Salkeld, Log of the Minerva 1798-1801) but due to the Irish rebellion there was a six month delay before the first convicts embarked on 12^th February 1799.
On February 20^th 1799 Catherine Kitt boarded the Minerva along with four other female convicts, Eleanor Whealan, Mary Donoughue, Margaret Goggin and Ann Ready.
The final convicts embarked on 19^th August 1799. The Minerva finally left Cork with the Friendship plus other ships on 24^th August 1799 with 165 male and 26 female convicts on board. Among the convicts were a number of Irish rebels who agreed to leave the country instead of facing the death penalty in Ireland.
Ref: The Minerva Journal of John Washington Price.
John Washington Price was the surgeon on the Minerva
Journal entry page 22
Saturday June 8th
Strong breezes from N.W. and cloudy weather, with frequent showers of rain. This morning I delivered to Ann Hutchison and Mary Flaherty, two female convicts, who will lye in, in a short period, one sett of children's dresses each - I likewise gave Catherine Kitt, a convict, one sett, for a child of her's that she brought on board with her, the child being almost naked.
Mary Donoughue, a fellow convict, gave birth to a daughter during the voyage (named Mary).
Ref: The Minerva Journal of John Washington Price
Journal entry page 80
Saturday September 14th
.......At 4 P.M. I was called to see Mary Donoughoe a female convict, whom I found in strong labour and at 9 delivered her of a daughter.
The Minerva was a fast ship but had to wait for the other ships in the convoy to keep up. On 14^th September it was decided that the Minerva would go on ahead and was alone on the 1^st October when two ships flying Portuguese colours fired upon her. Being the faster ship she was able to out run them. The Minerva arrived at Rio de Janeiro on 20^th October and stayed there until 8^th November. The trip from Rio de Janeiro to Port Jackson took only 64 days with the ship arriving at Port Jackson on 11^th January 1800. The Friendship arrived on 16^th February.

Lorna Sharf notes:
A couple of weeks ago I had a day in Sydney and went to the Mitchell Library.
I found a book called "MARDSEN'S FEMALE MUSTER 1806" at the back of the book a list of names and information.
Class Natural Children Refer Nbr.
Catherine KIT C-Conubine 2M 1F C0733

The 2 males I guess are John & Patrick, but is the female the baby daughter that came with Catherine on the Minerva?

The library advised me to check the Refer Nbr. with NSW State Records Office.
I didn't have anytime left on my visit to Sydney.
The library advise me when children got to a certain age they are taken from their mother to a orphanage, this may have happen to the baby who would have been about 6 or 7years in 1806.

  Noted events in her life were:

• source. http://worldconnect.rootsweb.com/cgi-bin/igm.cgi?op=GET&db=lgarrod&id=I16
& Dannielle Hurley (nee Smith)

• emigrated. Catherine Transported a convict...born.1774=tried 1798 Limerick Ireland...Sentence...7years. Info from website... Irish Convicts to New South Wales 1791-1831.

• emigrated. 24th Aug 1799 from Cork Ireland
Arrived 11 Jan 1800 in Sydney, NSW Australia on the MInerva to live with Patrick Keighran

Catherine married Patrick J. Keighran on 22 Mar 1810 in St Philips C of E, York St, Sydney, NSW Australia. (Patrick J. Keighran was born in 1764 in Roscommon, Mayo, Leitrim County, Ireland UK, died on 14 Apr 1819 in Airds, Campbelltown, Sydney, NSW Australia and was buried on 16 Apr 1819 in St Philips C of E, York St, Sydney, NSW Australia.)