Death Certificate of Sarah Ann Graham
Page 16. Did William ever find his father in Australia? We know Matthias arrived alive in Sydney. There is a New South Wales Register in the museum in Jedburgh Gaol in Scotland recording details of "230 Male Convicts by the Ship 'Woodbridge' arriving in New South Wales in 1840".
The relevant details are as follows:
| Standing No of Convict | 40 747; |
| Indent no | 124; |
| Name | Graham, Matthias; |
| Age | 49; |
| Education (Read/Write) | None; |
| Religion | Protestant; |
| Single, Married or Widower | married; |
| Children, Male/Female | 3 / 4; |
| Native Place | Lincolnshire; |
| Trade or calling | Farm laborer; |
| Offence | stealing fowls; |
| Tried, Where/when | Lincoln Assizes, 9 March, 1839; |
| Indent No | 124; |
| Sentence | 10 years; |
| Former conviction | 3 months, 3 ditto, 6 ditto; |
| Height, feet/inches | 5ft6in; |
| Complexion | dark ruddy and freckled; |
| Color of, Hair/eyes | dark brown mixed with grey/dark chestnut; |
| Particular Marks or Scars, Remarks | Blue spot on right eyebrow, small scar over left eyebrow, large broad scar on left cheek, breast and arms hairy, lost left thumb, left hand contracted, scar on cap of left knee. |
The last we hear of Matthias is in the "Maitland Mercury" of 1844 where it is reported that Matthias Graham of the ship "Woodbridge", who arrived in 1840, was given Ticket of Leave, number 44/941. Obtaining a ticket of leave after only four years in the Colony is a good indication that Matthias gave good service to just one Master. With a Ticket of Leave, he was free to obtain work for himself within a specified area. It was similar to being on parole today. He was required, if within 5 miles of a church on Sunday, to attend church and had to attend a regular Muster of Ticket-of-Leave men.
Did he live to 1853 when William and Sarah arrived in Victoria? Did he ever attempt to find them? I have so far been unable to find any records of his death but perhaps, with further research, the mystery of Matthias will be solved.
Death Certificate of Sarah Ann Graham
Grave of William Henry Graham Snr
and Sarah Graham SnrSt Kilda Cemetery Melbourne.
Church of England, C732.
St Kilda Cemetery 1890
There is an interesting fact connected with the burial site of William and Sarah Graham. In 1882 Charles Truelove was appointed as secretary/manager of the St Kilda cemetery. In pursuit of keeping the cemetery solvent he sold graves without permission and sometimes sold them, illegally, two and three times over. It seems that this happened with the Graham grave. Buried with Sarah and William is a 1-year-old child, Ada Smith, who was buried there on 24 March 1873. Her grave was to be held “in perpetuity”, so really William and Sarah shouldn’t be there!