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There is currently one researcher who has claimed Margaret Twohill
Biographies
Margaret Twohill (nee Coleman) (~1822 – 1893)
I have relied on a very small number of sources, Margaret’s transportation records, her marriage certificate to Joseph Hopwood and her death certificate.
For consistency I have used Coleman as her maiden name (from Colman) and Twohill as her married name, even though her married name has been transcribed as Thuhill, Toohil, Tuohil, Twill, Tweil, Tool and Foot. I suspect this was because of Margaret’s Irish accent and whoever was documenting the event at the time made a best guess at the spelling.
Margaret Twohill (nee Coleman), daughter of Patrick Coleman and Catherine White was born about 1822 in Co. Limerick, Ireland. Margaret died on 28 October 1893 age 76 in South Melbourne, Victoria. Cause of death was cardiac degeneration dropsy which she had suffered from for 3 months prior to her death. Margaret was buried on 29 October 1893 in Melbourne Cemetery.
According to Margaret’s death certificate, Margaret married Thomas Twohill around 1842 in Co. Limerick, Ireland when she was 20 years old. Margaret and Thomas had two children, a son Patrick (dec) and a daughter Mary Ann (age 45). As I have not been able to find any birth or death records for Patrick I can only surmise that he was born and died somewhere between 1842 and 1848 (Margaret's transportation year). Similarly, I have not been able to find any birth, death or marriage records for Thomas. He may have died, or they simply went their separate ways; grief perhaps?
I have not been able to find any birth record for Mary Ann either. However, between Margaret’s entry in Dublin’s Grangegorman Female Prison Register from 10 April 1848 which lists a daughter, Mary Ann, age 1 year 6 months, and Mary Ann’s age of 45 on Margaret’s death certificate from 1893, I have estimated Mary Ann’s birth to be around October 1846.
Potentially grieving and trying to raise a 2 year old by herself, Margaret turns to crime to support herself and her young daughter.
On 8 April 1848 in Clonmel, Co. Tipperary, Margaret is tried and convicted of one count of larceny against Mr Ferguson of Clonmel, having stolen cotton cloth to make flannel. Her sentence is 7 years transportation. Margaret and Mary Ann are sent to Dublin’s Grangegorman Female Prison, where they wait to be transported to Van Diemen’s Land. On 7 June 1848, Margaret and Mary Ann depart Dublin on board the convict ship Kinnear, arriving in Hobart on 7 October 1848.
Family oral history suggests that on her arrival in Hobart, Mary Ann was placed in the Hobart Children’s Home / Queen’s Orphan School as Margaret was unable to care for her. There she remained until October 1852 when she was discharged into the care of her mother who had secured her Ticket of Leave the previous year.
Margaret’s first placement was at the brick fields, however she appeared to take issue with being ordered around. Disorderly conduct and refusal to work resulted in periods of hard labour lasting between 3 and 6 months. Eventually she settled down enough to be recommended to ‘enter service’ in Hobart Town and secured a Ticket of Leave in 1851.
Margaret was known for her feisty temper and in 1854 she was ordered not to reside in Hobart Town on account of her predisposition for disturbing the peace. As such, Margaret moved to Brown’s River just outside Hobart, where her other 3 sons: Henry William (b. ~ 1850), John Richard (1854-1940) and Joseph William Hopwood (1856-1913) were born. Margaret was granted a Conditional Pardon in 1856.
Margaret married the father of her children Joseph Hopwood, also a convict, on 27 December 1863 in Hobart Town, Tasmania. Joseph was a sawyer and Margaret a laundress. Witnesses were Martin and Catherine Hague.
Joseph and Margaret moved to Victoria after this and in 1886 were living at 171 Gladstone Place, South Melbourne. By 1890 they were living at 4 Frances Street where Margaret died three years later. Joseph moved to Sydney NSW where he died in 1909 age 88.
Submitted by Researcher (14197) on 10 November 2021
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