Researchers who have claimed this convict
There is currently one researcher who has claimed William Chapman
- Researcher (Keiran Williams)
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Biographies
This research re-evaluates the long-standing identification of William CHAPMAN, transported aboard the Pitt (1792), as the husband of Ann MARSH, despite the absence of a definitive primary marriage record. It proposes that the Yorkshire-born William CHAPMAN, who arrived per Admiral Barrington in 1791, is a more plausible candidate. The paper outlines the basis for this alternative interpretation and invites further scholarly review.
The association of William CHAPMAN (transported per Pitt) with Ann MARSH has been widely accepted and repeated across secondary sources. These interpretations were based on the best evidence available at the time. However, advances in genealogical research, particularly the use of DNA evidence, now allow this conclusion to be revisited.
This document presents an alternative interpretation, suggesting that the Yorkshire-born William CHAPMAN who arrived aboard the Admiral Barrington in 1791 is the more likely individual who married Ann MARSH.
William CHAPMAN, born in Doncaster, Yorkshire, England around 1765, was arrested in Nov 1786 for “offering a bill of exchange, knowing it to be forged.” In Mar 1787, he was convicted at York Castle and sentenced to seven years’ transportation.
He was placed on the hulk Ganymede at Chatham. He remained on the hulk until 27 Mar 1791, when he departed England aboard the Admiral Barrington, part of the Third Fleet, arriving in Port Jackson, NSW on 16 Oct 1791.
The second William CHAPMAN was tried in Middlesex and is recorded as being born around 1765 in Westminster, London. In 1791, he was convicted at the Old Bailey for stealing lead, sentenced to seven years’ transportation, and held at Middlesex Gaol. He departed England aboard the Pitt on 31 May 1791 and arrived in NSW on 14 Feb 1792.
Source of the Confusion - of the 26 men named William CHAPMAN transported between 1791 and 1853, only these two arrived in NSW within months of each other. Both were of similar age. It is at this convergence that the long-standing confusion regarding identity likely arose due to no specific assigned ship being recorded to the Yorkshire William CHAPMAN, as he was a part of the Third Fleet.
Ann CHAPMAN of Yorkshire b 1786, the author’s 5× great-grandmother, was a convict from Yorkshire. She was convicted at York Castle in 1815 for theft and sentenced to seven years’ transportation, departing aboard the Lord Melville on 31 Jul 1816 and arriving in NSW on 24 Feb 1817.
She married fellow convict Jacob INNES in 1826 at Richmond, NSW. Their children included:
• Jacob INNES (b. 1823) — DNA-confirmed direct ancestor
• Isaac INNES (b. 1826) — DNA-confirmed
• Elizabeth “Betsy” INNES (b. 1828) — DNA-confirmed
• John INNES (b. 1831)
Multiple DNA matches across these lines confirm descent from Ann INNES nee CHAPMAN.
While no documentary proof has yet been located identifying Ann CHAPMAN’s parents, autosomal DNA analysis has produced multiple triangulated matches linking the author’s paternal line to descendants of William CHAPMAN and Ann MARSH’s children.
The clarity of these DNA connections at this generational distance strongly supports a direct parental relationship rather than a more distant collateral one.
A William CHAPMAN had a common law marriage to Ann MARSH on 15 Nov 1799 in Sydney, NSW. Their children included:
• Ann Eliza CHAPMAN (b. 1800) — DNA connection
• William Henry CHAPMAN (b. 1801)
• Mary Ann CHAPMAN (b. 1804) — DNA connection
• Edward William CHAPMAN (b. 1805)
• George CHAPMAN (b. 1808)
• James CHAPMAN (b. 1810)
DNA matches to descendants of two of these children further support the lineage.
Conclusion-Taken together, the documentary records, geographic proximity, chronology, and DNA evidence strongly support the conclusion that the Yorkshire-born William CHAPMAN who arrived aboard the Admiral Barrington 1791 is the correct individual associated with Ann MARSH. This research is offered respectfully and in the spirit of collaborative historical inquiry.
Submitted by Researcher (Keiran Williams) on 3 January 2026
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Disclaimer: The information has not been verified by Claim a Convict. As this information is contributed, it is the responsibility of those who use the data to verify its accuracy. Research notes
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