Esther Abrahams (1771 – 26 August 1846) was a Londoner sent to Australia as a convict on the First Fleet. She later married George Johnston, who was briefly governor of the colony after leading the Rum Rebellion.
Abrahams was tried at the Old Bailey, in London on 30 August 1786 for stealing lace with a value of 50 shillings. Esther was found guilty of theft, although the evidence was circumstantial. She was 15 years old when tried. Her occupation...
more
Esther Abrahams (1771 – 26 August 1846) was a Londoner sent to Australia as a convict on the First Fleet. She later married George Johnston, who was briefly governor of the colony after leading the Rum Rebellion.
Abrahams was tried at the Old Bailey, in London on 30 August 1786 for stealing lace with a value of 50 shillings. Esther was found guilty of theft, although the evidence was circumstantial. She was 15 years old when tried. Her occupation was listed as milliner. The teenager was imprisoned in Newgate Gaol, London, where she bore an illegitimate child named Roseanna (18 March 1787). They were transported to Australia with the First Fleet (the fleet departed London in May 1787, and the first ships reached Sydney in January 1788). Roseanna's name is sometimes shown as 'Julian': perhaps this was Roseanna's father's surname. Some sources show them as being transported on the ship Prince of Wales, other sources show them on the ship Lady Penrhyn. It is plausible that they changed...
less
