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...
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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, father unknown, on 18 March 1787. Esther's name is sometimes shown as 'Julian.' From 1800, instead of Abrahams she called herself Julian, originally Juliano, after a renowned Judeo-Spanish family. Esther and her daughter were transported to Australia with the First Fleet, which departed London in May 1787 and reached Sydney in January 1788). Some sources show them as being transported on the ship Prince of Wales,...
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