On 6 March 1788, my 5x great-grandparents Edward Garth and Susannah Gough, stepped ashore on Norfolk Island with Lieutenant Governor Philip Gidley King and 22 others with the purpose of farming and providing food for the new colony in Sydney Cove.
Edward and Susannah were convicts transported on the First Fleet to Sydney Cove. After the landing on 26 January 1788, they were selected to again board a ship and travel to Norfolk Island. They married and had seven children on Norfolk before the government made a decision to close the settlement. Edward and Susannah and their family were evacuated in 1807 and given land grants in Tasmania.
Another of my 5x great-grandparents, Jacob Bellett, was also transported on the First Fleet and sent to Norfolk Island in March 1790. He arrived on Norfolk Island on the Supply. The Supply had sailed from Sydney Cove with the HMS Sirius, flagship of the First Fleet, to gather stores from Norfolk and other ports to save the starving colony in Sydney Cove. As the Sirius approached to complete unloading, the wind shifted and she struck the reef and sunk. This was a devastating sight for the colonists of Norfolk Island.
Jacob Bellett married Ann Harper on Norfolk Island on 15 November 1791. Ann Harper was transported on the Second Fleet. They had nine children and were evacuated to Tasmania leaving behind a substantial farm and a two-storey home. The families must have known each other well on the island as, after their arrival in Hobart, three children from the Garth family married three from the Bellett family – James Garth married Mary Bellett in 1815, Edward Garth married Ann Bellett in 1816, and John Bellett married Susannah Garth in 1822. These marriages created a strong bond between the two families and a unique family history.
Every year on 6 March, Foundation day is celebrated on the island, commemorating the anniversary of the landing of the small group of First Fleeters. The community creates a wonderful day of re-enacting and celebrating the early pioneers. Their life and achievements are preserved in many of the museums on the island.
Next year in October we will gather as a family in Hobart to celebrate the strength and resilience of our ancestors and share stories of their descendants. Thousands have descended from the Garth and Bellette families and we hope many will attend. If you are related and would like more information about the reunion, email hobartoct2025@gmail.com for details.
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