GOSPER FAMILY

Much has been written and well documented about this large family.
See the book "GOSPER CONNECTIONS", by Don and Jill Mills for the full story. At the time of printing this excellent Genealogy,there were 24 700 individuals known to be connected ,or related, to the Gosper Family.
My page will show our ancestor firstly in London. Then the direct line of descendents to us.
(Thomas, Thomas, James, Thomas, Thomas)
 

Thomas Roker Alexander GOSPER was the son of Thomas Roker GOSPER and Mary Jane WORETON. He was born on 10th May 1768 and baptised at St Mary's Rotherhithe, ten days later. Thomas and Mary Jane had 2 other children, John in 1773, and another son in 1776.

It was common for the working-class people to be illiterate in those times, and the surname varied...GOSPET,GOSPORT,GOSFORD,GOSPUR and GOSPUR are all variations of this name. The spelling of a person's name was often dependent on the hearing of the person recording the name. Thomas himself pronounced his surname 'Gosper', and this spelling is accepted by his descendents.

Thomas was said to be a 'Lighterman'... and was charged with "feloniously cutting, damaging, and spoiling at Rotherhithe a headfast affixed to a certain vessel, called a lighter...the property of Edward Thorne and James Ogle."

He was tried at the Surrey Assize's on 2nd April 1787, under the name of Thomas GOSPORT, and sentenced to transportation for seven years.

Thomas sailed for Australia from Portsmouth, on 19th January 1790, on board the transport ship "Surprise"...as part of the Second Fleet

The voyage of the Second Fleet was one of misery and discomfort. The 'Surprise' finally arrived in Port Jackson on 26th June 1790, at least 36 convicts having died on board the 'Surprise'.

In spite of Thomas's hard beginnings, he worked hard in the new colony, and became a man of standing in the community. In November 1794, he was granted 30 acres of land on the western bank of the Hawkesbury River. He took up with a Third Fleet convict, Mary Ann HIPWELL, and in 1798, their first son, Thomas Junior, was born. In later years they had three more sons, John in 1801, Joseph in 1804, and James in 1805.

It appears that Thomas and Mary waited to marry until Thomas was a free man, and did marry on 19th November 1810, at St Matthew's Church of England church , Windsor. His Certificate of Freedom was dated 29th September 1810, just seven weeks earlier.
 

Mary Ann GOSPER(HIPWELL) died on 23rd August 1837, at the age of 72 years, at Upper Colo. Thomas GOSPER (convict) died on 21st September 1847, at the age of 79 years.

First Generation...Australian born

THOMAS GOSPER

Thomas GOSPER,first child of Thomas and Mary Hipwell, was born on 12 July 1798 at Freeman's Reach NSW. Thomas married Mary HUMPHREYS, on 11 April 1819, at St Matthew's Church, Windsor. Mary's father had arrived as a convict on the First Fleet, on the 'Scarborough'. Mary's mother is thought to have arrived on the Second Fleet , on board the 'Neptune'.

Thomas and Mary had eleven children. Thomas died in Upper Colo,on 5 October 1864.

Our interest lies with their 10th child, James GOSPER

Second Generation

JAMES GOSPER

James Gosper

James GOSPER was born 18 November 1840 in Upper Colo, NSW, and died in the Mater Hospital North Sydney NSW on 10th September 1923.

James married Ellen CHRISTIE, third daughter of Captain Thomas and Mrs Mary CHRISTIE (nee LAMB), on October 9th, 1861. Ellen had been born on 11 June 1838, in Portland Head NSW. She died on 18 April 1932 at North Sydney, NSW.

James and Ellen had 9 children.