The Family of the Rev Dr Daniel KEITH (1757-1811) and Jane McPHERSON (1776-1824)Their Son: Edward Joseph KEITH (1801-1837)
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Edward Joseph's Early Years
Despite the persistent family legend that Edward Joseph was born in Scotland to one of the ancient Scottish KEITH clans, he was in fact born and christened in Somerset, England. His father, Daniel KEITH was Scottish, but not from the Clan Keith. His mother Jane McPHERSON was born in Quebec, Canada but her parents were definitely born in Scotland. (See Daniel's story here.)
The first record we have for Edward Joseph KEITH is his christening on 16 May 1802 at Kelston, a small hamlet part-way between Bristol and Bath in Somerset, England. His parents, Daniel and Jane had been married in Canada in 1794 and already had three daughters, Isabella, Mary and Susan. The family had arrived in Somerset in 1798 or early 1799. The entry in the Parish Register for Kelston is intriguing. It states "Edward Joseph son of the Rev Daniel & Jane Keith born May 2nd but the year is smudged and could be 1802. However, further down the same page in the Register is the entry for Daniel's next child, James George Bowen KEITH. This entry also gives the date of birth, 23 December 1802. If this date is correct then Edward could not have been born six months earlier, so the year is 1801. It is noteworthy that in each case the children were almost a year old before they were baptised and Edward Joseph was "christened" rather than "baptised". Baptisms were usually conducted a few days to a few weeks after birth and were conducted in the church. I wonder if Edward was christened "privately" at home rather than in the local church. As Daniel was a Protestant Minister, rather than Church of England and he had just arrived in Somerset, he may not have felt comfortable in the local church.
 Christening entry of Edward Joseph KEITH in the register at Kelson, Somerset for 1802. (Note: Click on any image for the full version) |
| Entry for James George Bowen KEITH at the same church in 1803 |
Death of father and siblings at Hammersmith
We know very little of Edward's eary years. The family remained in the Somerset area, moving to St George in Bristol where his younger siblings were born. His father was awarded the degree of Doctor of Divinity by St Andrews University, Scotland on 4 Feb 1809, supported by the petition of the Duke of Kent, father of the future Queen Victoria. By this time the family had moved to Hammersmith in London where Daniel established or took over a seminary. But within two years two siblings (Isabella and George James) had died and his father Daniel died a few days later, on 15 Feb 1811. Edward Joseph was just 10 years old.
 Burial record for Edward's father - Daniel KEITH - at Hammersmith, London. |
We do not know what Jane did with her family after Daniel died. It appears she remained at Hammersmith and continued with the school, possibly until 1816 when she went back to Canada. The property at 10 Lower Mall Hammersmith was "Copyhold" which means Daniel and his heirs held the customary right to occupy the property in return for a fee to the local Manor until such time as the right was "surrendered" or on-sold. A few years later, in 1839, the property was still known as Kent House (as it still is today) but was in the possession of a Mr and Mrs Hunt "as a seminary for young gentlemen and ladies". We do not know when Jane surrendered the property.
Becoming a lawyer
At some stage, Edward Joseph became well educated, perhaps in the school in Hammersmith and by his parents who were teachers. He then entered the law profession. In the early 1800s, a young person would need to be apprenticed to a lawyer for up to 5 years before applying to be admitted to the bar. The records of annual practising certificates for London lawyers are held at the National Archives, Kew. Edward Joseph was admitted to the bar prior to his marriage and departure for Sydney in 1825 as he is described as a barrister at law in the newspaper on his arrival in Sydney. It appears Edward did his law apprenticeship in Canada. There is a record in the Quebec Gazette for Mrs Keith and family arriving from London in 1816. This was Jane returnng to her parents in Quebec taking with her Mary, Edward, Susan, Thomas, Frances and Jessica. Edward would have been 15 so could have been apprenticed as a law clerk soon after arrival. This would allow the required five years to qualify as he was admitted to the Bar in Quebec in 1822.
 Card index for Quebec Gazette |
 Montreal Gazette, 3 July 1822 |
Edward's Marriage to Ann Boleyn McPHERSON
The next definitive record we have for Edward is his application for a marriage licence on 30 March 1825 and then his marriage to Ann Boleyn McPHERSON at the Church of St Gregory by St Paul, in London on 5th April 1825. If Edward Joseph did go to Canada and became a lawyer in Quebec this would explain how he met his future wife Ann McPHERSON. It might also explain why he and Ann chose to marry in London rather than Quebec and then immediately travel to Sydney.
The marriage allegation is for the small parish of St Gregory by St Paul but it also records that the "solemnization" of the marriage was to be conducted at St Magdelen Old Fish Street. St Gregory was a small chapel attached to the large church of St Paul. Both were destroyed in the Great Fire of London in 1666 but only St Paul's was rebuilt. St Gregory's was amalgamated with the nearby St Magdelen, both parishes using the same building and sharing services, but keeping their own clergy and parish records.
Why marriage by licence? It was quick as it did not require the Banns being read for three weeks. We know Edward and Ann were in a hurry as they departed from Plymouth for Australia 20 days later. It was private and could not be challenged. Having obtained the licence on 30 March, Edward and Ann could have married the next day but they waited until the next Tuesday. If they were in a hurry, why wait? We know 30 March 1825 was a Thursday, but the next day was Good Friday, so they had to wait until after Easter.
 Marriage allegation for Edward Joseph KEITH and Anne Boleyn McPHERSON |
 Marriage of Edward Joseph and Anne Boleyn in St Gregory by St Paul, 5th April 1825 |
Who was Ann Boleyn McPHERSON?There has been considerable speculation on the identity of "Ann Boleyn" but most researchers consider her a "brick wall". So here is what we know about her that might reveal her identity.
Birth of Ann McPHERSON in Canada 1793The more reliable records tell us Ann was born in Canada around 1792-3 to British parents (i.e. NOT French). We know that Edward Joseph lived in Quebec from about 1815 to 1825, so it is likely he met Ann there, thus it is reasonable to assume Ann was born in Quebec. The only person who reasonably fits the evidence (Ann McPherson, born Canada in 1793) is the Ann McPherson born to John McPherson and Ann Cameron on 10 March 1793 and baptised at the Protestant Church, Trois Rivières, Quebec, Canada.
Some researchers have considered this record to be problematic and NOT a baptism - "endueille" is the issue. An interpretation of this word means "mourned" and thus Ann had died, but it does not make sense to record this as part of a private baptism. If this Ann had indeed died the record would have been for a burial - which it is not. The resolution of the problematic word "endueille" can be found in other parish records for the same Protestant church at Trois Rivières, only 2 years earlier. Here the cleric (who appeared to have a better grasp of French grammar and spelling) has used the word "ondoyé" for certain baptisms, including as shown here for Emilia SLICER.
The word "ondoyé" has a specific meaning in the French church - it is for a simple baptism conducted by any person (lay or cleric) when it is considered there is an imminent risk that the child may die. A famous example is Napoleon II "he underwent ondoiement (a traditional French ceremony which is a simple baptism unaccompanied by the usual additional ceremonies)" (see entry in Wikipedia here). The word "endueille" in Ann's record is thus most likely to be phonetic rather than an exact, correct spelling. In this light Ann McPHERSON was baptised at home as she was at risk of dying, the event later duly recorded in the parish records, as they were for other ondoiement ceremonies at Trois Rivières. The record for Ann now becomes internally consistent as a private baptism conducted at home as the baby was at risk of dying before she could be taken to the church for a full ceremony. It would appeart that the young Ann McPHERSON survived as there are no burial records for her in Quebec. Thus Ann was the younger sister of Jane McPHERSON - Edward Joseph's mother - meaning Edward Joseph married his aunt. How did Anne meet Edward? As suggested above, Edward went to Canada in 1816 and was admitted to the Bar in 1822 to practice law. He would have met his maternal McPHERSON family in Quebec and would have met Anne there. Jane KEITH and her children had returned to England by 1824 but we do not know if Edward Joseph acoompanied them. It is possible that Ann accompanied her sister on her return to Bristol, England. |
Death of Edward Joseph's mother - Jane KEITH (McPHERSON)
Jane (McPherson) died in St George, Bristol on 26 March 1824. At this time her daughter Mary (PORTER) had an 11 month old baby and had lost her husband. Her son Edward Joseph was aged 22, and a lawyer. Her son Thomas was aged 18 and her daughters Frances and Jessica were aged 16 and 13. Her sister Anne may have been residing with her.
What we do know is that soon after this date, Mary and baby Jane went back to Canada, Edward and Anne married in London and then Edward, Anne, Susan, Frances and Jessica boarded the sailing ship "Mountaineer" bound for a new life in Sydney. Thomas went to Canada in 1826.
Travel to Australia
Edward and Anne married on 5 April 1825. Edward was aged 23 years but Ann was aged 32 years. Twenty days later, on 25th April 1825, the newly-weds accompanied by Edward's three sisters (Susan, Frances and Jessica) as well as the family housekeeper Mrs Sanders, boarded the ship "Mountaineer" at Plymouth. They sailed for Cape Town, Hobart and then to Sydney, where they arrived on 25th November 1825. The ship was delayed in Cape Town to repair damage and here Susan married John BEAL and returned to England. Boarding the ship at Cape Town was a young explorer - Robert Montgomery MARTIN - who departed at Hobart but made his way to Sydney where he married Jessica a few months later. The sydney newspapers tell us that Edward and Mrs Keith and Miss F. KEITH (Frances) and Miss J. KEITH (Jessica) arrived, accompanied by Mrs Saunders, their servant. Edward styled himself as "Barrister at Law" so he had been admitted to the Bar (or so he said....see below).
 Shipping record from the Hobart Town Gazette of 29th October 1825. |
 Shipping record from the Sydney Herald of 28th November 1825. |
Life in Sydney
On 1 March 1826 Edward joined Mr W.H. MOORE's law partnership. He is listed in various newspaper articles and directories as a lawyer or attorney. Apparently he was admitted to practise as an attorney, but it was later realised that he was not actually a barrister. The Australian delicately stated "His admission here, is not exactly authorised by the charter".
 The Australian, 29 Dec 1825, page 3 |
Notice in The Sydney Gazette and NSW Advertiser 12 April 1826 |
 Lawyers listed in the 1835 Almanac |
As a solicitor, Edward and Anne would have been part of the middle class society that was growing in number and power, largely on the back of the convict labourers. Edward acquired a house servant in 1832 while living in Pitt St Sydney, Esther HARRISON, who had been transported for 7 years on the "Louisa" in 1827 for shoplifting (she had 20 previous convictions). She was a needlewoman by trade. We do not know how long she stayed with the Keith family but she married convict Daniel Fearns on 27 March 1837.
 Notice in The Sydney Gazette for 1832 |
Edward Joseph became well known in Sydney society. He is mentioned in many newspaper articles for his work in court, and as a court proctor, recovering debts. Various newspaper editors were amongst his accolytes, but there were others of different opinion.
 The Colonist, Sydney, 1 September 1836 |
 The Sydney Gazette, 10 July 1830 |
He also became involved in local politics, joining the Australian Patriotic Association, standing for Secretary in 1835.
"The APA was formed in 1835 by a group of influential Australians in New South Wales. It sought a grant of representative government for the colony from the British House of Commons. Their efforts aided significantly in the passage of the Constitution Act of
1842 and the incorporation of the city of Sydney as a municipality with a broadly based franchise. The Australian Patriotic Association stood as a champion of the rights of the less well-to-do and of former convicts (Emancipists). Among the group's most notable
leaders were W.C. Wentworth, the son of a convict woman and the publisher of the influential newspaper the Australian; Sir John Jamison, a surgeon and founder of the Agricultural Society; and William Bland, a prominent Emancipist doctor.
With its goals achieved, the APA disbanded in 1842."
 Notice in the Sydney Herald, 31 August 1835 |
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Edward and family are recorded in the 1828 census of Sydney, confirming their arrival on the Mountaineer.
 Edward Keith and family in the 1828 Sydney census |
 Page 2 of the 1828 Sydney census showing Edward owned 1280acres of land and was running 100 head of horned cattle. |
Land Grants
Edward Joseph began to acquire land soon after arriving in Sydney. His first foray was to gain a land grant in 1828 on 1,280 acres in Argyle and in 1832 to buy the lease on land but there are other records of him buying and selling or leasing land. Here are two early examples.
 Land grant for 1828 |
 1832 purchase of lease |
Court Appearance
The Sydney newspaper also reported an instance when Edward Joseph was on the wrong side of the court, being prosecuted for assaulting a policeman. The case is interesting as it involves two women in his care. We could assume the first mentioned was his wife Ann but the newspaper might have reported this fact rather than "in company with a female", but who was the other woman sitting on the roadside with a baby in her lap? It may have been Louisa HANKS with her daughter Isabella - that is, Edward's mistress and his daughter with Louisa.
 1834 prosecution of Edward Joseph for assaulting a policeman. He was acquitted. |
Death of Edward Joseph KEITH
Edward Joseph died suddenly in Sydney on 29 May 1837, aged 35. There are many unsubstantiated family legends surrounding the untimely death of Edward Joseph. The most common story states "Edward choked on a chicken bone at Government House during a banquet in honour of the coronation of Queen Victoria." The problem with this version is firstly, Queen Victoria was not crowned until 28 June 1838, over a year later. She acceded to the throne on the death of King Willian IV on 20 June 1837, so even that date does not fit with his death. However, it was reported at the time of Edward's death that he had been celebrating the birthday of Her Majesty, which being 24 May is more likely. The Coroner's report is more authoritative about the chicken bone story, concluding he died of "apoplexy". Sudden cardiac deaths, ruptured cerebral aneurysms, ruptured aortic aneurysms, and even heart attacks have been described as apoplexy in the past. Any of these causes would match the symptoms recorded by the Coroner.
 Burial record for Edward Joseph KEITH |
 Coroner's Inquest, 29 May 1837 |
Edward Joseph did not leave a Will. His wife Anne sought probate from the Court, which was granted on 14 February 1838.
The Two Families of Edward Joseph Keith
Edward was not alone in Sydney society in having children with both his wife and his mistress. It would appear that several of his colleagues were in the same situation. Governor P hilip King (1800-1806) had two sons by convict mistresses and his deputy, Judge Advocate David Collins had four children by convict mistresses.
Next I cover the two families - his wife Ann Boleyn KEITH, and his mistress Louisa HANKS. After Edward died, and Ann had been granted probate on his assets, Anne took her children as well as Edward's sister Jessica (and Mrs Sanders the housekeeper) and returned to London, reportedly leaving Louisa destitute (according to Louisa's descendents). Louisa married Thomas TROY in October 1843 and they had their first child a month later in November 1843. Ann however, remained a widow in London, dying there in 1857.
| Go to the family of Edward and his wife Ann KEITH | Go to the family of Edward and his mistress Louisa HANKS |
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Last updated: 05 August 2025