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Orphan Number: 504
Orphan: William BROMHILL
Mother:,
Father:,
Mother's ship:
Father's ship:
Age when admitted:13yrs
Date admitted:20 Jun 1833
Date discharged:
Institution(s):Queens Orphan School
Discharged to:
Remarks: parents dead per Hibernia
References: SWD24 p439. Although spelt Bromhill in the meeting minutes of the Committee of Management (SWD24), William and his brother Vincent were later known as Broomhall.


This orphan has been claimed by: Keith Graham

William Broomhall aged 14 years old and his brother Vincent aged 12 years old were made orphans in the Hibernia shipwreck tragedy of 1833 in which his father John, a cabinet maker, his mother and four siblings died.

The correct spelling of their surname is Broomhall, the family name which was recorded in the Board of Emigration lists to New South Wales and Van Diemen's Land.

Of the 232 people on board only 80 people survived when the Hibernia caught fire in mid Atlantic en route to Australia and only 12 children under 18 years old survived from the 50 who originally sailed.

The survivors endured six days of depravations at sea in makeshift lifeboats having attempted to sail to the eastern coast of Brazil over 1000 away. Amazingly they had accurately covered over 600 miles when the survivors were rescued by two passing ships, one being the convict ship Lotus who took them to Rio de Janeiro before thery journeyed on to Hobart, Tasmania.

He was one of a cohort of seven children from the Hibernia placed in the Orphan School in 1833, the others being Edward Hudson 2671; the Campbell children - Eliza 755, James 756, Mary Ann 757, Thomas 758.

Sarah Bushton 707 may also be a Hibernia placement but perhaps her Christian name was incorrectly recorded as she was actually called Ann, and the Hobart Relief Committee also incorrectly referred to her as being called Nancy.

It is not known what happened to the two brothers when they were discharged from the Orphan School, and there are no subsequent references to them in the Tasmanian newspapers or in family history tree websites.

The author is not related to the Broomhall brothers but he is the g.g. grandson of the Hibernia survivor Thomas Graham and his step son Edward Hudson - 2617.

Keith Graham

 

 



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 Site last updated June 2021