Abraham Hutchinson, convict "Barwell" 1798

Mr. Abraham Hutchinson as Superintendant of the Government Mills, from the 22d of July, 1816, to the 22d of January, 1817

Contemporary researchers have tried to establish a link between Abraham Hutchinson, who was born in England in 1742, and William. On 25 March 1794, at 52 years of age, Abraham was tried and convicted of theft at the Magistrates Court, Kingston-upon-Thames, Surrey. He was sentenced to 14 years transportation, arriving in the colony on 18 May 1798 on the Barwell. By 1803 he was established in a relationship with Elizabeth Johnson. On 17 May 1804 Elizabeth gave birth to a daughter, Charlotte Elizabeth. The couple later had a second child, a son born on 9 October 1807 who was baptised John Abraham. Abraham was appointed Superintendent of Government Mills, a position he held until he was forced to retire in 1820 due to poor health. He died on 6 May 1822 in his eightieth year, a few months before the taking of the 1822 muster.

Contemporary researchers have tried to establish a link between Abraham Hutchinson, who was born in England in 1742, and William. On 25 March 1794, at 52 years of age, Abraham was tried and convicted of theft at the Magistrates Court, Kingston-upon-Thames, Surrey. He was sentenced to 14 years transportation, arriving in the colony on 18 May 1798 on the Barwell. By 1803 he was established in a relationship with Elizabeth Johnson. On 17 May 1804 Elizabeth gave birth to a daughter, Charlotte Elizabeth. The couple later had a second child, a son born on 9 October 1807 who was baptised John Abraham. Abraham was appointed Superintendent of Government Mills, a position he held until he was forced to retire in 1820 due to poor health. He died on 6 May 1822 in his eightieth year, a few months before the taking of the 1822 muster. Up until this time there does not appear to be any records which connect the two convicts. Abraham was certainly old enough to be William's father or his uncle. Circumstantial evidence does however suggest some possible connection: a. Both were tried in London; Abraham at Kingston-upon-Thames in Surrey and William at Middlesex. b. William buried Abraham in what he intended to be the family grave. c. Abraham named his daughter Charlotte Elizabeth, while William named his first two daughters Charlotte and Elizabeth. c. Abraham's circumstances seemed to improve considerably after William returned to Sydney from Norfolk Island. More direct evidence is found in the 1822 Muster where the records clearly indicate that William had taken into his care Abraham's two children. The Muster shows: Gibbons, Matthew Gibbons, Charlotte wife of Matthew (this is William's daughter) Hutchinson, William Hutchinson, Charlotte, 19 (Abraham's daughter) Hutchinson, Elizabeth, 16 Hutchinson, Hannah, 12 Hutchinson, Sarah, 10 Hutchinson, John, 15 (Abraham's son) Hutchinson, Richard, 6 All the children are shown in the family group of William, so it can be presumed that William might have adopted Abraham's children. Three of the children are missing but I can offer no reason for their omission. Those missing are William, Mary and Martha.

• http://www.genealogy.com/ftm/m/c/c/Rupert-J-Mccammon/WEBSITE-0001/U...
  
• https://trove.nla.gov.au/newspaper/article/2177205?afterLoad=showCo...
• https://convictrecords.com.au/convicts/hutchinson/abraham/71108
• http://adb.anu.edu.au/biography/dick-alexander-12886