Ann Williams - Faro

Ann Lucas Born 2nd March 1789. By James Donohoe

She was the first European female to be born on Norfolk Island, and was recorded as Ann Gaskins, she was the eldest of thirteen children. Her birthplace would have been in the vicinity of the present town of Kingston, behind the convict era administrative area.

Ann was raised on Norfolk Island and lived there until she was 16 years of age. In March 1805 she moved to Sydney, New South Wales, with her parents and brothers and sisters on HMS “Investigator”, which earlier had been in the command of Matthew Flinders for his cartographic and scientific voyages.

Ann was recorded still illiterate at the age of eighteen

On the 2nd December, 1807, Ann married Charles William's a fellow Norfolk Islander, at St. Philip's Church, Sydney, N.S.W. The Rev. Harry Fulton, who was also a convict on Norfolk Island celebrated the marriage. The witness to the marriage was Arthur Devlin, the famed Irish rebel who later married Ann’s brother's sister-in-law, Priscilla Squire. Arthur and Priscilla settled in Kingston, Tasmania near former Marine, Thomas Lucas.

She gave birth to four children in Sydney and another six were born in Launceston, VDL. She had moved to Launceston in 1817 with her mother and some of her brothers and sisters. In her own right she acquired a grant of land on the southern bank of the River Tamar north of the settlement. It was adjacent to the grants made to some of her brothers and sisters.

When her mother obtained her own grant she entered into an arrangement with Ann [probably because she was the eldest] as tenant-in-common, and on Olivia’s death in 1830, Olivia’s land passed to her. Ann sold the land in 1836 and it appears she distributed the proceeds amongst the family.

Around 1835 Ann’s husband disappeared in “mysterious circumstances” {believed to have been murdered on the Pyrmont Bridge in Sydney} and in 1837 she gave birth to an “illegitimate” child whose name was registered in 1838 as Frances Faro, the father being a Thomas Faro, a baker who was also the licensee of the Half Moon Hotel in Tamar St., Launceston.

The couple married in April 1840 and then travelled to Melbourne where they lived for a brief time before setting in the Portland Bay area where Thomas was employed by William Learmouth to run his Dairy.

During the 1860’s Ann, now widowed, travelled to Dunedin, New Zealand with her youngest daughter Frances, her son-in-law Edward Manson and her grandchildren. In 1864 on 15th July, Ann Faro, formerly Williams, nee Gascoyne [also spelt Gaskin and Gascoigne died in the Dunedin Hospital aged 75 years.

Children of Ann Lucas and Charles Williams.

A. Charles F. Sarah

B. William G. Mary Ann

C. George E. Nathaniel

D. Ann F. Maria

E. Olivia G. Thomas

• Reference: [object Object]] - [https://www.geni.com/projects/SmartCopy/18783 SmartCopy: Jul 31 2019, 4:22:32 UTC