Convicts named Steward arriving in Australia

Twenty-five men and three women with the surname Steward appear on the British convict transportation registers. Seven were named William Steward, five Thomas, four John, three Robert, three Charles, two George and one Henry. All the women were Elizabeths. In 1814 a Sarah Steward, the wife of a convict, arrived with her two daughters, Jane and Mary.

Other convicts named Steward arrived under different names. The Colonial-Secretary's Index has an Ann Jemima Steward who arrived on the Morley in 1820, her name recorded as Seward. The 1828 Census records a John Steward who supposedly arrived on the Somersetshire in 1814, but whose name doesn't appear on the British convict transportation registers. At the time of the census he was an overseer assigned to a Mr Barber "at Yass, on the Goulburn Plains".

Others were transported from Ireland. Bridget Steward arrived from Cork on the Almorah in 1824, her name recorded as Stewart. An entry on the Colonial-Secretary's Index noted she was "not be assigned from the Female Factory, Parramatta until the Almorah left Port Jackson". The Samuel Steward who has five entries under his name in the index to the Colonial-Secretary's records may have arrived from Ireland.

At least three convicts named Steward were employed in the Gundaroo area before 1846.

William Steward who arrived on the Countess of Harcourt in 1828 was living in Bathurst when he received a ticket of leave in 1834 and his freedom in 1835. A black Jamaican, he had been tried at Lancaster Quarter Sessions.

Another William Steward who arrived on the Asia in 1833 was in Yass when he received his ticket of leave in 1837.

Thomas Steward arrived in 1836 on the Strathfieldsay and was in Yass when he received a ticket of leave in 1840.

Maria Steward's name doesn't appear in the British convict transportation registers, on lists of convict women or on the Colonial-Secretary's Index.

British convict transportation registers 1787-1867, One Search database (http://onesearch.slq.qld.gov.au), State Library of Queensland
NSW State Records, Index to the Colonial-Secretary's Correspondence
NSW Convict Women on Ships arriving from England and Ireland 1788-1828, http://members.iinet.net.au/~perthdps/convicts/confem66.html