This is supposed to be fool proof.

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In my delusion, I thought that setting up a blog would be easy. I have used BlogSpot before and found it to be relatively simple. Now it seems I have to add and test the Googleness of my posts so the world can have access. I have tried to follow the instructions in creating a Schema Mark Up Generator and a Structured Testing Tool and failed. I don't have the mind for this at all. I am sure there is some tekky type somewhere who can read all the code and say "Easy peasy". Well, Tekky you are welcome to your skillset. I surrender, I don't have the patience, or the will to learn. I remain a vacuum, and I feel no guilt.

My story is not about technological intricacies, it is about a girl I never knew. Mary Davis, also known as Mary Rachel Davis. She was born in 1806 or thereabout. She was about 18 years of age when she was caught "stealing from a person". For this, she was sentenced to 7 years transportation to Van Diemen's Land. As mentioned before we are related.

Mary's second husband "Black Joe" Hatfield, was also a convict, sentenced to 7 years for stealing cheese. Somewhere in Tasmania Mary and Joe met up and settled in the Tiers (Mt Barker) in South Australia. There their daughter, Jane Balhannah Hatfield met and married William Finn.

Their son Nathaniel Finn was my grandmother's beloved father.

It was Nat Finn who was my original subject, the camel driver from Farina. My Nana told me stories a

bout him. Being South Australian's we were both confident that our lineage carried no convict stain. However, far from being the wild Finnish horse traders, my Nanna believed she was descended from the more convicts I found. The deeper I dug into our past the more skeletons I unearthed.

To try and guess the face of Mary Davis I looked at her daughters Jane Balhannah (righthand photo) and her sisters. Despite the ages of the women in the photos, Emma, (lefthand side photo) was is the oldest of the three. She was born in 1843, then came Rachel Hatfield (middle) was born in 1845, and Jane in 1848.

Jane Balhannah Finn (nee Hatfield)

Of their mother Mary I only have her prison description. She is short, only 4 foot 11inches tall. Her hair is described as flaxen and her eyes are grey. When I look at her three daughters I like to think the strong features displayed by Emma resemble her the most. Their faces look broad and strong. These women were tough. They had to be, they were pioneers, living in a harsh and unforgiving world. No place for tender flowers these girls are saltbush, hardy and durable, able to dig deep to nourish and survive.

That's my take on them. As for Mary, their mother, the authorities had a different view. She was "given to theft, often written up as drunk and disorderly. She had a great vocabulary, mostly obscenities. She was sent to solitary for rioting and had her head shaved on numerous occasions. Definitely no shrinking violet. I like her.