Port Philip Bay 1841
The first Keady family arrived in Australia on 29 November 1841 when John, his wife Honora and their four children sailed into Port Philip Bay on the Frances from Liverpool.
At that time Melbourne was still part of the Colony of New South Wales. Victoria was not proclaimed as a separate Colony for another 10 years in 1851.
John and his family had sailed from Liverpool on 20 August 1841 for a journey which took just over 3 months. The barque, Frances weighed 332 tons. Apart from a handful of paying passengers, there were 92 immigrants on board who were sponsored by a newly established merchant company, “Heape and Grice”.
John and Honora were travelling with four children, Thomas (8), Patrick (5) and twins John and Mary who were 1 ½ years old. There were 14 other family groups, 15 single males and 15 single female passengers. Overall the passengers seem to have been relatively well educated for the times, with 41 of the passengers being able to read and write.
As you can see in the extract from the shipping list, John Keady could read and write, while Honora could do neither. It seems that John did not check the shipping list as the family name has been recorded as “Cadey” not Keady. Possibly the clerk was English and John would have had a strong Irish accent.
Keady Family in Victoria 