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Patrick McDermott (1819 - )

Patrick McDermott was around 1819 in County Knockbride, Co. Cavan in Ireland. He was the son of Philip Dermot and Rose.

Throughout his life Patrick seems to interchangeably uses Peter or Patrick with the spelling of his last name varying between McDermott or Dermott.

He married Bridget Kettle in Dundee Scotland in 1850. Brigit was also born in County Cavan around 1831. It is unknown how they met, or why they were living in Dundee when they married.

The couple travelled to Australia aboard the 'Blundell' departing from Plymouth in December 1852, and arriving in Sydney on 6 May 1853. Bridget gave birth to their first child Mary Anne during the journey. Patrick payed £4 for the journey.

Upon arriving in Sydney, Patrick participated in the hiring fair where he got a job as a labourer - this is confirmed by his childrens birth certificates. From the birth records we also know that the family was living at Union Street in Sydney between 1854 and 1859.

Patrick and Brigid are know to have had four (4) children (3 sons and 1 daughter)

• Mary Ann McDermott. Born ???? 1853 (at sea). Died before 1859
• Patrick McDermott. Born 16 Jul 1854. Married Louisa Jane Davis in 1882. Died 1929
• Thomas McDermott. Born 25 Dec 1856. Married 
• John McDermott. Born 10 Feb 1859. 

The journey to Australia did not result in a new life for the family. The years after their arrival are littered with arrests for drunkeness and vagrancy.

All three sons have run in with the law at a very early age - clearly fitting the bill of 'street urchins'. Their two eldest were found guilty of theft in 1866 at - 12 and 9 respectively - and spending several night in jail. Then in 1867 they were committed to the Vernon Industrial School - under the Destitute Child Act - after being found guilty of vagrancy. 

It is from their testimony that we know that in 1867 Patrick was working breaking rocks on the road, and that whilst Bridget stayed at home looking after the children, both boys had reputations for sleeping on the streets and begging, When their youngest son John is committed to the Vernon for vagrancy in 1868 he notes that his mother used to send him out to beg and that he was sleeping rough because she had locked him out of his house.

It has proven difficult to determine what become of Patrick and Bridget as I have been unable to find any death records for them, nor can we determine what happened to the boys between 1867 and when Patrick appears in Tenterfield in 1882.