People from overseas express surprise that we Australians may show a small hint of First Fleeters pride when we mention that we are descended from convicts who were transported to our shore. They don't realise that we are descendants of people who arrived on the very first possible day of European settlement in Australia.

As for the "convict" label, most were sent here for a term of seven years (some for fourteen years or, occasionally, a life sentence) for stealing a few spoons, a couple of silk handkerchiefs - shocking offences! Matthew James Everingham appeared in London's Old Bailey court in July 1784, aged fourteen or fifteen. Crimes don't come much worse than that committed by Matthew - he stole two law books and tried to pawn them.

Judge Rose passed a withering glance in Matthew's direction and asked the reason for the theft. Matthew's answer was rather simple: "I was in great distress, sir..."

"Guilty!" The sentence: Seven years banishment with hard labour to Botany Bay (Sydney NSW).

Horrified, the bookshop owner who had Matthew arrested tried unsuccessfully to have the sentence reduced. After Matthew had been transported to Botany Bay, New South Wales, the shopowner started corresponding with Matthew, who was one of only four or five convicts, of a total of over 800 souls, who could read and write.

By the time he had been in New South Wales for a year or two, Matthew was writing back to England: "Every day I thank God that I have been transported from England".

Knowing that conditions in New South Wales were as primitive as they could possibly be - in a penal colony with daily floggings, starvation, being attacked by natives - we can only guess at how bad things must have been back in Merry England - "Every day I thank God that I have been transported from England".

The children and grandchildren of Matthew Everingham (Scarborough, First Fleet, 26 Jan 1788) and Elizabeth Rimes (Neptune, Second Fleet):

Matthew James EVERINGHAM, (1769-1817)
| - Died at Sackville Reach of the Hawkesbury River NSW
| - Buried at Wilberforce NSW
married (1791) Elizabeth RIMES, (1774-1841)

|    1. Mary EVERINGHAM, (1791-1792)

|    2. Sarah Elizabeth EVERINGHAM, (1793-1874)
|    married (1810) Richard WOODBURY, (1773-1867)
|    | - Born at Holcombe Rogus, Devon England
|    | - Died at Lower Hawkesbury NSW
|    | - Buried on 1867 at Nelson Reach Burying Ground, Lower Hawkesbury
|    |    1. Richard WOODBURY
|    |    2. Elizabeth WOODBURY
|    |    3. William WOODBURY
|    |    4. Jeremiah WOODBURY
|    |    5. Sarah WOODBURY
|    |    6. Rebecca WOODBURY
|    |    7. John WOODBURY
|    |    8. Ann WOODBURY
|    |    9. Jane WOODBURY
|    |    10. Matthew James WOODBURY
|    |    11. George James WOODBURY

|    3. Matthew James (the Second) EVERINGHAM, (1795-1884)
|    married firstly (1817) Ann CHASELING, (1802-1863)
|    |    1. Matthew James (the Third) EVERINGHAM
|    |    2. Elizabeth EVERINGHAM
|    |    3. George EVERINGHAM
|    |    4. William EVERINGHAM
|    |    5. James EVERINGHAM
|    |    6. John Thomas EVERINGHAM
|    |    7. Richard EVERINGHAM
|    |    8. Ann Maria EVERINGHAM
|    |    9. Andrew EVERINGHAM
|    |    10. Jane Amelia EVERINGHAM
|    |    11. Christian EVERINGHAM

  3. Matthew James (the Second) EVERINGHAM
| married secondly (1865) Isabel BOWEN, (1805-1868)

| 4. William EVERINGHAM, (1797-1859)
| married (1820) Jane CHASELING, (1804-1847)
|    |    1. William EVERINGHAM
|    |    2. Elizabeth EVERINGHAM
|    |    3. Thomas William EVERINGHAM
|    |    4. Henry EVERINGHAM
|    |    5. Charlotte EVERINGHAM
|    |    6. Matthew (nickname: Pepper Mat) EVERINGHAM
|    |    7. Archibald EVERINGHAM
|    |    8. Jane EVERINGHAM
|    |    9. Cyrus EVERINGHAM
|    |    10. Stephen EVERINGHAM
|    |    11. Louisa EVERINGHAM
|    |    12. Joshua Chaseling EVERINGHAM

|    5. George EVERINGHAM , (1799-1881)
|    married (1821) Keturah STUBBS, (1804-1880)
|    |    1. James Matthew EVERINGHAM
|    |    2. George EVERINGHAM
|    |    3. Elizabeth EVERINGHAM
|    |    4. Sarah EVERINGHAM
|    |    5. William (Long Bill) EVERINGHAM
|    |    6. Sophia EVERINGHAM
|    |    7. Mary EVERINGHAM
|    |    8. Josiah EVERINGHAM
|    |    9. George Henry EVERINGHAM
|    |    10. Cyrus EVERINGHAM
|    |    11. Ann EVERINGHAM

|    6. Ann EVERINGHAM , (1802-1849)
|   married (1818) John CHASELING, (1799-1876)
|    |    1. James CHASELING
|    |    2. John CHASELING
|    |    3. Margaret CHASELING
|    |    4. Louisa CHASELING
|    |    5. Mary CHASELING
|    |    6. Thomas CHASELING
|    |    7. Elizabeth (Betsy) CHASELING
|    |    8. Maria CHASELING
|    |    9. Matthew James CHASELING
|    |    10. Joshua Watsford CHASELING

|    7. Elizabeth EVERINGHAM, (1805-1879)
|    married firstly (1822) Charles BUTLER, (1794-1826)
|    |    1. Charles BUTLER
|    |    2. William BUTLER

|    Elizabeth married secondly (1827) John HARMAN, (1795-1837)
|    |    3. Samuel HARMAN

|    Elizabeth married thirdly (1837) Joseph LADD
|    |    4. Joseph LADD
|    |    5. Hannah LADD
|    |    6. Maria LADD
|    |    7. Mary Ann LADD

|    8. James EVERINGHAM , (1807-1895)
|    married firstly (1833) Cologne GODDARD, (1818-1858)
|    |    1. James Henry EVERINGHAM
|    |    2. Selina EVERINGHAM
|    |    3. Sarah EVERINGHAM
|    |    4. Jonathan EVERINGHAM
|    |    5. Elizabeth EVERINGHAM
|    |    6. Timothy EVERINGHAM
|    |    7. Nathaniel EVERINGHAM
|    |    8. Lydia Ann EVERINGHAM
|    |    9. Matthew James EVERINGHAM
|    |    10. Cologne EVERINGHAM

|    James EVERINGHAM , (1807-1895) married secondly (1859) Lavinia Maria MUSGROVE, (1829-1924)
|    | - Born at Bristol England
|    |    11. George Richard EVERINGHAM
|    |    12. Arthur Thomas EVERINGHAM
|    |    13. Emily EVERINGHAM
|    |    14. Lavinia Maria EVERINGHAM
|    |    15. Enoch Ernest EVERINGHAM

|    9. Maria EVERINGHAM , (1811-1835)
|    married (1827) James COTTON, (1793-1848)
|    |    1. Jabez COTTON
|    |    2. Alfred COTTON
|    |    3. Hephzibah COTTON
|    |    4. Anna Maria COTTON

|    10. John EVERINGHAM , (1815-1875)
|    and Mildred SAUNDERS
|    |    1. Ephraim (Alfie) EVERINGHAM