image of person or book cover 6784808841064254734.jpg
Image courtesy of publisher's website.
y separately published work icon Esther single work   biography  
Alternative title: Esther : The Extraordinary True Story of the First Fleet Girl Who Became First Lady of the Colony
Issue Details: First known date: 2019... 2019 Esther
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AbstractHistoryArchive Description

'Sixteen-year-old Esther Abrahams only just escaped the hangman in London. Standing trial for stealing twenty-four yards of black silk lace, worth fifty shillings, her sentence was 'transportation to parts beyond the seas' for seven years. So Esther forcibly embarked on the perilous journey around the globe on the First Fleet where she took up with the dashing young First Lieutenant George Johnston. Usually such arrangements between convict women and army officers were temporary, but George and Esther’s connection endured. In the early days, the couple lived in a tent at Sydney Cove, and, over time, George was granted land in what is now the Sydney suburb of Annandale, where they established a farm and raised a large family.

'When Governor Bligh was deposed by the Rum Corps, Lieutenant- Colonel George Johnston briefly became Lieutenant-Governor of NSW and his life companion, Esther, became First Lady of the colony—a remarkable rise in society for a former convict. At Lachlan Macquarie’s insistence, George and Esther were finally married in fine style at their grand residence. Much like another, better-known colonial woman, Elizabeth Macarthur, Esther Abrahams successfully managed her husband's property in the new colony and when George died, Esther took control of their business interests becoming one of Sydney's wealthiest citizens.'

Source: Publisher's blurb.

Publication Details of Only Known VersionEarliest 2 Known Versions of

    • Crows Nest, North Sydney - Lane Cove area, Sydney Northern Suburbs, Sydney, New South Wales,: Allen and Unwin , 2019 .
      image of person or book cover 6784808841064254734.jpg
      Image courtesy of publisher's website.
      Extent: 288p.
      Note/s:
      • Published April 2019.

      ISBN: 9781760527372

Other Formats

  • Dyslexic edition.
  • Large print.

Works about this Work

Jessica North : Esther Ann Skea , 2019 single work essay
— Appears in: The Newtown Review of Books , April 2019;

'This biography recounts how Esther went from being convicted in London’s Old Bailey and transported to Botany Bay with the First Fleet, to becoming First Lady of the colony.'   (Essay summary)

Jessica North : Esther Ann Skea , 2019 single work essay
— Appears in: The Newtown Review of Books , April 2019;

'This biography recounts how Esther went from being convicted in London’s Old Bailey and transported to Botany Bay with the First Fleet, to becoming First Lady of the colony.'   (Essay summary)

Last amended 15 Sep 2020 13:03:14
Settings:
  • Sydney, New South Wales,
  • ca. 1788-1849
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