Johanna Burke

Johanna BURKE was born in 1802 in Milford, County Cork, Ireland. Her father, William Burke was a dairy farmer with her mother Ellen Irwin. It is not known if she had had any siblings.

When Johanna was 22, she married the local publican, Patrick Wall (45) and they had three children together;

 

1. Ellen Wall Buchanan (m. a convict and lived until 102yrs) 1825–1927
2. Patrick Wall Jnr. (dis. after 12yrs of age but poss went to sea) 1827–?
3. John WALL (shoemaker) 1829–1863

 

Patrick died in 1832 so with 3 children under 7years old to care for, she then married a farmer and wheelwright named William O'Keeffe from Dunmore. They must have stayed in the village of Milford as in 1835 Johanna gave birth to a son, William Jr there.

 

Four years later, on the 19th Aug 1839, the family went to sea onboard the 'Navarino' bound for Sydney, Australia for a new life. The journey took six months, and on one occasion the vessel was becalmed for three days in mid-ocean.

 

Another son was born just after they settled in Windsor, NSW but he sadly died as a baby. They had at least 2 more sons, Daniel and Edward, who both survived into their adulthood.

 

Johanna died on December 25, 1857, in Windsor, New South Wales, Australia, at the age of 55.