Sarah Presnell
c1737–1823 · England to Van Diemen’s Land
MY FAMILY CONNECTION
5th great-grandmother
Sarah Presnell arrived in Hobart aboard the Regalia in December 1822, aged approximately 85. She had crossed the world to join a growing family in Van Diemen’s Land, but her new life in the colony was tragically short. Within three months, she was dead, leaving behind a large family divided between England and Australia.
BORN
c.1737
England
MARRIED
Abt. 1768
Thomas Presnal
DIED
27 March 1823
Hobart, Tasmania
CHAPTER 01 · BEFORE 1822
A Family Across Two Continents
Little is known with certainty about Sarah’s early life in England. She was the mother of William and Thomas Presnell, two brothers whose families became part of the early history of Van Diemen’s Land.
By the early 1820s, Sarah’s family was divided between England and Van Diemen’s Land. At an age when most people would have remained close to familiar surroundings, she undertook the long sea voyage to join family on the other side of the world.
CHAPTER 02 · 1822
The Voyage to Van Diemen’s Land
Sarah’ arrival in Hobart, 1823
On 30 December 1822, the Regalia arrived in Hobart from England carrying approximately 70 passengers. Among those named in the subsequent newspaper announcement was “Mrs. S. Presnell and family.”
Sarah was then approximately 85 years old. The voyage would have taken her across thousands of miles of ocean to a young British colony very different from the England she had known.
The passenger announcement confirms that family members accompanied her, although their names and relationships have not yet been established.
CHAPTER 03 · 1823
Just Three Months in Hobart
Hobart Town, 1823. Sarah Presnell’s death notice, published 29 March 1823, over a historical reconstruction of colonial Hobart.
Sarah’s time in Tasmania was brief. On Thursday, 27 March 1823, she died after a short illness, less than three months after arriving.
Her death notice, published two days later, described her as the mother of William Presnell of Argyle Street, Hobart. It recorded that she had arrived from England in apparently good health and had lived into her 86th year.
The notice also spoke of the numerous family members she left behind, both in the colony and in England. Although Sarah’s time in Van Diemen’s Land was short, her journey had brought her to the place where later generations of the Presnell family would build their lives.
1. Arrival of the Regalia — December 1822
Hobart Town Gazette and Van Diemen’s Land Advertiser, January 1823.
Passenger announcement recording the arrival of the Regalia from England, listing “Mrs. S. Presnell and family” among approximately 70 passengers.
2. Death of Sarah Presnell — 29 March 1823
Hobart Town Gazette and Van Diemen’s Land Advertiser, Saturday 29 March 1823, p. 2.
Death notice identifying Sarah as the mother of William Presnell of Argyle Street, Hobart. Records her recent arrival from England, her death after a short illness and her age as being in her 86th year.
3. Presnell Family Relationships
New Bridgewater Bridge Project — Black Snake Inn Residents, Tasmanian Government.
Historical research identifying Thomas Presnell Sr and William Presnell as brothers, supporting Sarah’s place in the early Tasmanian Presnell family.
1822 – Arrival aboard the Regalia
Hobart Town Gazette and Van Diemen’s Land Advertiser, January 1823.
The passenger announcement lists “Mrs. S. Presnell and family” among 70 passengers arriving from England aboard the Regalia. The identities of the accompanying family members are not recorded.
29 March 1823 – Death Notice
Hobart Town Gazette and Van Diemen’s Land Advertiser, 29 March 1823, p. 2.
The notice identifies Sarah as the mother of William Presnell of Argyle Street, Hobart, and records that she died after a short illness, having arrived from England only a few months earlier.
31 March 1823 – Burial Register
St David’s Parish Burial Register, Hobart, 1823, entry No. 691.
The parish register records Sarah Presnell’s burial on 31 March 1823, aged 86. The entry provides an additional contemporary record of her death shortly after arriving in Van Diemen’s Land.
The Presnell Family of Tasmania
Husband
Thomas Presnell — Husband
Sarah is recorded in family genealogies as the wife of Thomas Presnell, with a marriage estimated around 1768. Further research is needed to establish the marriage details and confirm his identity.
Children
Sarah’s family included several sons associated with the early settlement of Van Diemen’s Land. William is identified as her son in her 1823 death notice. Thomas, James and John are also identified as sons in compiled family genealogies.
| Name | Birth | Death | Relationship |
|---|---|---|---|
| William Presnell | c.1764 | 1839 | Documented son |
| Thomas Presnell Sr | c.1774 | 1843 | Son in family genealogy |
| James Presnell | Not confirmed | Not confirmed | Son in family genealogy |
| John Presnell | c.1787 | Not confirmed | Son in family genealogy |
Connection to the Presnell Family
Sarah Presnell stands at the beginning of the Presnell family line traced through the early generations of European settlement in Tasmania. Her sons William and Thomas were among the Presnell family members associated with the young colony of Van Diemen’s Land.
Through Thomas Presnell Sr and his son Thomas Presnell Jr, the family line continued through William Thomas Presnell, William George Presnell, William Alexander Presnell and Donald Alec Presnell to later generations in Tasmania.
Sarah arrived in Hobart aboard the Regalia in December 1822, joining a family already established in the colony. Although she died less than three months later, her descendants would remain closely connected with Tasmania for generations.
Sarah Presnell’s arrival in Hobart in December 1822 and her death in March 1823 are documented in contemporary newspaper reports and the St David’s Parish burial register. Several details of her earlier life and family history remain subjects for further investigation.
Family Origins in England
Sarah’s maiden name, birthplace and marriage details have not been conclusively established. Family genealogies identify her husband as Thomas Presnell, with a marriage estimated around 1768.
Further research into English parish registers may clarify the family’s origins and the relationships between William, Thomas, James and John Presnell.
The Regalia Passenger List
The January 1823 newspaper announcement lists “Mrs. S. Presnell and family” among the passengers arriving aboard the Regalia.
The accompanying family members are not individually named. Original passenger records, if surviving, may help identify them.
Death Date Discrepancy
Sarah’s death notice, published on Saturday 29 March 1823, states that she died on the preceding Thursday, indicating 27 March 1823.
However, the St David’s Parish burial register appears to record 26 March 1823, with burial on 31 March.
Both dates are retained in the research record pending further verification.
Further Research Priorities
- Establish Sarah’s maiden name and marriage details.
- Confirm the English baptism records of her children.
- Identify the family members who accompanied her aboard the Regalia.
- Investigate the surviving records of William and Thomas Presnell for additional family relationships.
- Establish Sarah’s original burial location in Hobart.