About 1807 to 1817, John Heterick was born at Castleblaney Co. Monaghan, Ireland, also known as Mucknoe. His parents were James Heterick and Sarah Bailey. John's age has never been consistent on different certificates, only the place of birth.

About the age of 21, in 1828, John joined the 25th Regiment on Foot (aka King’s Own Borderers) and was assigned to the West Indies. It was here that he met and married Bridget Lynch, who had been born about 1815. About 1832 their first son, John George Heterick, was born in Barbados, West Indies. Their second child, Mary Ann, was born about 1834 in Demeraia, West Indies.

On 2 November 1837, John was discharged from the 25^th Regiment on Foot. He had served for 12 years & 4 months. After he was discharged, the family moved back to England and their third child, Louisa Mary Josephine, was born about 1839 in Newton-on Tynes, England.

John joined the police force and on 2 May 1840, John Heterick was appointed to the County of Lancaster Constabulary Force. He had a description listed as being of 5'8" in height, a swathy complexion, grey eyes and fair hair. He was promoted to the rank of Sergeant on 15th May, 1840.

On 25 April 1841, their fourth child, Sarah, was christened at Haslingdean, Lancashire, England. The following year, John was the Chief Constable of Essex.

On 23 July 1843, Elizabeth was born at Foxcarth, Sudbury, Bulmar, County of Essex, England. John was listed on her birth certificate as "Inspector of Police".

On 21 February 1846, John became the Superintendent of the North Union Railway of Preston. The family lived in a house at the station. Unfortunately a year later, on 4 April 1847, Bridget died of "Dropsy of the belly". She had been suffering for 5 months and she died at home. Their youngest child was only 4 at the time.

John obviously didn't take the death of his wife well as his personality completely changed. He went from being an upstanding, highly regarded, decorated military officer and policeman to a thief. On 18 May 1848 he was charged at Preston, Lancaster of “Stealing a dressing case n. also apparel”. He was sentenced for 7 years transportation. His trial was written up extensively in the newspapers where he was listed as a person of outstanding character.

John was transported on the Maria Sommers, which left from Portsmouth on 3 May 1850 and arrived in Van Dieman's land on 9 August 1850. At this time the prison system was quickly coming to an end and people were being pardoned quickly. I have not found his pardon records but I do have him arriving in Sydney from Melbourne on 1 August, 1852.

John set up a new life for himself in Sydney and while he was here, met and married a widow, Sarah Ireland on 21 January 1857 at *St. John Baptist, CofE, Ashfield, NSW, Australia. After John got himself settled, he sent for his girls: Mary Ann, Louisa Mary Josephine and Sarah, who arrived in Botany Bay aboard the Fitzjames on 1 April 1857. Elizabeth had stayed behind with, I believe, the people who were looking after the girls while John was convicted and transported. Unfortunately Elizabeth died on 14 July 1858 from Phthises (tuberculosis).

Within 5 years of being in Australia, Sarah and Mary Ann both died without marrying, only days apart. Sarah on 16 March 1862 and Mary on 23 March 1862. Their only surviving sister, Louisa Mary Josephine, married George Hunter on 1 July 1867 at Church of England, Church of the Barnabas, Glebe, NSW, Australia. George is connected to my Simmons Family.

John and Sarah then had four children of their own: Isabel born 1 March 1858, Elizabeth born 11 September 1860, Annie Ada born 20 April 1863, and James Robert born 13 November 1865. James married Ada Elizabeth Flegg and they had 13 children. It is from these children that the majority of the Heterick's in Australia are descended from.

John's son with Bridget, John George, had married Adelaide Hounsely on 6 June 1855 at *Parish Church, Hull, County of Saint Tower, England. They had two children, Eliza and Fred. After Fred drowned on 2 May 1918 with the sinking of the SS Unity. Fred's wife, Harriet Elizabeth Simmons, and their six children, emigrated to Perth, WA. They were apparently unaware that they had family in Sydney.

John died on 8 August 1866 at *Residence, Parramatta Rd, Petersham, NSW, Australia from "Disease of the liver & stomach, General Exhaustion". John was probably a heavy drinker as it was customary for those in the military in the West Indies to drink large quantities of the local rum, which caused all sorts of alcoholic related conditions. John and Sarah's youngest child was only 9 months old! He was buried in Section X No. 56 at St. John the Baptist, Ashfield.

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Websites used while researching this name:

Caribbean

Barbados - Tracing ancestors in Barbados

British Army in Bermuda - from 1701 to 1977

Caribbean - Tracing your Caribbean roots

Caribbean Surname list - Didn't find much here for Heterick but this could still be where his wife Bridge, came from.

The Caribbean GenWeb Project

Family History of Jamaican Islands

Jamaican Family Research

Jamaican Family History - Links to Jamaican research

West Indian Regiment - Information on the Caribbean roots page about the West Indian Regiment

Regiments of the British West Indies & Bermuda - unfortunately there are no lists of soldiers but this does give the history, etc.  John Heterick was an engineer in the British Military.  As his first child was born in the West Indies, he obviously was part of the military there.

Guyana - information about the British army in Guyana - where John's first daughter was born

England

Essex Police Museum - John Heterick was a policeman in the Essex area.

Gale Digital Collections - you can get all sorts of newspaper articles from here

Lancashire - Gen/UK webpage with all sorts of links

Lancashire Records Office

Lancashire Library link

Australia

Tasmanian GenWeb - History, Indexes, Convicts, etc.

Tasmanian Convict Ships - Maria Somers Information

Fitzjames - Information and a picture of the ship that John Heterick's girls emigrated to Australia on.

Fitzjames - What happened to it? Information can be found on this website

Ireland

Castleblayney - The area that John Heterick was supposedly born in

County Monaghan Profile

County of Monaghan

County Monaghan GenLinks

History of Monaghan - 1660 - 1860

Monaghan - information on the County of Monaghan, Ireland

Monaghan Links

Monaghan City Council -