The Benton Family of AustraliaIntroductionThe oldest document that links the BENTON family of Sydney to the family from Essex in England is the original Indenture Paper for John Laybank BENTON. John was apprenticed to John Hollywell FISHER of Plaistow, Essex on 9th June 1840, for the wage of one shilling per week in the first year. From the information on this Indenture we have been able to trace his family in the area of Plaistow and West Ham, now part of the East End of London. John and his family were baptised at the local church of All Saints, West Ham. The church is still standing and is undergoing extensive restoration.
The next we know about John Laybank was his departure for Adelaide on 12 April 1848 on the ship the Forfarshire. He was 10 days short of his 21st birthday and his departure was 7 months after his mother died. He left behind his father, three brothers and a sister. The story of his family is told here through offical records (census, BDM indices, BDM certificates etc) and what little family history has been passed down by heirlooms and word of mouth. We start with John Laybank's parents - Benjamin Benton the Grocer and his first wife Elizabeth LAYBANK. Note that the Laybank name is surprisingly rare, there being only FOUR entries in the 1841 census, just ONE in 1901 and NONE in the 1911 census. You can read on about Benjamin BENTON, or select one of the other family members from the links in the family tree.
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