Joseph Potaski
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Joseph Potaski | |
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| Personal details | |
| Born | 1764 Poland |
| Died | 1824 Hobart, Tasmania, Australia |
| Spouse | Catherine Sullivan |
Joseph Potaski (c.1764–1824) was the first Jewish Pole to arrive in Australia, and one of the first convicts to arrive in Van Dieman's on the Ocean. Joseph Potaski's daughter, Catherine was born on the first European born and baptised in the new colony.
Early Life
Joseph Poataskie was born 1764, in Poland. Not much is known of Potaski's early life. It has been suggested that Potaski was born into the aristocratic family of Potocki's. It is also known that Potaski was a member of Kosciuszko's army. During this time Potaski would have been involved in the Warsaw seige and the Praga massacre. After the war Joseph Potaski arrived in London, probably as a refugee or asylum seeker.
Potaski's Transportation
On the 27th of March, 1802 Potaski was arraigned before the Sussex Spring Assizes at Horsham, Sussex. Joseph Potaski along with a John O'Brien, faced charges of stealing a woman's hair shawl from Mrs. Pollard's shop in Newhaven, Sussex. Potaski was sentanced to several years transportation to Australia. Potaski was transported on the ship, "Calcutta" his wife, Catherine and infant son, Joseph also accompanied Potaski, as free settlers. Under the command of Lieutenant Colonel David Collins, the "Calcutta" left Portsmouth, and arrived at Port Phillip Bay on the 9th of October 1803. Collins was charged with establishing a new settlement, at present day Sorrento. Howver Collins found the area to be unsiutable for settlement, and departed on the 20th of January 1804, for present day Hobart. It was at this time that renowned convict, William Buckley escaped the pary, and lived amoungst the aboriginals of the Port Phillip District. This time the Potaski's travelled on the ship, "Ocean" it berthed at Risdon Cove on the 17th of Febuary, 1804. It was at this time that, Catherine Potaski gave birth to a daughter, Catherine jnr, thus making Catherine the first European to be born and Baptised in Tasmania. Potaski's wife, Catherine was granted land at Clarence Plains, and Potaski himself was freed in 1810. By 1816 the Potaski family was supplying the colony with more corn then was needed for a whole year, the Potaski's also supplied the commissariat with wheat.
The Potaski Family
Neither Child bought credit to Joseph Potaski during his lifetime. His son John was convicted in March 1821 at Sydney, New South Wales, of the burglary of the Thrupp house, during which Mrs. Thrupp was raped. Jospeh Potaski jnr was hung for the crime at Hobart on the 28th of April, 1821. Joseph's sister Catherine, had also been in trouble. In 1820, at the age of 16 Catherine had given birth to an illegitimate son, William. William died in 1823, at the age of three years. Catherine Potaski had also been accused of being a prostitute, and didn't enjoy the favour of Hobart's first Catholic chaplin, Fr. Connelly. However Catherine was able to recover, she married on the 29th of June 1824, to Irishmen Edward Mcdonald, at St. Virgils church, Hobart, Tasmania. Catherine and Edward had a large family, and eventually migrated to Lara, in Victoria, where the McDonalds ran a successful shoe shop. Catherine died in Geelong, Victoria on the 30th of January, 1877.
Potaski Legacy
In the years before his death Potaski was once again in trouble with the law, this time for cattle rustling. Joseph Potaski provides the perfect example of an ex convict who was unable to move on from his criminal past. Joseph Potaskie died 1824 at Hobart. After his death the Potaski's walked off their land and migrated to Victoria. Joseph Potaski's wife, Catherine died 1859 at Geelong, Victoria. T.V presenter Yumi Stynes is amoungst the Potaski decendants.
References
- http://www.apcs.org.au/attachments/Potaski_Article_%20by_%20Des_Cahill.pdf
- http://dunlops.onthe.net.au/familytree/mcdonald/text/JohnPotaskieEd1.pdf
- http://www.tasmanianaboriginal.com.au/liapootah/bowen-reconciliation.htm
- http://www.apcs.org.au/attachments/publications/Polonia_in_Australia.pdf
- Tipping, Marjorie. Convicts unbound : the story of the Calcutta convicts and their settlement in Australia (1988)
- Paszkowski, Lech. Poles in Australia and Oceania, 1790-1940 (1987)
- Cotter, R. (ed), John Pascoe Fawkner Sullivan Bay Reminiscences (2003)
- Mullen, C. Victoria's first European settlement: Sullivan Bay 1803-1804 (2003)
- Hobart town Gazette, 28th April 1821
- Geelong Advertiser, 1st of Feb. 1877
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