People Australia

Andrew Fishburn (-1796) was a marine in the 35th (Portsmouth) Company when he arrived at Sydney in January 1788 aboard the Alexander as part of the First Fleet. He served in Captain John Shea's Company at Port Jackson. He worked as a carpenter from September 1788 to the end of 1789. Fishburn was sent to Norfolk Island on the Sirius in March 1790 where he was involved in a marine protest about provisions in April 1791. He returned to Port Jackson later that month and worked on the Gorgon as a carpenter from 11 October to 17 December.

Fishburn joined the New South Corps in April 1792 and received a 25 acre grant of land at Petersham Hill in December 1794 which he sold to James Bloodworth.

Fisburn married Sarah Williams on 25 May 1795 at St Philip's, Sydney. They had two sons before he died, intestate and insolvent, on 23 July 1796 at Parramatta. David Collins noted in his journal that Fishburn, 'had been very useful as a carpenter in the settlement'.

information from

• Mollie Gillen, The Founders of Australia: A Biographical Dictionary of the First Fleet (1989), p 127
• Margaret Morelli 'Andrew Fishburn', Fellowship of First Fleeters website, http://www.fellowshipfirstfleeters.org.au/andrewfishburn.htm — accessed 13 October 2020