People Australia

John Hatcher (c.1749-1818) was found guilty on 1 March 1785 at Winchester, Hampshire, of stealing a silver spoon and other goods from a house. Sentenced to 7 years transportation, he was sent to the Ceres hulk and was discharged to the Alexander in January 1787. He arrived at Sydney in January 1788 as part of the First Fleet.

Hatcher was sent to Norfolk Island on the Supply in March 1790. He was subsisting himself on a Sydney Town lot, with 42 rods cleared by July 1791 and shared a sow with John Cropper. By 1805 he was employed as a miller. He had married Dorcas Talbot on 11 November 1804; they remained childless. In 1807 the couple were publicly victualled; Hatcher as a miller, his wife as matron of the orphan school. His wife had died by 1811. Thatcher was recorded in 1812 with 15 acres, nearly three were in grain, and the rest were fallow; he had 105 sheep, 11 hogs and 13 goats.

Hatcher remained at Norfolk Island as under superintendent, supervising the evacuation of the island. He went to Van Diemen's Land (Tasmania) on the Kangaroo in May 1814 and settled on 60 acres at Gloucester. 

John Hatcher died at Hobart on 30 September 1818 and was buried at St David's Church cemetery on 3 October; His age was given as 72.

* information from Mollie Gillen, The Founders of Australia: A Biographical Dictionary of the First Fleet (1989), p 165