People Australia

Charles Williams (who was mustered as Christopher Magee alias Charles Williams) was found guilty, on 7 July 1874 at the Old Bailey, London, of stealing a quantity of clothing from a travelling case. Sentenced to seven years transportation he was sent to the Ceres hulk on the Thames River. He arrived in Sydney in January 1788 aboard the Scarborough as part of the First Fleet. As Christopher Magee he married Eleanor McGabe on 31 August 1788.

On 18 July 1791 he was settled on 30 acres of land on the south side of the creek leading to Parramatta; 5 acres had been cleared by December. His wife and daughter died after the boat in which they were travelling capsized near Breakfast Point when returning to Parramatta. Williams sold his land but bought 30 acres at Mulgrave Place in the Hawkesbury in January 1794. He also sold this land by 1800. From 1806 he worked as a labourer in the Hawkesbury area. He was buried at St Matthew's, Windsor, on 13 March 1815, his age given as 52.

* information from Mollie Gillen, The Founders of Australia: A Biographical Dictionary of the First Fleet (1989), p 383