Thomas BOYD was born in Dublin, Ireland in 1798 the son of Robert BOYD, a Blacksmith, & Ellen QUINN.

In Thomas' youth, Catholics were oppressed, consequently, able bodied men formed bands to retaliate. They waylaid the Authorities where and when they could, stripped them of their possessions and drove off the horses.

It appears, that on one of these raids, Thomas BOYD was taken and was subsequently sentenced to death for 'Highway Treason', although years later he told family members that he was merely returning home from Church when he was captured.

Through the influence of relatives this sentence was reduced to a 'LIFE' sentence of Transportation to the Australian Penal Colony of New South Wales.

His 'Convict Indent' states that Thomas was convicted on the 16th of July 1821 in the County of Dublin, that being his native place. He was a 'Ploughman' by calling and aged 22 years. He was 5'9"tall, freckled complexion with light brown hair, hazel eyes and a stout build.

Thomas came to Australia aboard the 'Isabella' (2) which embarked from Cork on the 4th of November 1821 and arrived 4 months and 4 days later in Sydney Cove on the 14th of March 1822.

Upon arrival in Australia he was assigned to his kinsman, John KENNEDY, and then to KENNEDY's sister, Mrs.BROUGHTON of George's Plains.

Through Hamilton HUME, Thomas was given a place in the 'Hume & Hovell Expedition' to Port Philip bay in 1824 as one of HOVELL's men. It was said that next to HUME himself, Thomas BOYD was the most valuable member of the expedition.

Thomas has a claim to fame of being accepted as the first white man to swim accross the Murray River onto Victorian soil which occurred when he swam the Murray with a piece of rope between his teeth which was then used to transport the gear over the River. Thomas was reknowned for being a very good swimmer.

Thomas married Eleanor "Ellen" HICKEY, the daughter of Maurice HICKEY & Bridget QUINN of Gundaroo, NSW on the 5th of March, the marriage was registered at Goulburn. Ellen, as she was known, was born around 1820 in Parramatta, her parents were both convicts(see HICKEY surname).

They settled in the Tumut Valley and had '13' children. Thomas became a successful Horse Breeder, but through no fault of his own, lost all his money.

The family's story is quite intriguing, so make this page one of your stops. Thomas died on the 27th of June 1885 at 'Windowie', in a bark hut not far from Tumut itself in the Tumut Valley. He was 86 years of age having lived almost 10 years longer than his wife Ellen who died on the 6th of September 1875 at Gilmore, also in the Tumut Valley.

In the 1920s the Tumut Council decided to erect a Memorial Headtsone to Thomas BOYD at the Tumut Pioneer Cemetery at the place where Thomas was buried. It was erected in gratitude to Thomas, for it was he who helped blaze the trail through the unknown that opened up the area to where Tumut now lies.