I am seeking any information on a Mary Murray (b:1804) who was supposedly the wife of convict Daniel John Crane (b:1801-d:1864) who was transported from England to VDL 1822 on the Phoenix. Daniel obtained his freedom certificate 1828 and died in Sorell in 1864. He had two children, Caroline Crane in 1832 (married Adam Newitt 1848) and John Isaac Crane in 1835 (married Louisa Tidswell).

I can find no reference to the identity of Mary Murray in any of the Tasmanian convict records for that time period, or on any of the Tasmanian immigration lists. I haven’t been able to locate a Tasmanian birth record for either Caroline or Isaac, nor a marriage record for Daniel and Mary. I’ve searched through Trove newspapers for that time period in the hope of gaining some information, but nothing so far. There are no Tasmanian birth or death records for a Mary Crane (nee Murray), which show a possible date match.

I feel the name Mary Murray was probably given via someone’s family folklore and hasn’t been substantiated or fully researched as yet.

Caroline Crane is my 5th Great Grandmother on my mother’s side and I would really like to complete the female line of my tree by finding the identity of her mother. Any assistance would be greatly appreciated.