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Esther : the extraordinary true story of the first fleet girl who became first lady of the colony / Jessica North.

By: Publisher: Crows Nest, NSW : Allen and Unwin, 2019Copyright date: ©2019Description: 277 pages : illustrations (some colour), portraits (some colour), maps ; 24 cmContent type:
  • cartographic image
  • still image
  • text
Media type:
  • unmediated
Carrier type:
  • volume
ISBN:
  • 9781760527372
Other title:
  • Esther
Subject(s): Genre/Form: DDC classification:
  • 920.72 23
Summary: The extraordinary true story of the First Fleet girl who became First Lady of the colony. Esther Abrahams was one of the first Jewish women to arrive in the new land. Through her we meet some of the key people who helped shape the nation. Her life is an extraordinary rags-to-riches story. Aged 16, she stood trial at the Old Bailey in London for stealing 24 yards of black silk lace. Her sentence was transportation to New South Wales. She embarked on the perilous journey on the First Fleet as a convict, with no idea of what lay ahead. Once on shore, she became the servant and, in time, the wife of the young first lieutenant George Johnston. Much like another, better-known colonial woman, Elizabeth Macarthur, Esther successfully managed her husband's property and became a significant figure in the new colony. George Johnston, her husband, as leader of the Rum Rebellion against Governor Bligh, appropriated the office of Lieutenant-Governor of NSW, making Esther First Lady of the colony, a remarkable rise in society for a former convict.
Holdings
Item type Current library Call number Status Date due Barcode
Book Book Jessie Street National Women's Library General Stacks 920.72 ABR (Browse shelf(Opens below)) Available for reference in the library and ILL 68283

Includes bibliographical references and index.

The extraordinary true story of the First Fleet girl who became First Lady of the colony. Esther Abrahams was one of the first Jewish women to arrive in the new land. Through her we meet some of the key people who helped shape the nation. Her life is an extraordinary rags-to-riches story. Aged 16, she stood trial at the Old Bailey in London for stealing 24 yards of black silk lace. Her sentence was transportation to New South Wales. She embarked on the perilous journey on the First Fleet as a convict, with no idea of what lay ahead. Once on shore, she became the servant and, in time, the wife of the young first lieutenant George Johnston. Much like another, better-known colonial woman, Elizabeth Macarthur, Esther successfully managed her husband's property and became a significant figure in the new colony. George Johnston, her husband, as leader of the Rum Rebellion against Governor Bligh, appropriated the office of Lieutenant-Governor of NSW, making Esther First Lady of the colony, a remarkable rise in society for a former convict.

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