David Brown was born in Scotland in about 1772. In 1788, in Glasgow,
he was convicted of house breaking and sentenced to life.
David arrived in Port Jackson, New South Wales, on 14 February
1792 on the Pitt, which was loaded with 344 male and 58 female prisoners.
During the long voyage of 212 days, 29 prisoners had died, including
15 infected with smallpox, and 27 crew had died of fever. At one
stage prisoners had been coopted to help sail the ship.
In 1798 David was granted 30 acres of land at Wilberforce and became
a farmer. In this pursuit he became quite successful and helped meet the
colony's desperate need to feed the growing population of Sydney Town.
In 1800 he married Eleanor Fleming at Parramatta.
Eleanor, with her parents and brother had arrived in Port Jackson
on the William and Ann on 28 August 1791. Eleanor's father was a
member of the New South Wales Corp.
After his marriage, David continued his successful operations as a farmer
at Wilberforce, receiving several more land grants.
David and Eleanor raised a family of 11 children at Wilberforce.
