Notes from Annadale (in Aust)...... Susannah Prior had a illegitimate child to Ben Hall the Bush Ranger - this has been published in a book. My grandfather has a copy of this book and i have yet to read it to find out exactly who it is. I checked the NSW bdm website for Susannah Prior children and there is a birth registered one now it is hard to tell if this is the exact being however it places her at the age of 17 when the child was born and that the father is not stated on the birth certificate. The year is 1863 and the childs name is Mary. There is also two marriages one to Alfred STONHAM 1882 and Walter WORNER in 1899 wether or not this is the same Susannah Prior is a different story.

Possible BDM Birth Record for Mary:

921 VOL 144/1863 Last Name: PRIOR First Name: MARY Mother's Name: SUSANNAH

According to a posting from Barbara at http://www.myfamilytree.com.au/forum/thread.cfm?thread_id=2809
Edgar Penzig's book "The Definitive History of Ben Hall" tells of Mary dying at 77 Denison Street, Newtown - Sydney on 6th August, 1922 as a result of chronic broncitis and asthma. She was aged 60 yrs. She is buried in Rookwood Cemetery, Sydney.

However, Helen Hall responded with:
Did Edgar give a surname? In 1921-22 residents of 77 Denison Street were Frank Olive and wife. His wife is the resident in 1923. In 1924 it is James Marlow and in 1925, Francis Corrigan, who is still living there in 1932-33. All according to Sands Directory for Newtown. Although there are 29 Marys dying in Newtown in 1922, can't find any with mother Susannah or age 59-60.

So it looks like there is a bit more research to be done.

UPDATE: Another posing from Barbara revealed that Prior, Hall, Sullivan and Olive were all names that Mary/Charlotte used.

Possible marriages for Charlotte Prior/Mary Prior/Mary Hall:

2463/1886 SULLIVAN EDWARD PRIOR CHARLOTTE M C CANTERBURY
11278/1907 OLIVE FRANK SULLIVAN CHARLOTTE M E NEWTOWN

possible death:

10916/1922 OLIVE CHARLOTTE M E WILLIAM E MARY NEWTOWN

Susannah's father, William Prior is thought to be Irish, but I have not found additional information on him as yet. He and Mary Swann were married in 1840 in NSW. I'm not sure of Mary's origins but she apparently had money, and gave her information to a Reverend Medcalf in order to be able to claim it. However she was told she did not have enough proof, and the story goes that the money is still in Chancery. This is could be the reason she is noted as being an alcoholic.

Susannah had two siblings. Her brother, William, died of TB at the age of 26, and her sister Charlotte was burned to death. I am unsure of her age at the time, but presume it was as a youth as she did not have any children.

Possible death record for sister Charlotte:
3917/1864 PRIOR CHARLOTTE AGE 15 YEARS DIED GUNDAGAI GUNDAGAI

Possible marriage record for Susannah's parents:
V1840494 24B/1840 PRIOR WILLIAM SWANN MARY A MD
However I'm beginning to think that their were two William and Mary A Prior's around the same time because I can find numerous birth records for Prior children with the parents William and Mary A, however I cannot find a Susannah or a Charlotte. There is a William H Prior, but I can find a death record for him too, dated 1924 - too old to be dying of TB at 26. The closest I can find to a record of William's death is the following:

809/1866 PRICE WILLIAM AGE 26 YEARS DIED SYDNEY SYDNEY
??? Could Prior have been mistaken for Price???

Could our Prior's have immigrated to Australia?