Hi There,

Just had a quick search through some databases... Could John Forster have been a convict? I found a John Forster arrived in colony in 1839 (NSW) on the vessel "Theresa".... He got his ticket of freedom on the 19th of Oct 1844. This kind of coincides with your dates? I'm unsure on convict research as i've just found out i have 7 convict ancestors (proven by records) but i'm unsure how to check if their families came as well etc. I found this under FORSTER on the NSW State records site if you want to get some more details.

I'm also unsure if convicts were able to leave the colony and if so how long after they got their freedom?! Someone else might be able to tell you this information... but i would think this John Forster is worth a look. Very close to the dates you have listed.