Hi Calswimmer
Great to hear from you
Unfortunately I don't know what the connection is between the Thomas family and the large Behenna family. However maybe we can come up with something together. Firstly you said in one of your posts that Sir Henry was a good friend of the Thomas' - I wonder if you could give a bit more information on that please? Also I seem to remember reading somewhere recently that when John Henry was young he had some elocution lessons with a couple and I believe this was when he was living in Halsetown with his aunt, Sarah Penberthy - is there any chance this couple may have been Thomas'? I may have got myself totally muddled so I hope I'm not leading you up the garden path so to speak
I will continue with my details of the Behenna family that are relevant to your queries although I realise some have been answered previously it will help to confirm them for you.
I think the best thing is to start at the marriage of Thomas Behenna and Catherine Curnow on 16-Nov-1796 in Mawnan Parish Church. Thomas was born about 1769 in Kea, the son of Isaac Behenna and Elizabeth Behenna. Catherine was born about 1772 in St Ives the daughter of Paul Curnow and Sarah Ninnes.
I'm aware of 11 children of Thomas and Catherine:
i. Catherine b. c. 1798 in Lelant, she married William Parsons in 1822 and they had 5 children.
ii. Thomas Behenna b. c. 1799 in Lelant, died 1803 in Lelant.
iii. Sarah Behenna (known as Sally) b. c. 1800 in Lelant, she
married Isaac Penberthy in 1830 and they had 5 children.
iv. Charlotte Behenna b. c. 1802 in St Ives, she married John Perry
in 1837.
v. Thomas Behenna b. c. 1804 in Lelant and died in 1804.
vi. Joshua Behenna b. c. 1805 in Lelant, he married Elizabeth
Banfield in 1842 and they had 3 children. Joshua died in 1864.
vii. Mary Behenna b. c. 1808 in Lelant, she married Samuel
Brodribb in 1835. They had one son, John Henry Brodribb born
in 1838, who later became Sir Henry Irving. Samuel was a
Traveling Salesman and when Mary and Samuel moved to
London in 1842 they decided to send John to live with his aunt
Sarah Penberthy in Halsetown Cornwall. He stayed there until
his uncle Isaac died in 1849. Mary died in 1869.
viii. Eliza Behenna b. c. 1810 in Lelant, she married John Penberthy
in 1833. (I believe John was a brother of Isaac Penberthy Sarah
Behennas husband.) The family emigrated to the USA just after
the 1841 census. They had 6 children, the eldest three were
born in England the other 3 in the USA.
ix. Jane Behenna b. c. 1811 in St Ives, she married John Victor in
1845. They had 3 children. John was a noted Teacher and
Preacher and spent the last forty years of his life as Pastor of
Copse Road Chapel, Seavale Road, Clevedon (Wesleyan).
x. Ann or Nanny Behenna b. c. 1813 in St Ives, died in 1825.
xii. Thomas Behenna b. c. 1816 in St Ives. Thomas emigrated to
Australia in 1841 and at some point before his marriage his
name got changed to Bohanna. He married Hanorah (this varies
in different records) Sheedy in 1844 in Geelong, Victoria,
Australia. Hanorah was born in Cloonara, Co Clare, Ireland. A
descendant of theirs, who I'm in touch with has a copy of the
certificate. They had 7 children but I understand that only the
eldest, Catherine Bohanna, married and had family. Thomas
died in 1899 in Geelong Hospital, aged 82.
So this is the Behenna family you were seeking - if you want
more information I have plenty.
I was interested to see your comment about John Penberthy, husband of the above Eliza Behenna, dying in Australia. That is not something I have anywhere. Although I do know from USA census records that by the time of the 1880 Eliza was a widow. Interestingly their eldest son, John, born 1834 in St Ives, emigrated from the USA to Australia in 1858 and initially lived with his uncle Thomas Bohanna in Geelong, then moved on to the Gold Rush town of Bendigo where he died in the Bendigo Benevolent Asylum in 1873. Maybe his father, John, had also gone out there to mine for gold
Well I think I've given you quite a bit to digest at the moment although there are some other bits I want to add - however my brain is addled now and needs food ;D