Great Victoria

My Great Grandfather, under the name Frank Williams, was on this ship. Only a few weeks eaerlier he was guarding Confederat prisoners on Governor's Island in New York Harbour. His name was Sergeant Ira Coan, who had escaped 16 months of Confederate captivity to return to New York. When the Draft riots erupted, he along with the rest of that small garrison, were sent into the city to quell the riots in which hundreds, and possibly thousands, were killed. Their small force was overrun and their weapons turned against them. Only the return of the battered Federal Army saved the day. Not long afterwards Ira deserted, and sailed to Australia on the Great Victoria under the name Frank Williams (it turned out his mother's name was Francis Williams). All these facts came to light only in the last few years. He settled Iin Mackay Queensland, working as a cooper (barrel-maker) and maintaining a Welsh origin till his death in 1913. His origins and ultimate story made a fascinating tale which I have told in a book, Coan the Cooper. I am Paul at paulcoanwilliams.com and paulcoanwilliams@gmail.com