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General => The Common Room => The Lighter Side => Topic started by: coombs on Thursday 24 March 16 14:59 GMT (UK)
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I know many Australians descend from convicts but also descend from free settlers. This also means many UK and Irish people will have those convicts in their tree who were siblings or cousins of direct rellies, or even direct ancestors who either returned to the British Isles or left their family over here.
So far I have found 2 ancestor siblings who were transported to Australia. Edward Childs born 1814 in Essex and Thomas Tanner born 1802 in Toot Baldon, Oxfordshire. I just recently found Thomas Tanner and was pleased to find another convict in the family. Such findings can be a godsend as convicts were well documented, although after they were given a cert of freedom if they did, they can be more difficult to trace.
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I haven't found anyone transported, yet. The key word is yet, there are plenty of siblings in my tree who I haven't managed to find out what happened to them.
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Good for you...I have one or two for Petty Larceny fined a bob or two but none transported to Australia though...still hunting though in the hope I will find one :)
Carol
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Keep plugging away, about 164'000 convicts were transported to Australia inbetween 1788 and 1868. There must have been many of them with 3 or 4 more siblings who remained in the UK so that amounts to about over a million people with direct ancestors who were siblings of these convicts. This must mean Michael Parkinson is not related to any of them lol.
I love ancestors who dabbled with the law, it paints a clearer pic of their lives and gives info on them if they were sent to trial, often reported in newspapers. More so if convicted and sent to Australia.
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None that I've found, although it may explain what happened to a few relatives that seemed to disappear off the face of the earth. Time to look into some Australian records I think.
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None that were transported. I've got regular criminals who went to (short-term) prison and did some hard labour. From Rootschat members' posts, I've spotted downlines of people who appear on my tree including a couple of lads who went out to Canada via some assisted programmes, for their "betterment" and somebody else whose husband was actually transported. But none of these were my direct upline.
Lads were my G-gm's brothers; man transported was my GGG-gf's sister's husband.
Generally, mine stuck to petty criminality and naughtiness. Being away from large cities, maybe there was less pressure to ship them out.
I'm not really confident about finding people who went abroad, in the main, so if I can't find people in England then I tend to drop it. I just find people who did go abroad from the posts of others - and - one "lucky find" I discovered in trove.au where my GGG-gm's brother married and left for a new life and his wife lived so long her local paper did an article on her, which was then available to me when it popped up in a search.
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Being born and bred in South Australia, the only free state with no convict origins, I did not expect to find any in my direct ancestry. I have found two, in the same line, both of whom came to SA from Tasmania after receiving their freedom. Have to agree with Coombs, their convict history is well documented, right down to their physical appearance and immediate family in England; it's been hard to find out how and when they came to SA.
I often wonder if they knew each other in Tasmania, but they were in different locations. It is hard to believe that one's daughter married the other's son, in another state, yet they were both convicts. Perhaps they met on the boat to SA.
Now if I can only find Daniel Wood's death; he seems to have disappeared from the face of the earth. A lot of SA records from country areas never made it to the registrar unfortunately.
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My direct count is 6, with 4 of them being from the one (Irish) family. Parents and one brother to my mum's grandfather who had been 'exported' a year prior; my Billy Blue and his wife who married after they met in Sydney. interestingly, GGF got his pardon and left Australia, then committed some other minor crime so he could get sent back!
One or two of Billy's daughters married convicts too.
And then there was mum's other grandfather who had a very short (3 days!) career as a bushranger in New South Wales.
::) ::) ::) ::)
Dawn M
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In 2007 when I was in Australia I went to Wollongong to do a skydive, and I had not idea that my 5xgreat uncle lived there for years as a convict. Now that Anc has a free Easter weekend I can do some hardcore research on this man.
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Not discovered any who were transported .......yet!!!
There are two others with definite convictions - one in the 1870's and one during WW2.
There must be more so I will keep looking.
Dorrie
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Quite a few convicts amongst my extended family. My direct ancestors seem to have been a well-behaved bunch. Apart from one, a baker who was fined for selling underweight loaves of bread.
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I've only found one convict who was transported, she was the sister of my 2 x g.grandfather. His mother, my 3 x g.grandmother was also convicted of accepting stolen goods (from the one who was transported) but at the age of 65 she wasn't transported, just sent to prison for 6 months with hard labour. It didn't seem to have done her much harm as she lived until she was 85.
I haven't found any other convicts who were deported. It's possible that one of my g.grandfather's was convicted of petty theft whilst drunk and fined, but as I haven't managed to find evidence of my g.grandfather before 1884, the newspaper reports could have been about another man with the same (very common name).
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Thomas Tanner was my 5xgreat uncle, brother of my 4xgreat granny. Transported in 1827 to Aus.
Edward Childs was my 5xgreat uncle, brother of my 4xgreat granny. Transported in 1837 to Aus.
Thomas was done for horse stealing and Edward for maiming. I found Thomas on the 1828 NSW census on a hulk in Sydney dock, he was then sent to Wollongong. Edward ended up in Port Macquarie.
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I've found several distant relatives who were transported, but also two direct ancestors who were sentenced to transportation, albeit only one got transported. ;D John Easterby was sentenced to 14 years transportation in August 1814 for receiving stolen goods (a quantity of rope, he was a ropemaker by trade). He died in Sydney in 1844, whether his five children, all of whom remained in the UK (as have all my subsequent ancestors as well as myself), ever knew what had happened to him I've no idea (nobody in recent generations knew anything about it that's for certain). The youngest was only a couple of months old when he was transported. I've managed to find all the relevant documents on him which helped confirm he was my ancestor, but one of these days I shall have to spend some money to try and get a readable copy of a petition he made to the Colonial Secretary. Unfortunately the copy on ancestry is albut unreadable because it is so feint. I suspect he was petitioning for something, but would like to know what. :-\
Another direct ancestor was sentenced to 10 years transportation in 1845 for stealing a sheep, he never made it to Australia (they were still transporting at that time) but spent five years on a prison hulk and died in an army camp in Kent in 1850. He was 55 years old when he was sentenced and from all accounts not in particularly good help, so probably the reason they didn't ship him to the colonies. Its amazing he managed to survive 5 years on the prison hulks at Woolwich considering the conditions on them. :-X
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I have neglected to mention the brother of my wife's 4x great grandfather. He was transported for fraud (not his first offence) in 1822. Once again, hard to trace after his sentence was served. I have a feeling he may have changed his name to Samuel, but this is only supposition.
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Yes, you would think convicts were easy to trace even after they were given a cert of freedom and maybe mentioned in obituaries when they died and such but not always so, they were probably on the same level as free settlers. After they got their freedom cert they lead a simpler life and a humbler life. I am still trying to find out when my Edward Childs got married as I did find his asylum record at Parramatta and it said he was a widower.
I think even though they could return to the British Isles after serving their sentence, very few convicts did so, maybe the enormous 10000 mile journey or they liked the warm environment too much.
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I remember reading somewhere that the cost of returning was prohibitive. That's probably why so many free settlers received assisted passage.
Plus so many freed convicts ended up marrying, despite having left a wife or husband in England.
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In 2007 when I was in Australia I went to Wollongong to do a skydive, and I had not idea that my 5xgreat uncle lived there for years as a convict. Now that Anc has a free Easter weekend I can do some hardcore research on this man.
I used to live there!! 8)
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I've found several distant relatives who were transported, but also two direct ancestors who were sentenced to transportation, albeit only one got transported. ;D John Easterby was sentenced to 14 years transportation in August 1814 for receiving stolen goods (a quantity of rope, he was a ropemaker by trade). He died in Sydney in 1844, whether his five children, all of whom remained in the UK (as have all my subsequent ancestors as well as myself), ever knew what had happened to him I've no idea (nobody in recent generations knew anything about it that's for certain). The youngest was only a couple of months old when he was transported. I've managed to find all the relevant documents on him which helped confirm he was my ancestor, but one of these days I shall have to spend some money to try and get a readable copy of a petition he made to the Colonial Secretary. Unfortunately the copy on ancestry is albut unreadable because it is so feint. I suspect he was petitioning for something, but would like to know what. :-\
Another direct ancestor was sentenced to 10 years transportation in 1845 for stealing a sheep, he never made it to Australia (they were still transporting at that time) but spent five years on a prison hulk and died in an army camp in Kent in 1850. He was 55 years old when he was sentenced and from all accounts not in particularly good help, so probably the reason they didn't ship him to the colonies. Its amazing he managed to survive 5 years on the prison hulks at Woolwich considering the conditions on them. :-X
I did some research last year on female convicts transported to VDL and I found FindMyPast had better criminal records than Ancestry. I did find one FABULOUS petition amounting to pages and pages of signatures of this lady's neighbours pleading for her not to be transported. She had a shop and had basically received and paid for stolen goods off 3 children. On the documents the answer to the plea was that she and some others had to be transported as the gaols were full!!
She had a baby not long after arriving in Australia and from memory she must have been 2 or 3 months pregnant when sentenced as she departed these shores not long after.
** added. I just tried posting it on here but it goes over the 5500 characters allowed. :-\
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I have one who I was very pleased to find. My 4 x GGF - Henry Gentle was born in Stotfold, Bedfordshire in 1795. He was a bit of a character. In 1813, he was convicted of assault and again in February 1830. In April of the same year, he was sentenced to five months hard labour for fowl stealing.
His main claim to fame was that he was involved in the Stotfold riots which took place on the 1st and 2nd of December 1830. He was charged with riotous conduct and felony (He stole a loaf of bread) and when he appeared in Court, he was sentenced to be hung.
Luckily for Henry, his sentence was commuted to 14 years transportation.
He waited at Woolwich for a number of months on the hulk Justicia before boarding the Letitita bound for Australia. The journey is well documented as the sailors mutined during the voyage.
When he arrived at West Maitland, he was allocated to the Dunmore Estate and continued working as a ploughman. There are a number of well documented articles in Trove of him winning ploughing competitions. He received his Ticket of Leave and then had it revoked for disorderly conduct. Even after winning his freedom he can still be found getting in to trouble and appearing in Court.
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1846 - Convicted of drunkeness
1861 - Maliciously pulling down a fence - Case dismissed
1861 - Using threatening language - Case dismised
Although Henry had a wife and children at Stotfold, he married again in Australia, although his wife also appears to have liked a drink.
Henry died as he had lived.
In 1864, Henry and his wife had spent the day in Town - This appears to have included a drink or two. They returned home by crossing the Hunter River in a boat. He landed his wife at the usual place, and took a basket to the top of the bank for her. He then said he would go back and fasten the boat more securely. The wife proceeded to the hut, thinking he would soon follow; but as he did not return in a quarter of an hour she went in search of him. Several times during the night the wife went to the place, and could not find any trace of her husband. Next morning the search was resumed, and Mr. Doyle, senior constable Gordon, and two others dragged the river, and found the body of " Old Harry." the name by which he was generally known - within a short distance of where the boat was fastened
What a life!!
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Sounds like he had a full and eventful life!! ;D
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Not part of Australian royalty yet, but do have an somethingth cousin who is married to someone who is descended from a Cavanaugh who was a sailor on the First fleet - apparently the first first fleeter to set foot on terra australis as he hopped off the row boat and held it steady for Captain Arthur Philip.
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I'm starting to feel a bit deprived that all my law-abiding lot never seemed to feature in any way in the dock, let alone get themselves transported.....
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I did some research last year on female convicts transported to VDL and I found FindMyPast had better criminal records than Ancestry. I did find one FABULOUS petition amounting to pages and pages of signatures of this lady's neighbours pleading for her not to be transported. She had a shop and had basically received and paid for stolen goods off 3 children. On the documents the answer to the plea was that she and some others had to be transported as the gaols were full!!
She had a baby not long after arriving in Australia and from memory she must have been 2 or 3 months pregnant when sentenced as she departed these shores not long after.
** added. I just tried posting it on here but it goes over the 5500 characters allowed. :-\
Thanks for the tip for FindMyPast. I can't see anything obvious that would be the NSW Colonial Secretary's Papers which are on Ancestry. As I only have a Britain sub to FindMyPast, but Worldwide on Ancestry as there is far more on there, it'll have to wait until they have another freebie, assuming I remember to look.
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I'm starting to feel a bit deprived that all my law-abiding lot never seemed to feature in any way in the dock, let alone get themselves transported.....
My father's second cousin who lives in NSW (his grandfather, my great grandmother's brother, emigrated in the early 1900s) wasn't particularly interested that he had Australian royalty in the family, albeit that the daughter was born and remained in the UK so whether John Easterby would be considered Australian royalty remains to be seen. :-\
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I haven't found any, even though there are trees on Ancrusty claiming one of mine was transported.
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What I found curious (coincidental?) is that both of my convict ancestors seem to have married Irish women. I would like to hear others' opinions/thoughts on whether this was because convicts (ex-convicts) and the Irish were both marginalised.
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Also it is the fact you have rellies transported to the other side of the world, far away from their friends and family. I feel closer to ancestor siblings than I do first cousins as siblings of direct rellies are the next best thing to a direct rellie. Most of mine who went abroad went to Oz or America.
Thomas Tanner seemed to do OK as a businessman as he is listed as a timber merchant in Murrurundi in 1869, unless that was his namesake 18 year old son born 1851.
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In the early years of Australia’s colonization people were ashamed to have any ties with convicts but now it’s considered “Australian royalty.” There stories are what makes our history interesting and unique. I'm proud to be descendent from 6 convicts on my direct lines! Times were hard back then and without convicts our great nation would never be what it is today.
My convicts include
- Michael Noy (as many of you would know about already! Was transported age 15 for stealing a donkey)
- James Harvey (transported for stealing a handkerchief)
- Esther James (for stealing 1 locket, 3 necklaces and a watch from her master. She had a real crack at it!)
- John Dodds (transported for burglary, was originally sentenced to hang)
- George Howes (transported for machine smashing)
- Mary Bevitt (transported for forging a bank note)
The best stories are always the ones ancestors tried to hide in my opinion!
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I read that some convicts hoped to be transported as it was a huge opportunity for them, to live in Australia. I am very pleased to have 2 convicts in my tree, much better than always finding many 5xgreat uncle Fred's and Johns and Thomas' who were born, married, always lived and then died in the same village.
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I read that some convicts hoped to be transported as it was a huge opportunity for them, to live in Australia.
That sounds just like some potential distant relatives who claimed their ancestor in the 1700s intentionally got themselves arrested for theft so that he would get shipped to the US. Considering all the other possible punishments, I've always tended to think that was wishful thinking by somone who didn't like the fact their ancestor was a convict of any sort. ::)
In the 1830s the punishment for sheep stealing was death, albeit I think most were commuted to transportation for life, but I do wonder how realistic anyone suggesting their ancestor deliberately got themselves transported was but am happy to stand corrected. ;D
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My great grandad was convicted of serving a short pint & fined £4
Transportation was too good for him...
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My great grandad was convicted of serving a short pint & fined £4
Transportation was too good for him...
;D ;D ;D ;D ;D
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My 3xGreat Grandfather was convicted at the Old Bailey of stealing two speciality cheeses. He worked on the docks in the City of London as a carpenter. He was let off with a slap on the wrists after a number of good character references and no previous known bad behaviour. He told the judge he didn't remember how he came by the cheeses because he was very drunk at the time. ;D A few year's later he was found face down in the Thames one morning drowned after a night on the town with friends and family, including his father who at the time was in his 70s. Suffice to say, he didn't learn his lesson from the early run in with the demon brew. His father outlived all of his children, only two survived to adulthood from his first two marriages and the other son fell off a post coach in Lichfield. Still have no idea what a East End lad was doing in Lichfield when his wife and kids were in St George in the East. The death predated Civil Registration, the circumstances of death were entered in the burial register but from what we were told by the Record Office in Lichfield, none of the local papers have survived for the period unfortunately.
My Aunt's ancestor was convicted along with his son in law of Horse Stealing, not just on one occasion they appear to have had quite a lucrative trade going in stolen horses. At the time that normally involved transportation, he only got 12 months imprisonment and I think the SIL got two years from memory. Why? He was the illegitimate son of a wealthy family and judging by the newspaper reports of the trial, it was made known to the judge so it looks like family connections got him off lightly. ::)
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I read that some convicts hoped to be transported as it was a huge opportunity for them, to live in Australia.
That sounds just like some potential distant relatives who claimed their ancestor in the 1700s intentionally got themselves arrested for theft so that he would get shipped to the US. Considering all the other possible punishments, I've always tended to think that was wishful thinking by somone who didn't like the fact their ancestor was a convict of any sort. ::)
In the 1830s the punishment for sheep stealing was death, albeit I think most were commuted to transportation for life, but I do wonder how realistic anyone suggesting their ancestor deliberately got themselves transported was but am happy to stand corrected. ;D
People did during the famine in Ireland. At least they committed crimes knowing they would probably be transported but it's likely they weren't all thinking that far ahead, getting fed in prison would be an attraction itself, however some were see bottom of page 20 (by his numbering, 23 by my computer) and page 22/25
http://eprints.maynoothuniversity.ie/5096/1/Patrick_Butler_20140623100109.pdf
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I have a relative that could have been, except I think he was a bit late! He first appeared in NZ during the Gold Rush in 1872, last appeared before that in Scotland 1861 census as an 18 yr old AG Lab.
No Passenger listing found for him.
He went on to become a wealthy landowning farmer, the properties are still in the family! Maybe he went to the Oz Gold Rush first, then hotfooted it here!
When I was talking to one of his direct descendants in NZ , I asked him if he knew how he had got here, his laughing answer was " he was a bad old b*gger, probably got deported"!
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I read that some convicts hoped to be transported as it was a huge opportunity for them, to live in Australia. I am very pleased to have 2 convicts in my tree, much better than always finding many 5xgreat uncle Fred's and Johns and Thomas' who were born, married, always lived and then died in the same village.
I've never heard this one before!! How would they even know what Australia was like?
Whoever arrived in Australia and the US before that must have been really fit. The archivist at Lancaster Castle/gaol told me that convicts had to walk in shackles to the hulks, then live in them sometimes for months then face that dreadful journey to Oz. Only the fittest would survive that. The women didn't have to walk as they were felt to be the weaker sex so they were sent down in carts.
It was only through doing research last year on female convicts that I became aware that Bermuda was a penal colony, though rather than populate it with British and Irish stock no women were ever sent there, the men were there to do hard labour building a Navy Dockyard and when they'd served their time were shipped back home.
It's a very interesting subject.
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They were sent to the Caribbean as virtual slaves after the Monmouth Rebellion.
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Mine is pretty unique? in that I have 2 in my paternal line. Father and son. George (stole a pig) was sent to Tassie and the son William (stole watches then tried to sell them) to NSW. William lived until 1888 but his dad died not long after arriving in Tassie (late 1830's), unfortunately.
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My convicts so far are: James Lord, James Smith (step relation), Charles Lane, Charles Ledgerwood, William Waldren Johns, William Ledgerwood and Maria Coverley.
William Bidgood fathered one of Maria's children before she married James Lord (so he is not blood related).
And maybe Maria Riseley ??? ??? ???
Mostly all petty theft. The Ledgerwood brothers went for the hat trick, but the third brother was acquitted.
Watched the final of "Banished" on DVD last night. Will have to find the old thread on that. They all looked remarkably well nourished ???
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In July 1824 my ancestor Edmund King omitted his grandson Thomas Tanner from his will. He said to my daughter Susannah and her children except Thomas "Whom I leave nothing". Thomas was about 21 in 1824 and in early 1825 was said to be selling goods under false pretences in Oxford City, and was of Toot Baldon. 2 years later was when Thomas was transported to Australia. Seems he had lead a criminal lifestyle for a while before being transported to Australia.
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Very disappointingly, none. The worst conviction I have found is for "furiously driving" through the Market place in his horse and trap.
I'd be off to polish my halo were it not for the fact I have a 3x bigamist who never got caught..........
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How wonderful to have convict ancestors in Australia, the records there are so well kept and easy to research. Photos too!!
I am trying to find out what happened to an ancestor transported to the tobacco plantations of Virginia and the Americas....... but it seems to me that era is regarded as too shameful in America, and it is really tough trying to dig up any information although there are a few fascinating books that give an overview.
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I read that some convicts hoped to be transported as it was a huge opportunity for them, to live in Australia. I am very pleased to have 2 convicts in my tree, much better than always finding many 5xgreat uncle Fred's and Johns and Thomas' who were born, married, always lived and then died in the same village.
I've never heard this one before!! How would they even know what Australia was like?
Whoever arrived in Australia and the US before that must have been really fit. The archivist at Lancaster Castle/gaol told me that convicts had to walk in shackles to the hulks, then live in them sometimes for months then face that dreadful journey to Oz. Only the fittest would survive that. The women didn't have to walk as they were felt to be the weaker sex so they were sent down in carts.
It was only through doing research last year on female convicts that I became aware that Bermuda was a penal colony, though rather than populate it with British and Irish stock no women were ever sent there, the men were there to do hard labour building a Navy Dockyard and when they'd served their time were shipped back home.
It's a very interesting subject.
Though it was panned, I quite enjoyed this:
https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Banished_(TV_series)
(Apologies if it was mentioned earlier in the thread).
I agree that they would not have had much idea of what they were in for. I doubt that much/any of it was good, though some did become successful.
Free settlers may have been spun stories of opportunity to encourage immigration in order to build the colony. I would not be surprised if many of them found it did not live up to their expectations, and promises of a better life may not have been attainable - with costs to return home out of the reach of most.
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I totally agree Ruskie, it must have been really grim for the first lot sent out there, though I suppose it got "better" later when they had actual buildings and such like.
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I have 5 ... And of yet I've only traced my paternal line, so more may be awaiting discovery.
4 of those convicts are very early - 1790s - and the child of one set of convicts married the daughter of the other set.
The other was transported later and married an Irish immigrant woman.
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4 of those convicts are very early - 1790s - and the child of one set of convicts married the daughter of the other set.
I guess perhaps it isn't so surprising that convicts mixed with, and married, other convicts?? ;)
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Well it's a little darker than that because in one case she was assigned to him from the "female factory" in Paramatta.
This doesn't mean she didn't choose it though, because contemporary accounts talk about new arrived convict women angling to be assigned to good prospects, who had been pardoned and had land.
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My Australian born husband has seven direct ancestors who arrived as convicts, & it has been a great learning experience for me as a recent (1967) migrant to find out so much Australian history!
John Tarlington arrived in 1791, he married Mary Ryan,(arrived 1832). George Thornton arrived in 1816, his wife & family followed him out. William Clutton arrived 1817, & lived with one of George's daughters. John Purnell arrived 1830, he married Elizabeth Clarke, who arrived 1838. Christmas Long arrived in 1848.
They were all transported for various thefts for seven years. George Thornton, a pickpocket from Dublin served as a police constable in Sydney! Most of them seemed to do quite well in the new country, & how I would love to speak to them about their lives! Cheers, :D Anne
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Anneatki: how fabulous! :D I really envy you having so much material to work on.
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At last! I've found a "baddie" - well, sort of..... in OH's lot (of course) he stole a horse and got 7 years in jail .... but in Britain, so doesn't really qualify.
And there I was, thinking all our ancestors were born with halos, and spent what could have been a mis-spent youth diligently polishing those halos.
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I have several people in my tree who fell foul of the law, but most were only cousins of some sort.
However one of my ggggg grandfathers was sentenced to 7 years' transportation for the theft of 42lb of cotton from a barge. The master of the barge was convicted too.
However, he didn't get a trip to the antipodes; the Napoleonic Wars meant that he spent his years on the hulks at Portsmouth.
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I haven't found one yet though there is a question in the family , why did great great grandpa come here .... Thinking the session records of Carmichael will tell me what he was running from.... And were we just basic heathen we could get away with leaving so little trace behind?... I know the family a bit sceptical of the whole idea of government still ... Even though not being on paper stops the clock it still tells a story ....we was not the first to bend a knee. A bellendein !!
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2 years ago I could not find any convicts in my FH so far but now I have found 2 and both were siblings of direct ancestors. And both sent to Oz.
So I may have cousins in Erinsborough and Summer Bay. ;D ;D
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When I was a little boy, my mum told me, somewhat shamefacedly, that there was a convict in our family - on her mother’s side.
The one Mum knew about - her mum’s paternal grandfather - was transported to New South Wales in 1828. What she didn’t know about was that there were another other six, with the result that her own mum was from 100% convict stock. Mum would have died of shame.
And Dad, from proud Scottish roots... I think Dad knew nothing of his mother’s forebears (perhaps because he was only three when she died, or perhaps because it was probably a secret kept firmly inside his dad’s in-laws’ closet).
Dad’s mum was okay on the paternal side - pure, unadulterated commoners. But Dad’s maternal grandmother was pure convict stock - seven of them.
If we still had the sensibilities of sixty years ago, I’d have a closet full of hidden horror and a permanently bowed head. But we don’t - so now I can skite about ‘em!
Now, if only the non-convicts were as easy to trace...
Cheers, Peter
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Haven't confirmed he was a convict but only cause the police didn't wait, great uncle accidentally shot by s member of Vancouver city police in 1937...I guess he was aiming for his back and got him I. The head kind of accident...
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A most interested thread.
My third great grandfather, George Chatterley, had hung off my tree for several years until I received an e-mail from an Aussie researcher asking whether a convict in Tasmania of the same name and with apparently similar birth date and place might be him. I didn't know but adding what the Aussie already had to what I was able to discover here in Emgland we were able to conform that they were one and the same.
He had been convicted in 1817 of "having in his possession forged banknotes". Unfortunately some idiot at Warwick Assizes had destroyed the court records many years ago but the Bank of England Archive was able to fill in some of the blanks and further research uncovered a forgery ring which ha operated in Birmingham since at least 1806. One or two members were hanged but the majority were transported for 14 years. George died in Tasmania in September 1822. Although we uncovered a burial certificate we have never been able to determine the cause of his death. His wife remarried within two years of his transportation.
Apart from that my family's only apparent claim to criminal fame rests with a distant cousin, a silversmith, sentenced to four years in 1910 for producing his own two bob pieces, apparently on an industrial scale.
Keith
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As said, convicts are well documented and you can find a plethora of records on them but I think you have to resort to Australian BMD registers for ones that were given their cert of freedom unless it was a pretty uncommon surname. Sometimes convicts can be harder to trace after they did their sentence.
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... Be careful! Sounds like forgery runs in the family, Keitht. Check your own entries .... in case you find you've forged them!
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Just the one transported...but quite a few drunks + brawlers (inc.my g.gran)
Jackie
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... Be careful! Sounds like forgery runs in the family, Keitht. Check your own entries .... in case you find you've forged them!
You wouldn't believe how many times I read through that before posting it. Unforgivable for someone who made his living as a wordsmith. I must be getting old.
As said, convicts are well documented and you can find a plethora of records on them but I think you have to resort to Australian BMD registers for ones that were given their cert of freedom unless it was a pretty uncommon surname. Sometimes convicts can be harder to trace after they did their sentence.
Unfortunately Australiam BMD records don't seem to go that far back.
Keith