What Happened To My Convict?!?

[sparrett]

Hi Friends,
 Jap that is a terrific bit of work.  I am going to print it and sticky tape it to the computer so I have a ' ready prompt' to clarify my thoughts as is quite often necessary.
By the way I see your point about Eliza,  She is way out of time line. Thanks.
 
Donna, I suspect that the suburb you are struggling to read is Footscray.  The registrars were fond of smart little abbreviations and the column is narrow.  Trouble is there seems no consistent set- down lexicon for the abbrevations so they just made up their own. It might be Ftc. Ftcy. Footsc.   or other.  As most life events took place there, Footscray is likely.

Jap & genni are best advisers on whether to get the cert.  They are the experts in the  Index and certificate business down here.

I am interested that Phoebe obviously had blood relations in Melbourne.  Heaven knows who they were. It suggests a supportive family circle, but doesn't reveal much else.
We see that Phoebe did not like the solitary life and chose to marry yet again after Thom. died.
 And Donna, I must get you to look at your post in its place on the main board (child board  - Emmigrants to Australia)
Please note that you have FIRE ON THE FOLDER!!  Remember when I said in PM that once they get hold of a convict the Aust. rootschatters will keep going at him to the bitter end.  Great thread!!  xxxSue  

[JAP]

Hi Ratty,

Everything looks like FOOTSCRAY to me.

Cheers,

Moley (sorry, just joking)

[JAP]

Hi Sue,

For anyone who is interested in MANSFIELD ancestry, that is certainly something to be followes up.

JAP

[JAP]

AND A PS:

If that scan is really what the certificate look like, I'd be asking the Vic BDM people for something better.

JAP

[Ratty]

Well Footscray it is then....I guess my attempt at an attachment worked after all!
Donna

[Ratty]

Yes that's what it looks like and what's more that's one of the better ones!
Donna

[JAP]

Donna, I think I'd be hassling the Vic BDM!  Not because I think they've done anything wrong but digitising images is difficult - they go for the average and so, of course, many (darker, lighter, whatever) don't come across too well.  But, usually, the offices concerned are more than happy to provide a better paper image (at no cost) for digital images which are hopeless.

Donna, yes your uploads worked brilliantly (I've never tried one!).  The second one better as far as I'm concerned.

Donna and Sue, hope you have good results from the private correspondence re convicts to which you refer.  And Sue, that the MANSFIELDs and JUDDs (yours?) come good.

And perhaps earlier Sands & McDougalls PO directories might help.

This is a great puzzle!

JAP
PS: As Sue says, the places (and abbreviations) in the Vic Indexes could be anything and can be totally misleading.  Local Registrars seemed to use whatever abbrevations suited them so there's no way there can be a definitive listing.  On another RC thread there was reference to the abbrevation Chil (usually Chiltern in NE Vic as I assumed); but it turned out to be Chilwell near Geelong!!

[sparrett]

Hi
The 'e' on Albon is back again on the cert. Seems to come and go.

Jap, I thought for many years that I had no convict either.  The previous generations was very quiet and ashamed about such connections and it was not revealed to their children, so not to my generation.  It was only through research on the part of a relative that the truth came to light and even then the surviving elderly relatives (ie my father's brothers) have trouble accepting it as truth and do not care to discuss the matter.
 Often the convict was just described to the young as an arrival from Eng. and about 10 years of his life in VDL ignored or not noticed. .
Mine Gerge Cornish, was absolutely incorrigible and continually had his sentence extended for defiance and insubordination.  Eventually settled down and raised a lovely family.  Bit like Thomas.  It is interesting that it is now a claim to fame.
  Thanks for the nice chat.  Sue

[JAP]

Sue,

My lot (terribly proper) were proud of NOT having convict ancestors.  They might have tried harder to find some (given that they were invariably trying to be upwardly moblie) had they realized how fashionable convict ancestry would become in later years.

They used to wave the passage certificates around to prove there were no convicts.

Though my HACKING lot were desperate to claim a connexion with Henry HACKING, a sailor of the First Fleet - of course they didn't know what a rogue he was.

I'd like to find a convict (or two) but - try as I may - I can't!

Even my children's GgUncle John, convicted to transportation for the "gentleman's" crime of forgery and uttering, and on the hulks in 1850, was pardoned and CAME FREE in 1855 on the 'Goldfinder' - and, naturally, became a successful businessman.

Judy