Convict
Records.
Your main
source of convict records will be NSW State Archives.
Sydney was
the city that governed all of
Australia and Norfolk Island until Tasmania started their own records in 1800.
Then when each State attained statehood and became responsible for their own
records.
NSW State
Archives https://www.records.nsw.gov.au/archives/collections-and-research/results?keywords=Convict
You will see
from the link to NSW Archives there are 99 links to various records for
convicts. One of the records I found most useful was the Colonial Secretary’s
Correspondence. All convicts had to apply to the Governor for tickets of leave,
permission to marry etc. 1788-1828 is searchable on the web site. 1829-1856
there is an index compiled by Joan Reece on microfiche available at most main
libraries and those that hold an ARK kit. If you find any records relating to
your convict you can then apply for a copy using the record number.
The ‘butts’
for Tickets of Leave can be viewed in person at the Society of Australian
Genealogists in person at their library 379 Kent St, Sydney. Online at Find My
Past & Ancestry.
One of the first things you need to determine is: What ship did my convict arrive on? Finding the ship will lead you to the indent record. The indent record will give you lots of information. Usually most, if not all of the following:
It is important to note if the ship has a number in brackets after its name. Many ships made multiple trips. Some ships have Surgeons Journals and you may find mention of your convict in these.
A site to
help find what ship and some other basic information. Covers all convicts.
William Peters
alias Wellard is my convict but for a long time thought the William Wellard
above was my guy.
Clicking on
the names will give you a screen with more details.
He wasn’t 80
years old, he was 40.
Tasmanian records also cover a lot of the convict’s lives.
Some of these aren’t indexed and you will need to look at each page to locate the relevant record.
Other convict records:
http://www.jenwilletts.com/index.htm Mainly for Newcastle and the Hunter
Valley.
http://members.iinet.net.au/~perthdps/convicts/ships.html Details on the convict ships.
Find My Past
and Ancestry have other convict records:
This is one area of research where you might need to use your library to access these records…plan to have plenty of time, lots to go through.
A convict chain gang.
Statehood of Australian States per Wikipedia.
The states originated as separate British colonies
prior to Federation in 1901. The Colony of New South Wales was
founded in 1788 and originally comprised much of the Australian mainland, as
well as Lord Howe Island, New Zealand, Norfolk
Island, and Van Diemen's Land, in addition to the area
currently referred to as the state of New South Wales. During the 19th century,
large areas were successively separated to form the Colony of Tasmania (initially established as a
separate colony named Van Diemen's Land in 1825), the Colony of Western Australia (initially
established as the smaller Swan
River Colony in 1829), the Province of South Australia (1836),
the Colony of New Zealand (1840),[8] the Victoria Colony (1851) and the Colony of Queensland (1859). Upon Federation,
the six colonies of New South Wales, Victoria, Queensland, South Australia,
Western Australia, and Tasmania became the founding states of the new
Commonwealth of Australia.
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