It was quite a few years ago that I first encountered the Irish convict, James Harrison. He was found guilty of stealing copper and sentenced to seven years transportation to Australia. On his arrival in 1823, along with other details, his convict indent recorded that he had several tattoos. There was a crucifix, ‘1801’ and the words ‘man and woman’ on his right arm. On his left arm were the words hope and soldier and the picture of a woman, … Continue reading
It seems a long time since I contributed to the GSQ blog and thought I’d use this post as a catch up with things I’ve done since my previous one. I mentioned earlier this year that, together with a group of others, we researched descendants of Mary Reibey, whose image appears on the Australian $20 note. Mary (Molly) Haydock was only young when she was transported to New South Wales and it was there she married Thomas Reibey in September … Continue reading
This woman’s story started my passion for writing about my family history. I don’t know what her character was like before she was sent out to Australia, but I think she was or became a strong resourceful woman who cared about her family and community. In a strange twist, DNA testing to enhance my family history information, found out that I was not biologically related to her. Nevertheless, I think her story is indicative of many pioneer women whose struggle … Continue reading
Four-year old Catherine Irwin sat in a school room in a slab hut in Newcastle in May 1816. Nearby sat her seven-year-old brother, William and 15 other girls and boys aged from 3 to 13 years. The Irwin children were in Newcastle with their father Ormsby Irwin, a life-term Irish convict, who had been convicted in Sydney for the manslaughter of Sergeant Robert Morrow of the 73rd Regiment. Catherine and William’s mother, Eleanor Irwin who had been convicted of the … Continue reading
For many years Australians regarded convict ancestors with distaste and did their utmost to distance themselves from this part of their ancestry. However, many convicts had a huge impact on the development of Australia; the punishment that was meted out to them, not only in England, but also in Australia, was often incredibly harsh. From my recent research into the lives of three convicts, I think we could argue that these were not all the ‘bad apples’ the English justice … Continue reading
