Category Archives: Australian convicts

An Irish Lass: Catherine Hawe/Howe (1802- 1862).

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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

At School in Newcastle in 1816.

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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

Convict Stories – Life after Transportation

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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

Treasures in the Trove – August 2015

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Our heads, hers blonde and mine brunette, were close together as we concentrated on the computer screen barely centimetres in front of us.  We moved between different websites, focusing specifically on a simple map of the Western World and plotting a journey that had irrevocably set the course for modern Australian history.  “Did they come out on ‘my’ ship?” my niece almost squealed, listening intently as I explained that the Family Tree Chart on the table in front of me … Continue reading