Most of the information in the Convict database of History Services NSW is not available from any other Internet source. Your research is not complete until you have consulted History Services NSW.
History Services NSW has indexed over a half a million items of information on the 85,000 convicts who arrived between 1788 and 1849 in New South Wales (and Victoria, Queensland and Tasmania prior to their legal separation from New South Wales colonial administration).
To receive a free check of the type of information that History Services has on your New South Wales convict ancestor please email the
(A) name of the convict,
(b) name of transport ship, and
(c) year of arrival, to History Services.
We will promptly reply to your email, and then you may use the Order Form to get a Result of Search which will contain full details of the information and references held.
Email: click here
The information in the Convicts Database has been built up from
the following sources:
1. Shipping Indents
2. All notices on convicts
published in the Sydney Gazette from 1811 to 1831 and the NSW Government Gazette
from 1832 to 1870 relating to:
Assignments
Abscondments from service and apprehensions
Tickets of Leave
Certificates of Freedom
Conditional and Absolute Pardons
Reward notices
Colonial convictions
Intestate estates
3. Documents from the State Records NSW relating to:
Tickets of Leave (including details of legible notations on each Ticket)
Applications to marry (1826 -1851)
Convict marriages
Convict deaths (1828 -1879)
Convict reports
Colonial convictions and punishments
Assignments to service and removal to various colonial settlements
Hyde Park Barracks Court Letter Book 1842-1848
4. Convict references in numerous journals, books, published local histories, musters and census information.
For
a fee of AU$30 per search, History Services will
undertake a search of the Convicts Database for a nominated convict.
In order for your convict to be identified, you must provide the name of
the convict transport ship and the year of arrival.
To see a complete listing of Convict Transport Ships to New South Wales and
their date of arrival, click here.
You will receive a Result of Search by email in the following format which
summarises all the information held on the convict including the source
reference(s).
Sample Results of Searches
For the "Result of Search" for the Convict Daniel Alone, click
here
(PDF)
For the "Result of Search" for the Convict Catherine Bean, click here (PDF)
or the "Result of Search" for the Convict Thomas Collison, click here (PDF)
Should a search be unsuccessful
you will be advised by email.
By ordering a search of the Convicts Database you acknowledge that you have read
and accepted the Terms and Conditions.
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Chain Gang NSW - to see the original image, click
here.
Convict Uniform
The convict uniform was known as the "magpie".
This particular uniform is the only one known in existence and is in the
National Library of Australia.
Read
more
Ticket of Leave
Right: Hugh Murdock's Ticket of Leave [1829] which is still in the files of the
NSW Colonial Secretary in Sydney, signed but never delivered because of Tocal's
convict revolt over sugar and milk.
Read
more
History Services NSW will consider undertaking further searches of its databases to accommodate any special research requests. Please email your request.
Kevin McGuinness
© HISTORY SERVICES NSW