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Australian Convict Databases

16 Sep By Leave a Comment

When considering the Australian branch of the family; the first question to ask is free settler or transported convict. This blog will concern the various online databases to document convicts.

Convict transportation is important in Irish research is because births places are usually documented. Thus, if you cannot find Irish origins using records where your ancestor immigrated; then look for the relative who was transported.

The main database is “Ireland-Australia Transportation Index (1791-1853)” on the National Archives of Ireland: www.nationalarchives.ie/topics/transportation/search01.html However, be aware many of the transportation records pre-1836 have not survived.

From the Australian side, are sources from which to document the convict after arrival. It has been estimated 40,000 Irish convicts were transported between 1791 and 1853.

The Tasmanian Archives has a “Names Index” comprising several databases: www.linc.tas.gov.au/tasmaniasheritage/search/name-indexes/nameindexes The “Index to Tasmanian Convicts” is a comprehensive index of all convicts transported to Tasmania and those convicted in the colony from 1804-1853 when transportation ceased.

The State Archives collection of New South Wales has a wealth of varied databases on their website under “Indexes Online”: www.records.nsw.gov.au/state-archives/indexes-online/indexes-online This includes “Convict Index” which contains about 120,000 entries combining eight indexes covering 1810-1879. Other databases include “Sentenced Beyond the Seas” which covers Australia’s early convict records (1788-1801) and includes 12,000 names. “Applications to Marry, 1821-51” provides details for parties asking permission to marry. “Convict Exiles, 1849-50” which covers when transportation ceased to NSW in 1842, exiles who had served part of their time in a British penitentiary were granted pardon or ticket of leave on arrival in the Colony from 1846-50. “Convict Pardons, 1791-1873” documents convicts who received life sentences although usually pardoned.

The Internet holds a wealth of information on convicts. Again, it may be among this segment of the population that a birth place in Ireland is preserved.

Ireland-Australia Transportation Records (1791-1853)

19 Sep By Leave a Comment

Whether you have ancestors in Australia or have a branch of your family who went there, the “Ireland-Australian Database (1791-1853)” is a resource you need to be aware. My approach to research is that if you cannot find out where your ancestors were from by using North American, Irish or UK records, then seek out the branch who when elsewhere. If a branch of your family went to Australia, especially a convict, then this database can help you track them down. Within the transportation records you will most likely find some clue as to where the family came from in Ireland.

The Ireland-Australia Transportation Records in this collection are on microfilm at both the National Archives of Ireland)”: www.nationalarchives.ie (NAI). The microfilm are also available at various Australian libraries, and at the Family History Library. The collection includes the following:

  • Transportation Registers (1836-1857)
  • Prisoners’ Petitions and Cases (1788-1836)
  • State Prisoners’ Petitions (1798-1799)
  • Convict Reference Files (1836-1856, 1865-1868)
  • Free Settlers’ Papers (1828-1852)
  • Male Convict Register (1842-1847)
  • Register of Convicts on Convict Ships (1851-1853)

There is an extensive research guide to this collection on the NAI website; as well as a Q&A which can guide you through what exactly can be gleaned from the collection.

The online index to the collection can provide some of the following information: name, alias, sex, age, imprisonment place, trial place, trail date, document date, crime description, sentence, ship, document references, comments (includes discharge date, character references, information about family, and witnesses).

The NAI database can be searched by itself or included in searches with other databases. It is but one of many online to research those transported to Australia as convicts.

Two Little Known Penal Colonies Where Irish Were Sent

7 Jul By Leave a Comment

Court records at the National Library of Ireland:  www.nli.ie detail prisoners who were transported to the penal colonies at Bermuda, Gibraltar and Tasmania (Van Dieman’s Land). Classified as Ms. 3016, this amazing set of transportation records covers 1849-1850. They show the Irish court a person was convicted in, the addresses of friends and relatives, religion and the prisoner’s age. While transportation to Australia is well known, the other penal colonies, including Bermuda and Gibraltar remain relatively unknown.

In Bermuda, the convicts were used for labor in the dockyard and aboard ships anchored in the bay off Boaz Island. Convict labor was also used to build the dockyard and Royal Naval Dockyard on Ireland Island. Conditions were harsh and many prisoners died of yellow fever. This lead to prison revolts and the execution of many of those involved.

The “convict establishment” was closed in 1865. The men were taken to England or carried to Australia on “tickets of leave.” Records documenting the lives of these convicts are in the Assignment Lists and Quarterly Returns of the Hulk Establishments (Series HO11) at the National Archives, Kew: www.nationalarchives.gov.uk The HO series have been indexed on a searchable database on the State Library of Queensland as “Convict Transportation Register Database”: www.slq.qld.gov.au/info/fh/convicts 

The British used prisoners to work on the docks in Gibraltar. They began sending convicts to labor on fortifications in 1842. These prisoners lived on ships in the harbor and were not allowed to associate with the local population. When one escaped the town bells would ring until he was recaptured. They were shipped back to Great Britain and Ireland after their terms expired. 

The history of Irish convicts is both fascinating and heart wrenching at the same time. The reasons people were transported can be both sobering and mindboggling.

Irish Petty Court Session Records

4 Jul By Leave a Comment

A fascinating resource is the Petty Court Session records. These are on microfilm at the Family History Library (FHL): www.familysearch.org and now online and indexed as “Petty Session Order Books, 1851-1910”: www.findmypast.ie  The originals are at the National Archives of Ireland: www.nationalarchives.ie for the Republic of Ireland only. This archive of records covers some 5.2 million cases. The goal of Findmypast is to also digitize the court records for Northern Ireland.

I know it is difficult to find social history for a given townland, which leaves gaps in trying to write about the lives of your ancestors. The Petty Sessions Court records tell the townland the parties were residing, the accusation, and the sentencing. This means you can piece together a very intimate history of your townland by exploring the court cases involving the residents. Remember, townlands are small, and everybody knew everything. Your ancestors would have known about a court case involving the neighbors! Whether it’s theft, violence, or any other seedy activity, the Petty Sessions Court can give you details found no place else.

An area was served by a court seated in a town. A list of the towns can be found on the Findmypast website. You can use the “County” field in the search which brings up everybody with the name you are looking for. At that point, it will give you the details andyou can purchase the entry or look at the FHL microfilm. The index will give you the names of witnesses, defendants and complainant. 

In conclusion, these records are worth your time, not only when looking for a particular person or case, but also when trying to reconstruct the social history of a townland and its people. These are a truly amazing if not seedy source!

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