List of Convicts with Particulars 1788-1842

Posted by Web Operations on January 30, 2011 in Convicts

Ever wondered where your hairy legs come from? Or perhaps it’s your ruddy complexion, flaxen hair or so-called frugal nature… We often boast about the crimes of our convict ancestors, but with the List of Convicts with Particulars 1788-1842, Australians can now also get a picture of what they looked like. This collection contains information Read More

New South Wales Registers of Convicts’ Applications to Marry 1826-1851

Posted by Web Operations on January 28, 2011 in Convicts

The New South Wales Registers of Convicts’ Applications to Marry 1826-1851 contains more than 40,000 convict applications to wed, including numerous multiple applications made by those whose initial applications were refused. In the early years of the Australian Colony, most marriages followed the publication of banns in a church on three successive Sundays. Convicts did Read More

Convict Savings Bank Books 1824-1886

Posted by Web Operations on January 27, 2011 in Convicts

In his Report of the Commissioner of inquiry into the state of the colony of New South Wales, Commissioner John Thomas Bigge made the recommendation that any money belonging to and brought by the convicts should be taken and deposited into a savings bank account. Prior to this, convicts had been able to retain any Read More

England & Wales Criminal Registers 1791-1892

Posted by Web Operations on January 25, 2011 in Convicts

The England & Wales Criminal Registers 1791-1892 contain records for all 1.4 million criminal trials reported to the Home Office that took place in England and Wales from the late 18th to the late 19th centuries, painting a detailed picture of Britain’s early legal system1. The collection – taken from 279 original paper volumes held Read More

Convict Transportation Registers 1788-1868

Posted by Web Operations on January 24, 2011 in Convicts

The Convict Transportation Registers 1788-1868 include records for most of the 163,021 convicts transported to Australia. The collection – the originals for which are held at The National Archives of England and Wales – includes the four transportation registers spanning the 80 years of convict transportation. Australian Convict Transportation Registers – First Fleet, 1787-1788 Australian Read More

Early convict butts reveal ‘license to play’ for well-performing prisoners

Posted by Web Operations on January 22, 2011 in Convicts

We recently launched online for the first time the more than 42,000 Australian convict records in the NSW Tickets of Leave Butts 1824-1867. The collection includes Registers of Tickets of Leave 1824-1827, which offers prisoner details in ledger format, and Ticket of Leave Butts 1827-1867. The butts were essentially copies of the ‘Tickets’ given to Read More

Support the Premier’s Flood Relief Appeal

Posted by Web Operations on January 18, 2011 in General Announcement

Ancestry.com.au is proud to support Queensland in its efforts to recover from the recent, terrible floods by making  a donation to the Premier’s Flood Relief Appeal. Please join us and show your support by making a donation. Thank you for your support and to our Queensland members, we wish you well. The Ancestry.com.au team

Ancestry Search: Improvements to Basic Search

Posted by Web Operations on January 17, 2011 in Site Features

Why have we changed the search form? Over the past year, we have been working with a wide range of Ancestry members, from some of our most experienced members to relative newcomers. We’ve had a lot of help (including over 10,000 responses to the preview we published in April). Based on this feedback, we’ve been Read More