Australian Convict records online free until midnight 27th jan

[angelina]

just got email off ancestry saying Australian convict records free until midnight 27 jan

http://search.ancestry.co.uk/search/grouplist.aspx?group=auconvicts&o_xid=54163&o_lid=54163&o_sch=Email

hope it helps someone

[Janet in Yorkshire]

Thanks Angelina - it also allows viewing of some associated records such as criminal registers.

Jay

[Karamazov]

I've found this website useful:

http://www.convictrecords.com.au/

It's free and has records for nearly 80% (ie 125,000 out of approx 160,000) of those transported between 1787-1867.
You can search by surname, by year of transportation or by ship name so it's very flexible.


If you have info re any of the 35,000 not covered on this website there is an Add a Convict option.
it makes for some fascinating reading, especially if you can then track back to the original court case as I was able to do with one of my family twiglets who was convicted at the Old Bailey - http://www.oldbaileyonline.org/



A bit of blurb from the convict records home page:
Convict Facts


Approximately 160,000 convicts were transported to Australia between 1787 and 1867
125,230 convicts (about 78%) are recorded on this website
3,511 contributions have been made to this website since May 2011
603 convicts carried the name John Smith

regards,
Christine