founders and survivors

[kylejustin]

for anyone with convict links to tasmania:

http://foundersandsurvivors.org/

the site is run by volunteers researching 19th century convict populations that were deported to tasmania. they are aiming to discover what happened to each convict, their life story. apparently most vanish after 1840, and leave little trace. learning about the fortunes that were bestowed on former criminals is a special interest they are undertaking, they do wonder if good fortunes descended down the family lines.

[merleyone]

Many thanks for this link. I have found a second cousin five times removed who I did not know had been transported for 7 years. He was born at Berwick upon Tweed in 1807 and I already knew he had joined the Royal Artillery before 1828. He was a Freeman of Berwick in 1828 and their records referred to him being in Australia as late as 1859, then NZ in 1882 and 1889 but no details apparent for him and he did not show in any UK census. I found him in 1847 as one of the first assisted passengers to NZ and that he eventually became a Tidewaiter in Dunedin plus his late marriage there and 3 children's births but no sign of any Australian presence. Thanks to you, I now know that he was convicted of the theft of a watch in 1829 in Edinburgh, hence winning a free trip to Oz! He must have returned to the UK as he sailed from Greenock to NZ in 1847 on the Philip Laing and died there in 1881. Nobody told the Berwick Freemen however, who continued to list him in the Freemens Rolls of 1882 & 1889.
All I need to do now is find out where he was and what he was doing between his release in 1836 and his migration to NZ in 1847.
Many thanks again for the link which has provided another piece of the jigsaw!

merleyone

[kylejustin]

glad it helped!

[Loopy Linda in La La Land]

Thanks from me too..thought I couldn't find out any more about my John Prestidge as I have loads and loads...but I did.

Thanks once again

Linda (Prestidge)