Hi List, According to my Tasmanian Newspaper Index (1816-1829) the first listing of Ticket of Leaves was published in the Hobart Town Gazette of 19 April 1817. Given the fact that the recording of convict data prior to the mid 1820s is very brief in the surviving records, the Gazette may be the only source of many events relating to convicts. It also is valuable in later years to check the information on convict records. We must remember that it was possible for the clerks in the convict department to make errors. I have seen one convict with a seven year sentence having no convictions in VDL and it being noted on his convict record that he received his Certificate of Freedom 14 years after his arrival. His Certifiate of Freedom was, however, Gazetted seven years after his arrival on the date that he should have become free - meaning the convict clerks in the Convict Department had made an error and picked it up seven years later when recording the freedom of those convicts arriving on the same ship with a 14 year sentence. I have also seen a report in a newspaper of an enterprising convict in the Convict Department who was found guilty of taking bribes to falsify convict recrods. I wonder how much was paid to reduce a life sentence to a seven year sentence. I suppose what I am trying to say is that even though you are looking at a primary document, it is still possible for the contents to be incorrect. Regards, Steve Pearsall ----- Original Message ----- From: "Jeff Arnold" <jeffarnold@optushome.com.au> To: <AUS-TAS-CONVICTS-L@rootsweb.com> Sent: Wednesday, December 07, 2005 10:21 PM Subject: [TAS-CON] ToL in Newspapers > Were Govenment Notices published in the newspapers around 1819 listing the > names of convicts that had just received a ticket of leave or a > conditional pardon. I know that this practice happened in NSW, was it also > common in VDL? > > Jeff > > > ==== AUS-TAS-CONVICTS Mailing List ==== > Visit Jenny Fawcett's Tasmanian Convicts website at > http://www.genseek.net/constas.htm > > ============================== > New! Family Tree Maker 2005. Build your tree and search for your ancestors > at the same time. Share your tree with family and friends. Learn more: > http://landing.ancestry.com/familytreemaker/2005/tour.aspx?sourceid=14599&targetid=5429 > > > -- > Internal Virus Database is out-of-date. > Checked by AVG Anti-Virus. > Version: 7.0.338 / Virus Database: 267.13.9/185 - Release Date: 28/11/2005 > >

Hello List I agree with Steve that you can't take what is written on convict records as verbatim. When I was researching information on the 'Australasia' convicts, I picked up many errors on the records, mainly because I was looking at a ship set of records. For example, one female convict was charged with an offence by an employer (this was written on her conduct record) when she had died 2 years previously (as noted in CON 63). The main problems occurred when there were convicts on the same ship with the same or similar names. Regards Trudy Dr Trudy Cowley List Administrator TAS Convicts Rootsweb List tcowley@bigpond.net.au AUS-TAS-CONVICTS-L@rootsweb.com