G'day, 1851 - the Gold Rush. His death certificate may show his length of residence in the Australian colonies; also his birth details which may match the two. It was illegal for ex-cons to enter Victoria (until 1972, in fact), so he would have concealed the fact that he was an ex-con. Once you grasp that, you realise you have to be a bit less fussy about proof. Peter THOMAS Darwin, Australia <[email protected]> -----Original Message----- From: [email protected] [mailto:[email protected]] Sent: Wednesday, 10 April 2002 07:25 To: [email protected] Subject: [TAS-CONVICTS] departing Tasmania Hi I am trying to tie up some loose ends in my family tree research. I know James Knapsey (b. 1823) was a convict in Tasmania from 1844-1850. There are no further records of him in Tassie. In 1851 a James Knapsey (b. around 1823) suddenly appeared in Victoria. The Victoria one seemed to offer a variety of stories as to his origins, but none of them mention being a convict. My question is how do I link the two? Are there records of departures from Tasmania or arrivals in Vic? And where do I look? I am fairly sure they are the same person as Knapsey isnt exactly a common name (In fact I think he may have made it up possibly from Knapp), but as I am a bit of a skeptic, I would like proof positive. Thanks Patti