Speaking of convict ancestors, in 1768 my ancestor, Edward Rylett, who killed some sheep was sentenced to die but instead chose transportation to America where he was sold off the ship for 14 years to pay for his passage. While in Maryland (and not enjoying servitude) he stole a horse and ran away from his master, so got a nice write-up in both the Pennsylvania Gazette and the Virginia Gazette. Even though he was returned to his Master, the Rev. War came along and he was able to join the American Army and gain his freedom. When we read the court papers from the trial (at the PRO in London) we found that he and his friend planned to kill the sheep in order to get transported to the Colonies. They didn't like being in the Army in England!! I am still trying to prove that he was originally from the Rylett family in Lincolnshire. I can't find his papers when he joined the Army. Peter Wilson Coldham, The Complete Book of Emigrants in Bondage 1614-1775 (Baltimore: Genealogical Publishing Company,1988), p. 696. RYLETT, Edward. Sentenced to transportation for killing sheep, Lent, Reprieved for transportation, 14 yrs. Summer 1768. Berkshire. The Pennsylvania Gazette 12 March 1772. Sixty Pounds Reward. Run away from the subscriber [Edward STEVENSON], living on Little Pipe Creek, in Frederick county, Maryland, the 5 following servant men, viz. Edward RYLOT, about 5 feet 6 or 7 inches high, pale yellow countenance, straight black hair, black eyes; he had one of his ancles put out of place, and very bad foreshins, about 27 years of age. [The other four were John POLLARD, John BISSEY, William NORRIS and Henry WITMORE.] Gwen Boyer Bjorkman gwenbj@seanet.com -----Original Message----- From: Sandra Ferguson [mailto:ferg@ntelos.net] Sent: Tuesday, July 18, 2006 9:34 AM To: PA-OLD-CHESTER-L@rootsweb.com Subject: [PaOldC] Irish emigration In looking for Irish ships/passengers, etc I was surfing the British Bondage CD and was knocked over to discover that between 1614 and 1776, there were over 45,000 documented names of British convicts sentenced to transportation to the American Colonies....geez, that's a LOT of people forcefully shipped to the New World! I looked through the convict ships ports of embarkation, and only one, even of these ships, was in Ireland. Apparently prisoners were convicted, sentenced, loaded onto ships in Ireland and taken to England (English courts, ships and English captains), before they departed for the new world...... I'd be really interested in anything anyone knows on ships that were actually Irish ships....and came to the New World.....a fascinating subject. S.