Hi List! I have finally broken through a "brick wall" here in Aus and have now proven my link back to Scotland! Alas, for an Aussie, I am a clean skin, as this link now extinguishes any hope of a convict background to call my own!! It appears, that my gggggf, John Douglas, was a single man - a Cabinet Maker, a member of the Church of Scotland and aged 28 yrs in 1838. His native place on the Shipping records indicate that Elgin was his native place and that his mother, was shown as Jane Leslie (h'keeper same place). His father's name isnt indicated.. However he sailed on the Lady Kennaway and arrived "down under" of his own free will on 12 August, 1838. I have absolutely NO clue where to start looking in Elgin for any records - and I would be appreciative of any tips that people can give me eg websites etc. A nice part of the story was that he met a 21yo lady called Hellen Forsythe on board, and married when they arrived in Sydney in Dec 1838 and had quite a few children! She was from Minerd, Argyle and was a Dressmaker and house servant, in the care of William and Christian Brice. Her parents names are Synclair Forsyth and Catherine ? Again - very little clue where to start! Anyway, it is nice to be able to look at a map of Scotland and know where your ancestors walked before you... Thanking everyone for their assistance! Really is appreciated! Thanks Liz Toowoomba, Queensland, Aus.