Hi Jean There are many different sites online . Just a quick search and I found the following: Convict Database ELLAM, Thomas Convict No 6865 Ship Name Merchantman (Journey 1) Ship Arrival Date 16 Feb 1863 Birth Date 1842 Marital Status Unmarried Occupation labourer Literacy lit Religion RC Sentence Date 1858 Sentence Place Leeds Sentence Province York Sentence Country England Length of Sentence 8yrs Crime larceny Ticket of Leave Date 14 Mar 1863 Certified Freedom Date 8 May 1871 Certified Freedom Place Newcastle Known Areas Perth, Vasse, Wellington, Guildford, Victoria Plains, Toodyay Comments Labourer, gardener, general servant, quarryman, wood cutter, well sinking. This info is from the Freemantle Prison site http://www.fremantleprison.com.au/Pages/Convict.aspx You can also try these http://www.coraweb.com.au/convict.htm There is an Australian convict group on rootsweb that you can join and they are very helpful. It states his certificate of freedom was granted in Newcastle..... I assume Newcastle NSW ( where I am !) so you can also look at NSW State Archives- which are really good http://www.records.nsw.gov.au/state-archives/indexes-online and as he may have married or died in NSW you need to search the BMD'S as well http://www.bdm.nsw.gov.au/ Good luck with your search Terese Hunter Valley NSW On Thu, Mar 4, 2010 at 9:38 AM, jean and terry <[email protected]> wrote: > We now have the distinction of discovering a convict ancestor.  Thomas Ellam > started off with minor misdemeanors and this is documented in Huddersfield > Examiner and Chronicle.   At 13 he removed a canvas cover from a stall and > sold it - got 1 month in Wakefield prison.  Then he took 1s from an 8 year > old child who was shopping with it. - He 2-3 months.  Next crime was to > steal 3 grates and sell them, he got 6 months (all before he was 15).  Then > he stole some clothing for sale - Housebreaking and was sentenced to 4 years > transportation.  He returned, couldn't get work, family disowned him and he > stole some fish.  Got 8 years transportation.  He is convicted 19 Oct 1858 > but he departs for Western Australia (which was the last place to take > convicts) 10 Oct 1862.  Now I wonder if he is deemed to have served 4 years > prior to departure and then another 4 years on arrival. > > If I was him I wouldn't return to UK after completing sentence so can anyone > suggest where I start looking for Austrlian records.  I haven't needed to > before now.   We arrived here quite legally but I do live in the outback > without access to Records in the Family History Societies or Library in the > City.. > > Jean in S. Australia. > > > > > Some useful websites - > FREECEN - http://www.freecen.org.uk/ > FREEBMD - http://freebmd.rootsweb.com/ > Want to know where a place in Yorkshire is - Try Genuki > http://www.genuki.org.uk/big/eng/YKS/ > > ------------------------------- > To unsubscribe from the list, please send an email to [email protected] with the word 'unsubscribe' without the quotes in the subject and the body of the message >

Wow. That is amazing. I've just never needed anything from Australia before I knew we had plenty of information but had no idea where to look. It is rather exciting to actually have a convict relative. I will have to focus on this end now. The crime he actually committed was to steal some herrings to eat because he couldn't get work once they realised he was a returned convict (he had 4 years transportation for stealing clothing to sell at age 19) and his parents had enough of him and disowned him. I used to think that once here the convicts could find a better life but obviously he didn't think so on his 1st 4 year visit!!. I think Western Australia, whilst a lovely state didn't have as many opportunities to earn good money as the Eastern States. We travelled to South Western Australia below Perth and I have done a little reading about the settlements there. It wasn't an easy quick money life but it is a beautiful country. I could happily live there if my children were there. Jean in S. Australia. ----- Original Message ----- From: "terese mcgrath" <[email protected]> To: <[email protected]> Sent: Thursday, March 04, 2010 10:36 AM Subject: Re: [WRY] Australian convict records etc. Hi Jean There are many different sites online . Just a quick search and I found the following: Convict Database ELLAM, Thomas Convict No 6865 Ship Name Merchantman (Journey 1) Ship Arrival Date 16 Feb 1863 Birth Date 1842 Marital Status Unmarried Occupation labourer Literacy lit Religion RC Sentence Date 1858 Sentence Place Leeds Sentence Province York Sentence Country England Length of Sentence 8yrs Crime larceny Ticket of Leave Date 14 Mar 1863 Certified Freedom Date 8 May 1871 Certified Freedom Place Newcastle Known Areas Perth, Vasse, Wellington, Guildford, Victoria Plains, Toodyay Comments Labourer, gardener, general servant, quarryman, wood cutter, well sinking. This info is from the Freemantle Prison site http://www.fremantleprison.com.au/Pages/Convict.aspx You can also try these http://www.coraweb.com.au/convict.htm There is an Australian convict group on rootsweb that you can join and they are very helpful. It states his certificate of freedom was granted in Newcastle..... I assume Newcastle NSW ( where I am !) so you can also look at NSW State Archives- which are really good http://www.records.nsw.gov.au/state-archives/indexes-online and as he may have married or died in NSW you need to search the BMD'S as well http://www.bdm.nsw.gov.au/ Good luck with your search Terese Hunter Valley NSW On Thu, Mar 4, 2010 at 9:38 AM, jean and terry <[email protected]> wrote: > We now have the distinction of discovering a convict ancestor. Thomas > Ellam > started off with minor misdemeanors and this is documented in Huddersfield > Examiner and Chronicle. At 13 he removed a canvas cover from a stall and > sold it - got 1 month in Wakefield prison. Then he took 1s from an 8 year > old child who was shopping with it. - He 2-3 months. Next crime was to > steal 3 grates and sell them, he got 6 months (all before he was 15). Then > he stole some clothing for sale - Housebreaking and was sentenced to 4 > years > transportation. He returned, couldn't get work, family disowned him and he > stole some fish. Got 8 years transportation. He is convicted 19 Oct 1858 > but he departs for Western Australia (which was the last place to take > convicts) 10 Oct 1862. Now I wonder if he is deemed to have served 4 years > prior to departure and then another 4 years on arrival. > > If I was him I wouldn't return to UK after completing sentence so can > anyone > suggest where I start looking for Austrlian records. I haven't needed to > before now. We arrived here quite legally but I do live in the outback > without access to Records in the Family History Societies or Library in > the > City.. > > Jean in S. Australia. > > > > > Some useful websites - > FREECEN - http://www.freecen.org.uk/ > FREEBMD - http://freebmd.rootsweb.com/ > Want to know where a place in Yorkshire is - Try Genuki > http://www.genuki.org.uk/big/eng/YKS/ > > ------------------------------- > To unsubscribe from the list, please send an email to > [email protected] with the word 'unsubscribe' without the > quotes in the subject and the body of the message > Some useful websites - FREECEN - http://www.freecen.org.uk/ FREEBMD - http://freebmd.rootsweb.com/ Want to know where a place in Yorkshire is - Try Genuki http://www.genuki.org.uk/big/eng/YKS/ ------------------------------- To unsubscribe from the list, please send an email to [email protected] with the word 'unsubscribe' without the quotes in the subject and the body of the message