https://convictrecords.com.au/
This is not a bad website, saves a bit of eyestrain and gives you enough info to search in more detail once you get the background info.
Turns out I could probably lay claim to a fair bit of Tasmania, New South Wales and Norfolk Island. One crooked little branch of relatives had 5 sons and 4 of them were transported. My mother is delightfully mortified.
The only one that didn't get transported died at 2 months old.

l.e - 2019-07-14 21:51:00

they use to send news back to family to get themselves out there,it was better life than England,

next-to-normal - 2019-07-19 16:37:00

Thanks for the info I.e. My grandfather was from Tasmania and I used to ask my mother how the family got there. She said his ancestor was probably on the Bench, but it turned out he was on the other side....

Actually, the ancestor featured on the latest Who Do You Think You Are Australia, so that was very interesting. Actually, I quite like finding the black sheep, they're much more interesting than the pillars of society or ag labs.

deecee2 - 2019-07-19 16:54:00

We have a fair few ratbags, including a murderer who was famous. He got acquitted when it is as clear as day that he is guilty.

The one I'm most likely to hang my head in shame about is the one who was a tax collector.

l.e - 2019-07-19 18:46:00

Considering how holier than thou the Aussies are about criminals these days you wouldn’t think they were descended from them. It wasnt that long ago when people were scrambling to unearth convict ancestors.

moviebuff1 - 2019-07-24 22:50:00

It is tragic reading some of the convictions that young men and teenage girls were transported for. Nothing more than a ploy to have Australia populated by men capable of working and women with lots of child bearing years ahead of them. In my family we have a man in his late 40's convicted of rape and he was sentenced to 2 years prison in England. Also a 17 year old girl transported to Australia for stealing a scarf. I hope that scarf was stolen because she needed it to keep warm, not just because it was some bit of frippery that caught her eye.

l.e - 2019-07-25 15:58:00

With me having a great grand father and my wife a grandfather both from Tasmania we both have a fair sprinkling of convicts.
Though her first arrival was a marine and family who looked after the convicts, unfortunately he was paid in rum and that killed him.
But due to the lack of free females a few then came into the family.
Mine got a one way ticket thanks to the theft of a box of socks and pocket knives. One women stole a shilling.
One of the towns in Tasmania has a line of bricks with the name, crime and sentence on the Main Street. ( 60 thousand went through Tasmania)
Worst I saw were two little sisters 9 & 11 stole a pair of shoes, 7 years on the far side of the World.

raf55 - 2019-08-03 19:21:00

raf55 wrote:

Worst I saw were two little sisters 9 & 11 stole a pair of shoes, 7 years on the far side of the World.

Poor little tots.

l.e - 2019-08-03 20:33:00

We have a relative who was sentenced to death at 19 for stealing silver sugar spoons but it was changed to transportation.Have to bear in mine that most offences then were punishable by death. The ruling classes were terrified of rebellion and needed to get rid of all those angry young people..The Empire needed populating so two birds with one stone.

genpat - 2019-08-04 15:48:00

Nothing beats a visit to the Edwin ship museum at Picton and you learn that some of these convicts were children. 8,9, 10 years of age.

kamo631 - 2019-08-04 18:44:00