It is the individuals of England, Scotland, Wales and Ireland who interest us as genealogists. Here are just some of the major Irish collections in the AJCP where details of convicts and free settlers alike can be found.
The National Archives of Ireland
Each register is divided into male and female convicts, and each section is subdivided by county. The registers give details of each convict, including age, crime and sentence. While the Ireland-Australia Transportation database can be searched on the National Archives of Ireland site and several Convict indexes are available through NSW State Archives, if one has the year and county the person can be found in these registers.
A second series covers Prisoners' Petitions and Cases, 1788 - 1836, there are also some Fenian photographs from 1866.
Another series has Free Settlers' Papers, 1828 - 1852
Male convicts who served a minimum of four years of their sentence were entitled to request a free passage for a dependent wife and family to join them in the colony. The series include some lists of convicts who requested this privilege, giving details of date of transportation, name of ship, and name and address of wife. There are also some letters written by convicts to their wives.
These comprehensive records about convicts are now fully digitised.
The National Library of Ireland
Browse the huge variety in this collection via the Finding Aid - Guide
Multiple finds within these collections.
Rules and regulations for steerage passengers in 1838,
How did they travel? A plan of accommodation aboard the Roxburgh is followed by
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| https://nla.gov.au/nla.obj-1804227612/view |
The photos below are included in the Papers of General Sir Thomas Larcom, - Letters, memoranda and pamphlets relating to young Irelanders and Fenianism 1861 -1867. Browse the collection then choose set 301- 320 to view the images.
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| https://nla.gov.au/nla.obj-903490680 Papers of General Sir Thomas Larcom, 1859 - 1871 |
Names on photos include:
Duffy, Stephens, Lynam, O'Mahony, O'Keefe, Byrne, Scholfeld, Haltigan, McManus, Moore, O'Leary, O'Regan, O'Connor, Curry, Molony, Bracken, McGillivery, Cook or McCook, Weadick, Power, Doherty, Brophy, Mulcahy, Hayes, Casey, O'Connor, Mulcahy and O'Donovan.
The Royal Irish Academy
Records here contain papers relating to colonial administration in Western Australia 1828-49. One set of interest are those relating to the Roman Catholic mission in Western Australia; the education of Catholic children; and official attitudes towards the Sisters of Mercy.
Public Record Office of Northern Ireland
This collection contains many, many letters of emigrants to their families. Search a family name to determine whether your ancestors wrote home about their voyage or living conditions.
Found amongst this collection
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| Photograph of Thomas Whitson, Isabella Whitson (nee Grant), their children and parents Thomas Whitson (1847-1922) married Isabella Grant at Dunedin in 1876. She had emigrated to New Zealand with her parents in 1870. https://nla.gov.au/nla.obj-2741995030/view |
All Hallows College Dublin
The largest set of records here refer to:
Correspondence dealing with overseas missions, concluding with batches of letters arranged chronologically in groups of twelve with a summary note at the beginning of each group. These summary notes give the name of each correspondent, the date of the letter and its subject. The bulk of the correspondence consists of letters from bishops and priests addressed to the College presidents, and records of the ideas as well as the activities of Irish priests in Australia and New Zealand.
These are just some of the significant Irish collections available through the AJCP.
