Wednesday, 14 April 2021

Love those Libraries - AJCP


A Lengthy List of Libraries

Libraries have always been fundamental in the realm of preserving the information published by our forbears across centuries. Rather than delve into the resources shared by each of these libraries through the AJCP, I have elected to provide snippets of records from random collections. This serves to emphasise the great variety of resources made available through the AJCP but is in no way indicative of the rich resources provided by each of these libraries. 

The links for each library lead to the Finding Aid which provides an overview of that library's collection within the AJCP.

a marriage certificate from the Bodleian
https://nla.gov.au/nla.obj-1067184692/view



An 1875  letter - Difficulty of getting books on birth control in Australia… 'consequences of excessive marital indulgence are most appalling', opposition of clergy


An 1817 outline map of the settlements in N.S.W. from the Cambridge University Library
https://nla.gov.au/nla.obj-2642571621/view


In 1926 the London and National Society for Women's Service established the Women's Service Library which gradually built up a collection of books, periodicals, ephemera, manuscripts, photographs, posters and cartoons relating to most aspects of women's place in society. In 1953 the Society changed its name to the Fawcett Society in honour of Millicent Fawcett. By 1977 it could no longer support the Library and it was transferred to the City of London Polytechnic.

A 1938 pamphlet from the Society for Oversea Settlement of British Women from the Fawcett Library

https://nla.gov.au/nla.obj-1308353670/view

Foreign and Commonwealth Office Library manuscripts of Australian explorers

https://nla.gov.au/nla.obj-806988845/view
Copy of an inscription on Thomas Blossom's tombstone



Many libraries contain collections of personal and business letters.

This one in the Liverpool City Libraries is from Sir James E Smith to W. Roscoe where he provides news of  A. Macleay, leaving to take up post of Colonial Secretary in NSW 'to colonize the country with eleven unmarried daughters and many sons'.

https://nla.gov.au/nla.obj-1423738804/view



If you had persons convicted in 1792 -1794  there's a list of 23 of them but while Anthony Purchase and Riichard Warnbeck were tried for rioting the comments list them as being orderly lads, fit for any service and not thieves.

William Salt Library Staffordshire

The National Libraries

Some items from the National Library of Wales 
  • The Black Books of the Court of Great Sessions in Wales, 1785 - August 1830 
  • Genealogical details of  'The family of Kemeys, Kemmis, Cameys or Camoys' Revised by Lewis G.N. Kemmis, Typescript, 1940
  • Copy of The will of Catherine Welbore Ellis of Marrickville, 1898
Look up the Libraries, lots of links leading to likely treasures.

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Tuesday, 13 April 2021

Kent Archives Office - AJCP


The K selection in the M Series

Many of the County Archives or Record Offices hold collections of prisoners records and here the Kent Archives Office is no exception. 

The Maidstone Gaol records include a Calendar of Prisoners for Trial  at the Maidstone Assizes dated from 1837 - 1853 At the front of each session there is an an alphabetical list of prisoners.


From the records of each session one can view the Name and trade/occupation of prisoner, age, whether they could read and write, who committed the prisoner, the crime of which he/she was accused and the sentence imposed 
https://nla.gov.au/nla.obj-1739588813/view

From this sample in 1841, James Collins was acquitted of receiving the two gowns, value 11s. His wife Mary had stolen these and she was committed to hard labour in the House of Corrections for 2 calendar months.
Patrick Connor however was transported for seven years for stealing two boots, value 20s., the property of Charles Bradford Baird at Chatham.

So your ancestor may not have been a prisoner but may be mentioned as a victim of crime.
But what did happen to those transported? 

Kent Archives also has a Convict book 1805 - 1833 which is a register of convicts, including many sentenced to transportation, giving names, where convicts were sent, and dates of removal.

These are just the first two of many records in the Kent Archives. 

The bulk of the collection is found in family files which include personal papers, diaries, family letters, business correspondence and many genealogical gems such as this 1847 Birth Certificate for  Thomas Winton of Lyndoch, South Australia.

https://nla.gov.au/nla.obj-1740898973/view

If your Coxon family lived in Brisbane here's one of 8 photographs courtesy of the Kent Archives via the AJCP.

https://nla.gov.au/nla.obj-1741192533


Visit the M series to investigate which Counties have archival records available now through the AJCP.


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Monday, 12 April 2021

Journals and Jottings - AJCP


Individual Journals

Within many of the AJCP collections there  are journals written by individuals on the voyages and experiences in the new country. Try the words diary, notebook or journal with a surname to see if one of your ancestors has his/her words recorded for posterity.

Journals written by ships' captains and surgeon superintendents

The Finding Aid to the India Office Library outlines the how and why the East India Company came to supply ships for the transportation of convicts. An excerpt:
After about 1795, a growing number of East Indiamen were charted to bring convicts, free settlers, provisions and other goods to New South Wales (and occasionally Tasmania). After visiting Port Jackson, the ships invariably sailed to China or India where they loaded tea, textiles and other goods before returning to Britain.

The ships' journals, logs and related records available here date from 22 July 1759 - 6 June 1827 and include:

  • Coromandel, 
  • Royal Admiral,
  • Warren Hastings, 
  • Ganges, 
  • Sovereign, 
  • Bellona, 
  • Prince of Wales, 
  • Young William, 
  • Resolution, 
  • Warwick, 
  • Ceres, 
  • Minerva, 
  • Hercules, 
  • Canada, 
  • Nile, 
  • Minorca, 
  • Friendship, 
  • Duff, 
  • Barwell, 
  • Atlas I, 
  • Atlas II, 
  • Marquis of Wellington, 
  • Henry Porcher, 
  • Guilford, 
  • England, 
  • Alexander, 
  • Providence, 
  • William Pitt, 
  • Ocean, 
  • General Graham, 
  • Mary, 
  • Rolla, 
  • Perseus 
  • Indefatigable.

These journals and logs not only record the day to day weather conditions but also detail the personnel aboard. In this case the date of deaths of several crew members are recorded next to their names.

https://nla.gov.au/nla.obj-2704155623/view 
Resolution: Journal, Captain Thomas Poynting

If you had a maritime ancestor or an emigrant you have been unable to find, perhaps they are listed on one of those ships.

Surgeon Superintendent journals

Veering away from the India Office Library but relevant to journal entries are the Admiralty Transport Department's Surgeon superintendents' journals of convict ships, 1858 - 1867

These deal more with the day to day interactions and infractions aboard. The rules and regulations together with daily routines of prisoners are detailed.

https://nla.gov.au/nla.obj-1628694269/view
Aboard the Corona in 1866
Written by W. Crawford R.N. (Surgeon Superintendent)

They are likely to include the ports at which the convicts were embarked, names of convicts who  either died or escaped during voyage as well as the numbers on each ship, and the supplies used each day.

Some Surgeon Superintendents provided extensive details while others limited themselves to the minimum of reporting needed. These journals are in the Ministry of Transport records.

  • Lord Raglan, 6 February 1858 - 8 June 1858 
  • Lincelles, 7 September 1860 - 30 January 1861
  • Norwood, 4 February 1862 - 14 June 1862 
  • Merchantman, 10 October 1862 - 24 February 1863 
  • Clyde, 23 February 1863 - 2 June 1863 
  • Clara, 11 January 1864 - 16 April 1864 
  • Merchantman, 11 June 1864 - 30 September 1864 
  • Racehorse, 26 April 1865 - 23 August 1865 
  • Vimeira, 16 September 1865 - 6 January 1866 
  • Corona, 4 September 1866 - 26 December 1866 
  • Norwood, 11 March 1867 - 29 July 1867

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