After serving their sentences, many of the 160,000 convicts transported to Australia went on to become leading members of their community, but it was not until the 1988 bicentennial celebrations that having convict ancestry was considered special rather than something for families to be ashamed of and not talk about. In fact many Australians have family stories of convict ancestry, or discover some when they start researching their family history, and, because convicts were government’s responsibility, surviving records for them are often more comprehensive than for free settlers.

In her talk, Ann will provide a brief history of transportation to Australia; discuss researching families during the convict period; and illustrate with examples the use of some of the records to discover more about the convicts themselves and their activities.

For adults. Free. Bookings required.