Ticket to leave

[Suzy W]

Sometime ago I posted about a man named Edmund Tew.  He got his ticket to leave Hobart in 1834.
I have just been looking at the article in Hobart times  http://newspapers.nla.gov.au/ndp/del/article/8647835?searchTerm=%22Edmund+Tew%22
At the beginning of the Text it states a Ann Jones + America, would someone know if all these people were heading for America? 
This will be a big help to know if Edmund did head towards America as he is not recorded going back to England.

Cheers
Suzy W 

[ennael]

I think you will find that it is the ship that the person arrived on.
TEW Edmund   
Arrived: 19 Aug 1830
Per:"David Lyon"
From: 02 May 1830 London
http://portal.archives.tas.gov.au/menu.aspx?search=11
Leanne

[Suzy W]

Oh dear, so that threw that idea out the window
Never mind, still posted on the American link to see if there were any census records for him.
A bit of a mystery on where he ended up.

Thanks for that.
Suzy W 

[PrueM]

Hi Suzy 

I agree - "Ann Jones" is the name of the first convict in that list to receive her ticket of leave; the "America" is the ship she would have been transported on.

Edmund TEW came on the "David Lyon" as Leanne says.  If he only had his Ticket of Leave he would not have been allowed to leave the colony as he was not yet a freed man (or at least he may have been allowed to travel to other colonies such as New South Wales).  Until a man received a Pardon or a Certificate of Freedom, he was restricted in what he could do and where he could go.

Have you found a Certificate of Freedom for him?

Cheers
Prue

Added:  I see he received it in 1836, as per "The Hobart Town Courier", Friday 8 July 1836, page 1.

[Suzy W]

Hi Prue

No I have not found anymore details on Edmund, he has just disappeared off the radar!  No marriage or death records in the U.K.
So was his ticket to leave a freedom pass as well?
Sorry to be a bother but have no idea about convicts in Australia and how the system worked.
I know the Tew family in Tasmania are not related to him, so do not know where else to look.

Regards
Suzy W 

[PrueM]

Hi Suzy 

I think I remember doing a little bit of looking for Edmund once before, and he certainly didn't leave much of a trail!

A convict was (usually) first granted a ticket of leave after serving some of his or her sentence.  It was sort of like being out on parole - they were allowed (with restrictions, depending on who they were, what jurisdiction they were in etc.) to be self-employed, to employ others, to choose a place to live etc. but were still answerable to the convict system.  A ToL could be revoked if conditions were breached.

After the expiration of their full sentence, a convict was granted a Certificate of Freedom.  This meant that they were essentially free to go and do whatever they wanted.  Many chose to stay on in the colonies but some did return home or go elsewhere.

Some convicts, depending on their sentences, were granted Conditional Pardons and Full Pardons, but I don't know much about those.  I think they were basically the same as getting a ToL and a CoF, but were for convicts with sentences such as Life (again, not 100% sure about that).

Edmund would have had restrictions placed on him when he was granted his Ticket of Leave - he would probably have had to stay locally to where he was imprisoned, for example.  Once he had his Certificate of Freedom he could have moved away or done anything he liked.

Many people in these early times of the colonies do disappear off the radar completely and it may just be a matter of it being prior to civil registration - if they died in the bush they would probably have just been buried by family or neighbours with no church involvement.  Even in a place like Sydney, and even after civil registration was introduced, people still just "disappear"...I have quite a few "undead" rellies there still!!

Cheers
Prue

[majm]

Hi there,

NSW State Archives online at http://www.rootschat.com/links/08i4/ has Guides including Ticket of Leave, Pardons, Certificates of Freedom etc.  Guides also listed http://www.rootschat.com/links/08i5/ with good search engines.  Prue's comments are supported by the information in those guides.  

Very short version : NSW included the entire eastern section of Australia, and NZ and South Seas Islands at various times from 1788 until mid 1850's.  Tasmania became its own colony in the 1820's,  WA in late 1820's, NZ in 1840's, Vic & Qld in 1850's.  No convicts ever transported to Sth Aus or NZ, but they may have moved there after receiving their various Certificates/Pardons.

Cheers,  JM

[ShaunJ]

You may already have seen this - the Archives Office of Tasmania has digitised his conduct record see
 http://search.archives.tas.gov.au/ImageViewer/image_viewer.htm?CON31-1-43,176,16,F,80

It's image 16 of 176. The writing is very faded but perhaps someone can figure out how to capture the image and enhance it

[Suzy W]

Thanks guys, most helpful information.
It is surprising on how people treated each other back then, no empathy, and they were meant to be God fearing people?
So we may have to conclude that Edmund went bush, and died out in there.  He was only a young man of 16 when convicted of stealing a little piece of bread and cheese, I think the village he came from had it in for the family, as they were evicted a few years earlier for having no work.
He was unable to spell, so I should think he relied on others to do any documents, so maybe his name had changed, which is no surprise, as I have came across a number of spellings.
Sadly I can not read the archives part written in red, anyone out there who can high light that area?

Cheers
Suzy W