'Australia's Birthstain' by Babette Smith

[mabeljessie]

Hi,
We went to Tassie years ago and further south pastPort Arthur on the same peninsula is a Coal mine. It had a sign on it saying they were closed down by an act of parliament in England due to the sexual promiscuity of the men and the degraded behaviour. Also the mistreatment of the convicts and mental cruelty. I believe this site was the prime reason transportation was stopped.
It was a truly haunting place, in that the memory has stayed with my husband and I for 15 or more years. The men who were being punished were kept in underground solitary confinement cubicles and tnen taken underground to work. The cells still remained and the isolation of the place spoke volumes.
I believe this would have been one of the place that would have given Tasmania its reputation. You have to remember that even in Tasmania as they had insufficient space to house the convicts many were actually asigned to free settlers from very early times.
I have a few both female and male convicts who trod various paths.

If you are looking for female early arrivals - many young girls were recruited as possible "wives" under various government schemes to balance the male population.
There is a great series of  3 books out called "The Victorians" "Arriving" "Settling" and "Making their Mark"
They were commissioned for Victorias 150th celebration and although they concentrate on Victoria they highlight schemes by which "migrants' as all who have come to Australia are called. Most libraries have the books

Sorry for long post
mabeljessie

[mabeljessie]

Sorry I forgot to mention that Babette Smith's also wrote "A cargo of Women" which is the story of 100 convict women transported on the Princess Royal to Sydney in 1829.   It is idexed and I have a copy if you want me to check if someone is mentioned.

Great reading for those who want to get an idea of what it was like for their female convicts. It's been out for quite a few years.

[Billyblue]

Hi everyone
Babette Smith is lauded as an 'expert' on this subject.
However, she had an article in "The Australian" newspaper a month or so ago which was basically on multiculturalism, and the present day refugees.  In this she pointed out that Australia has been multicultural from the start, with many people from different countries being exported to here by the Brits.  She cited my convict (Billy Blue) as arriving in 1797 when it is documented everywhere that he arrived on the Minorca in 1801 - as he's a well known figure in Sydney circles among historians and family historians, and there's loads of stuff about him at the Mitchell Library, I found it very strange that she could make such a mistake!

Dawn M

[mabeljessie]

Hi Billyblue,

It is a great shame that history seems to be fictionalised or not correctly checked or  proof read.  She certainly should not be making mistakes like that in a newspaper article this is how history becomes rewritten.
I recently borrowed "Documents that shaped Australia" John Thompson from our local library and its on my Christmas list. It has copies of the original documents and a bit of their history.
I studied Aust History in HSC in the old days when we studied documents and I love looking at them myself. I can then study the facts rather than have them twisted to suit someone's point of view for a book.
I read a lot of the other books to get a picture of the lifestyle of the times. But you must remember each author is trying to persuade us their opinion of the times is the "correct one" but they are all using the same resources they are just interpreting them differently.   

Sorry, again I do not keep it brief! But I love information, I love books and I love to read. I am but a sponge.

In answer to mum mum
 "why they didn't teach us this stuff at school" - they taught us to learn and that is what we are doing now. I bet you have never learnt so much in your life about history as when you started doing your family history and never enjoyed it more.

[ajf25]

In answer to mum mum
 "why they didn't teach us this stuff at school" - they taught us to learn and that is what we are doing now. I bet you have never learnt so much in your life about history as when you started doing your family history and never enjoyed it more.

I absolutely detested history at school - was much more a maths/science girl, but since I've discovered family history an entirely new world has opened up for me.  I even catch myself watching the history channel at times. 

Funny how your perspective changes as you age.

Alison 

[regross]

Hi Wiggy,

Have you read THE GREAT SHAME another book by Thomas Keneally about the Irish political prisoners sent to Tasmania?

I couldn't put it down. Their contribution to the history and development of Australia, America, both confederate and union, to irish and english politiacs and the eventual politics of  Ireland today are amazingly interwoven.

Worth reading

Robyn

[Wiggy]

Thanks for the pointer Robyn - will ask for it at the library!  Keneally is a good writer I think

Was just thinking about you the other day and wondering where you were - Have you been travelling??

Wiggy   

[Redroger]

I know the feeling Wiggy. I have at least 2 relatives, one close who got a free passage to Australia in the early 19th century.

[mabeljessie]

My brother always had a quaint expression for those of convict stock he said "they rowed" or "Our lot rowed over"
I like it better than a "free passage" as they certainly paid for their fare in bucket loads when they got here!
Reading all these books they certainly knew the meaning of "hard labour" and "hell on earth"

mabeljessie