Convicts, Names of Interest

A Convict Legacy

Over the past week, I have released the story of George Brand: A Convict Success Story.  If you missed this series, you can read about him at the following links.  For those of you who have already read them, I really hope you enjoyed hearing about George and the Australia convict system that he became a part of.

If you have missed this series, click on a link below to read the story of George Brand
Shhhhhh…..There is a Convict in the Family
George Brand: A Convict Success Story – Part 1
George Brand: A Convict Success Story – Part 2
George Brand: A Convict Success Story – Part 3
George Brand: A Convict Success Story – Part 4
George Brand: A Convict Success Story – Part 5

 

Many Australian’s are proud of their convict ancestry and I am proud to have George in my tree. As you would note, having read about him, he had a lot of charges listed against him.  After transportation, he could easily have chosen to go on his criminal ways but instead saw this punishment as an opportunity to reform.  It was wonderful that his family were able to join him and that they were all able to forge successful lives for themselves.

 

Sir David Brand, 1959

 

 

I love the fact that his grandson went on to become the longest-serving premier of Western Australia, Sir David Brand.  It showed that the system worked, that anybody could become what they wanted through hard work and dedication.  Many things are named after David – the Brand highway, the electorate of Brand, Sir Brand School.  I know our family is proud of the legacy left behind by both George and his grandson, David.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Tomorrow I will release another, Stories Under the Tree, this time a fictional story, The Sentence, about George based on the known records.  On Saturday I will release, The Journey, another fictional story but from Isabella, George’s wife’s, perspective.  So keep a lookout for those!  I hope you will enjoy reading these as you see history come to life.

 

So do you have any convicts in your history?  Leave me a comment to tell me about your convict ancestors. Click on the below image to find your convict ancestors today at Findmypast.

 

6 thoughts on “A Convict Legacy

  1. Hi there
    Many thanks for posting this interesting and historical post, its really an intriguing story of saddness, perseverence, bravery and joy all rolled into one.
    I live in ireland and I know from my history that a lot of Irish were transported to Van Demons Land penitentary in the 1700’s and 1800’s for their crimes.
    I have not researched my family tree back that far, as of yet, so I don’t know if there is any connection that would come into this category. ( who knows )
    However, I have bookmarked this post for future reference and I will keep looking for any more updates that you may post, going forward.
    Continued success
    Cheers PB

    1. Thank you so much for visiting my site Phil  History is such a wonderful thing to delve into and family history makes it more personal and real.  I, unfortunately, do not have any convicts who went to Van Diemen’s land, however I had a holiday in Tasmania in 2014 and seeing the legacy left behind by the convicts down there is amazing.  Port Arthur, a main convict penitentiary of the era, gives you a real sense of what it was like to be there as a convict.  I really hope you get the opportunity to find out about your ancestors.

  2. Last year, I did a great deal of family history searching, created a tree and sent it out to my immediate family members so they, too, could have the information. While it was time consuming, it was also fascinating finding facts.

    The amount of detail you have shared is awesome! I know from experience how time-consuming pulling that kind of information is, so I can only imagine how much time you spent on the life of George. You were so intricate with all the facts of his life walking us through to his final day. The level of detail shown in your writings as well as the bibliographies is amazing.

    Great job! What kind of information are you planning to write about next?

    Regards,
    Yvette

    1. Hello Yvette – I am so glad you enjoyed reading about George.  It is so easy to get lost in the history of your ancestors and keep writing more about them.  We are so fortunate with the convicts that so much detailed records exist that allow this very good understanding of how their lives were.  Where did your ancestors come from?  Were your family excited about your finds?

  3. How interesting! It’s always so surprising to know about your ancestors and all the stuff they were up to. Especially when its an important figure, its nice to know that you’re connected to them in some way. It’s particularly heartwarming when you know that they’ve overcome their own inner hurdles and made an example of themselves.

    It would be great to see a family tree chart or picture to see how you are connected to George Brant.

    1. Thank you for taking the time to read about George.  He was an amazing character and ended up doing so much good.  There is a family tree chart on my blog https://walkingthegenes.com/my-…  If you scroll down to the bottom tree you will see my grandmother Marjorey Brand and can follow back from there.  George was my great, great, great grandfather!  Please feel free to ask any questions and come back to read more of the tales I weave.  

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