Introducing George Brand
Australia was built on the backbone of convicts and the stories of these men and women are as vast and varied as the lives they left behind. Whilst some of these people failed to ever get out of the system, many others went on to establish a successful life in Australia. One such convict is George Brand - George and his family epitomise a convict success story.

Do you have a convict ancestor? Click on the below image to start searching for your convict ancestors at Findmypast today.
Bibliography
Image Credit: A Convict Ploughing Team. Public Domain, https://ergo.slv.vic.gov.au/image/convict-ploughing-team. Accessed 15 June 2016. Image Credit: Stirling in the 18th Century. Public Domain, https://www.wikiwand.com/en/Stirling. Accessed 15 June 2016.- 1. Findmypast.com.au. 1851 England, Wales, and Scotland Census Transcription. https://search.findmypast.com.au/record?id=gbc%2f1851%2f0019848792. Accessed 11 May 2016.
- 2. Erickson, Rica and O’Mara, Gillian. 'The Bicentennial Dictionary of Western Australians. V. 9. Convicts in Western Australia, 1850-1887.' Nedlands, W.A.: University of Western Australia, 1987-(1997). (Revision of Dictionary of Western Australians Vol. 2 Bond 1850-1868. Alphabetical listing of convicts and short biography of each).
- 3. Erickson, Rica. 'The Brand on his Coat: Biographies of some Western Australian Convicts.' Nedlands: University of Western Australia Press, 1983.
- 4. Findmypast.com.au. Denny, Stirlingshire, Scotland Marriages 1561-1910. https://search.findmypast.com.au/record?id=r_694535074. Accessed 1 June 2016.
- 5. En.wikipedia.org. ‘Larbert’. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Larbert. Accessed 10 June 2016.
- 6. Railscot.co.uk. ‘Scottish Central Railway’. https://www.railscot.co.uk/Scottish_Central_Railway/index.php. Accessed 10 June 2016.
- 7. Nrsscotland.gov.uk. National Records of Scotland. Source Information: Country Code: GB, Repository code: 234, Reference: AD14/52/373. https://catalogue.nrscotland.gov.uk/nrsonlinecatalogue/details.aspx?reference=AD14%2f52%2f373&st=1&tc=y&tl=n&tn=n&tp=n&k=George+Brand&ko=a&r. Accessed 15 May 2016.
Amazing. It’s amazing what (or who) countries are built on. While the wealthy and popular take the credit, it’s was on the backs of the misfortunate that we prosper on.
Thanks for the post.
Hi Lane
You are so right! The hard work of the convicts built Australia into the country it became. I am proud to have an ancestor who, whilst he did the wrong thing in his home country, came here and made a true go of it!
Regards,
Megan
If you’re gonna steal something, it may as well be Scotch Whisky. I don’t blame your ancestor George. Everything happens for a reason, and the chain of events of his crime & punishment lead to your origin story! Very fascinating stuff, love how you’re doing all this research!
Hi Penelope
It is amazing what George ended up managing to achieve, given his sticky fingers got him into so much trouble! Continue reading the 5-part story to see his full journey and the legacy he left behind.
Regards,
Megan
I saved your website to my favorites. I never knew how interesting Australian history was until I read your article about George Brand. I also didn’t know that Australia was built by convicts. I look forward to reading more of your article on Australian history. Thanks again for a great article.
Jack
Thank you for taking the time to read. Australia has a very interesting history as we were founded as a penal colony and have never had a war on our soil, although we did come very close in WWII!