How to Find Convict Ancestors in Australia: A Step-by-Step Guide

Finding a convict in your family tree used to be a source of embarrassment. Today it's more likely to be a source of pride, and a gateway to some of the richest records in Australian family history. Convicts were among the most documented people of their era. Their crimes, trials, physical descriptions, voyages, work assignments, punishments, marriages and pardons were all recorded, and many of those records survive.

Between 1788 and 1868, around 160,000 convicts were transported to the Australian colonies. If your family has been in Australia since the colonial period, there's a reasonable chance at least one of them is your ancestor. This guide walks you through how to find out, and how to piece together their story.

Before you start: work back from what you know

The most common mistake is to start with a convict and try to work forward. Instead, start with yourself and work backwards, one generation at a time, using birth, death and marriage records. Each record should give you the names of the previous generation.

Australian civil registration began at different times in each colony, from the 1850s onwards. Before that, you'll rely on church registers. The free birth, death and marriage indexes run by each state are the backbone of this work.

As you get back to the mid-1800s, look for clues that point to a convict:

• A death certificate that says someone arrived in Australia before 1868, particularly in NSW before 1840 or Van Diemen's Land (Tasmania) before 1853.
• A marriage that required permission to marry, which convicts needed.
• Family stories, however vague, of an ancestor who "came out" early, or who never spoke about their past.
• Records describing someone as "free by servitude", "ticket of leave" or "came free", where the last sometimes hid a convict past.

Our free family tree chart and research log will help you keep track as you go.

Step 1: Know which colony received them

Convicts were sent to several colonies over different periods:

• New South Wales (1788–1840, with a final shipment in 1849–50). This included settlements such as Moreton Bay in what became Queensland, and Norfolk Island.
• Van Diemen's Land (Tasmania) (1803–1853). Tasmania's convict records are exceptionally complete.
• Western Australia (1850–1868). Western Australia received men only.
• Port Phillip (Victoria) received relatively few convicts directly, though many former convicts moved there, especially during the gold rushes.
• South Australia was established as a free colony and didn't receive transported convicts.

Knowing the colony tells you which state archive will hold the most detailed records.

Step 2: Search the national convict indexes

Start with broad, free indexes that cover multiple colonies.

British convict transportation registers

The State Library of Queensland hosts a free searchable database based on the British Home Office convict transportation registers, covering convicts transported to Australia from 1787 to 1867. Entries typically give the convict's name, the ship, the date and place of conviction and the sentence, which are exactly the details you need for the next steps.

Convict Records

The free Convict Records website brings together information about individual convicts and the ships they sailed on, with contributions from descendants. It's a useful place to see whether others have researched the same person.

FamilySearch and subscription sites

FamilySearch is free and includes some convict-related collections. Ancestry and Findmypast hold large convict collections too, including musters and censuses of the early colonies. Use free sources first, then consider a subscription to fill gaps.

Step 3: Dig into the state archives

Once you've identified a likely convict and ship, the state archives hold the detailed records of their life in the colony.

New South Wales

The NSW State Archives Collection holds a wealth of convict material and provides free online indexes and guides. Key record types include:

• Convict indents, the lists that arrived with each ship, which can include age, native place, trade, offence, physical description and sometimes family details.
• Tickets of leave, which allowed a convict to work for themselves within a district before their sentence ended.
• Certificates of freedom, issued when a sentence expired, often with a physical description.
• Pardons, both absolute and conditional.
• Applications to marry, which can reveal a spouse you didn't know about.
• Musters and the 1828 census, which list where people were living and working.

Tasmania

Libraries Tasmania offers the free Tasmanian Names Index, which links to digitised convict records. Tasmanian convict "conduct records" are famously detailed, often noting each offence and punishment during a convict's sentence. Many records have been digitised and can be viewed online.

Western Australia

The State Records Office of Western Australia holds convict records for the 1850–1868 period, and volunteer and local history groups have created helpful indexes.

Queensland

Queensland State Archives holds records relating to the Moreton Bay penal settlement, alongside the transportation registers database hosted by the State Library of Queensland.

Step 4: Trace the trial in Britain or Ireland

Once you know where and when your convict was convicted, you can look for the trial itself, which often reveals who they were before transportation.

• London: the Old Bailey Proceedings Online is a free, searchable record of trials at London's central criminal court. Many transported convicts were tried there, and the transcripts can be astonishingly vivid.
• England and Wales: assize and quarter sessions records are held at The National Archives and county record offices. Newspapers frequently reported trials too.
• Ireland: the National Archives of Ireland holds records relating to transportation, including petitions from convicts and their families, which can include valuable personal details.
• Scotland: trial records are held by the National Records of Scotland.

Digitised British and Irish newspapers, available through subscription services and some library portals, often include court reports that name the accused, describe the crime and sometimes mention family.

Step 5: Find the voyage

The ship your convict sailed on is a story in itself. Surgeon-superintendents kept journals on many convict voyages, recording illnesses, deaths and sometimes behaviour on board. The National Archives in the UK holds many of these journals. Books and websites about individual convict ships can also give a sense of the voyage, its length and its conditions.

Step 6: Follow their life after freedom

A convict's sentence was only the beginning. Once free, many married, raised families, acquired land and became established members of colonial society. To follow this part of their life, use:

• Trove, the National Library's free newspaper archive. Search for names, places and properties. Colonial newspapers reported court cases, land sales, notices and obituaries.
• Land records held by state archives and land titles offices.
• Church and civil records of marriages, baptisms and burials.
• Electoral rolls and directories from later in the 1800s.

Step 7: Use DNA to confirm the connection

Paper records can mislead. Many convicts shared common names, and some people reinvented themselves in the colonies. A DNA test can help confirm that you really descend from the convict you've identified.

The most convincing evidence comes from DNA matches with other people who descend from the same convict, especially through different children. If you and several other descendants of different branches share DNA, that's strong support for your paper trail.

DNA can also help find the family your convict left behind in Britain or Ireland, a notoriously difficult task with documents alone. For most Australians with convict ancestry, AncestryDNA's large British, Irish and Australian user base makes it the best choice for this. See our guide to the best DNA test for Australians.

Understanding convict terminology

Convict records use a vocabulary of their own. Knowing these terms makes the records far easier to interpret.

• Assignment: most convicts in NSW and Van Diemen's Land were assigned to work for free settlers or the government rather than held in prisons.
• Ticket of leave: a document allowing a convict to work for wages and live independently within a specified district, provided they behaved well.
• Certificate of freedom: issued when a convict completed their sentence. It usually includes a physical description.
• Conditional pardon: freedom granted on condition the person did not return to Britain or Ireland.
• Absolute pardon: full freedom, including the right to return home.
• Free by servitude: someone who had served their full sentence.
• Came free: someone who arrived as a free settler, though some former convicts later described themselves this way.
• Probation system: from the 1840s in Van Diemen's Land, convicts passed through stages, including work gangs, before earning a pass to work for wages.
• Exiles: convicts sent to Port Phillip in the 1840s who had already served part of their sentence in Britain and were granted a conditional pardon on arrival.

Building your convict ancestor's story

Once you've found the records, it's worth assembling them into a timeline. Start with their life in Britain or Ireland: baptism, family, occupation and the circumstances of the crime. Then add the trial, the time in prison or on a prison hulk, the voyage, and their life in the colony, year by year. Note where they were assigned, any offences and punishments, their ticket of leave, marriage, children, freedom and death.

Seen together, these documents often reveal a far more human story than any single record. Many convicts were transported for petty theft committed in desperate poverty. Some rebuilt their lives with remarkable success. A few never escaped the cycle of punishment. Whatever you find, recording the full story, with sources, creates something your family will treasure.

Family tree software such as RootsMagic or Gramps lets you attach documents and citations to each event. See our software guide for the options.

Common pitfalls

• Assuming a name match is your person. Always check age, ship, native place and family details across several records.
• Relying on online trees. Treat unsourced trees as clues, not facts.
• Ignoring spelling variations. Clerks wrote what they heard. Try variants and wildcards.
• Stopping at the convict. The trial, the family left behind and the life after freedom are often the most rewarding parts of the story.

Our search cheat sheet and brick wall checklist are designed for exactly these problems.

Frequently asked questions

How do I know if my ancestor was a convict?

Work backwards through birth, death and marriage records to the colonial period. Arrival before 1868, permission-to-marry records and terms such as "ticket of leave" or "free by servitude" are strong clues. Then search the convict indexes for a matching name, age and arrival date.

Are convict records free?

Many are. State archives, the State Library of Queensland's transportation registers database, Libraries Tasmania, Trove and the Old Bailey Online are all free. Subscription sites hold additional indexes and images.

Can I find out what my convict ancestor looked like?

Often, yes. Indents, certificates of freedom and conduct records frequently include height, hair and eye colour, complexion, scars and tattoos.

What if my convict ancestor was a woman?

Around one in seven convicts was a woman. Female convicts' records are similarly detailed, and records from female factories in NSW and Tasmania can add more about their lives.