Re Parramatta Orphan School

I briefly looked at the admittance microfilm at my local library today. Because of the writing, as you say, it is often heavy going, but makes fascinating reading. Being a Saturday, the library closed early so I'll go back this week for a closer look. Will also take a trip to town to look at Janet Reakes' Index at the Mitchell. I'm now certain my gal , 4-year old in 1828, had a convict background which will make tracking her simpler through the records. Her marriage and rest certs were'nt very informative as to her background... although the convict.. So far I've extracted wonderful info on the husband and the two witnesses, but my little gal so far has proved more elusive. As you mentioned, there is a nice trail to be explored in the Col Sec's correspondence where it appears she and her mother are mentioned. It seems her mother remarried and placed her in the orphanage..athough I should'nt pre-judge anything until I've read the documents at Kingswood.

Many thanks Trevor and best regards, Bob.

Orphan School at Kiama Family History Centre and would be happy to do a look up. However as we are in the process of a temporary move, it would be a couple of weeks. From memory I think there is a gap of some missing years. they left the school and to whom they left with. Children were not necessarily orphans to be admitted to the school. Some of the writing is not easy to read. There should have been a letter to the Colonial Secretary requesting for admittance to the school. Some children may have been released to their parents. Others to a sibling or were indentured to a business. There should be a reference to any of these in the Index to Colonial Secs Correspondence. You can then go to the State Archives at Kingswood and have a look at the original papers and if you wish, have them copied. someone had written for his mother saying that she had been widowed for almost 2 uears and that he was the youngest of 3 boys ( I knew nothing about the middle one and have still not found a baptism ), that she was inservice to a Mr Buck a licensed Victualler of Clarence St and was unable to supervise him. ( I think he may have been a right little bugger ). I think there was some investigation by the scribbled note on the papers and he was quickly admitted. He entered at 7 and left at 16 and apprenticed to a tailor at Windsor but I don't think he stayed there too long and by the age of 22 when he married was at the Sugar Refinery. There was a previous request for him to be apprenticed to another business in the city but this was rejected because the man was not of sober habits. With the knowledge there was a middle boy, I searched through the admittance book and found him admitted at 9, leaving 1 year later! labour. This carried through to the 1960s. There was a farm near my parents which used to regularly get children from the Boys and girls homes. The Randwick Asylum for Desbreastute Children also "apprenticed" children out. with before