Newcastle Family History Society Podcasts

Jane Ison speaks about the letter book of Joseph Hines Clarke providing insights into the man, the Newcastle Industrial School and the town of Newcastle, NSW.

Women Rewarded

Mel Woodford describes the practice of financial reward for those female convicts assigned to families in the colony, highlighting four women who were commended for their service with households in the Hunter Valley.

In this episode of Notable Novocastrians, member Daryl Woods tells us of his family connection to Sir Frederick Gallegher Galleghan and recounts some aspects of a "Life of Service".

Jane Ison discusses the availability of government records for boys and girls sent to industrial schools and reformatories in NSW during the mid to late 1800s.

Mary Higgins

In the twenty-year period between 1804 and 1824, over 1500 female convicts were sent to Newcastle and the Hunter Valley. Mary Higgins was one of the first – Mel Woodford tells her story.

Ten Top Tips

The final episode in this series, Maree and Ken Shilling have shared ten valuable tips aimed at helping you overcome the frustrating obstacles that often hinder our research progress.

Continuing the series "What are you looking at?", Jane Ison looks at the letters and information about industrial school children in the Colonial Secretary Letters Received, 1826-1896.

Catherine Kent

Mel Woodford continues this series with a follow-on story with researcher and member Robyn Jeffriess about convict, Catherine Kent.

Putting Flesh on the Bones!

In Episode 5 in this series, our hosts explore ways to enhance your family's story by putting some "flesh on the bones"!

In this episode of "What are you looking at?", Jane Ison takes an in-depth look at the records of the first boys’ school, the Industrial School Ship Vernon, how researchers can locate these resources and the difficulties that may be encountered when using them.