Unclaimed Letters Dec. 1847
Why would you bother looking through unclaimed letters, after all, if they weren't claimed, how does that help in finding ancestors?
What these lists can help you with, is knowing that the person you're trying to trace had a reason for either giving that address, or mostly in those times, the name of a town, sometimes a property, sometimes care of another person... as that is where they intended to be. In some cases, a friend or a family member would be named as 'care of..' as they were known associates or relatives of the person the letter was intended for. It pays to 'go off in a tangent' at times... look for the sidelines, the last known address, a place where others of the same family or occupation were. e.g. if you know that someone was working as a shopkeeper, you'd look in towns nearby, or a newly established place.
If they have a history of working in the docks, you're more likely to find them in coastal areas...
You will find that some simply have names.. with a comment... e.g. 'Shuttlewood, William, Ticket of Leave'. The very helpful site, Claim a Convict, has more information on William...
There are hundreds of names in the following pages, in basic alphabetical sequence.. but there could be a couple of names out of place. Enjoy and good luck.. we always like to hear of success stories, so please add a comment if you find possibilities in these pages.
New South Wales Government Gazette (Sydney, NSW : 1832 - 1900), Tuesday 11 January 1848 (No.5) National Library of Australia http://nla.gov.au/nla.news-article230129024
own work
Courtesy of Pixabay
Are they still sitting In a box somewhere?
ReplyDeleteI doubt it, Carol.. I have tried to follow up on some unclaimed letters addressed to my husband's great grandfather. All I could get out of the postal service was that it would be "impossible to find". I would have loved to get hold of those letters as he disappeared not long after the birth of his last child.
DeleteThanks for your comment... if ever I find a way to get hold of them, you can be sure I will write about it.