The outward correspondence of the Comptroller General of Convicts consists of a large number of files catalogued under Cons 1156 "C" series. Most of these files can be accessed on Ancestry.com. A couple named Bruce & Anne Buchanan have indexed 17 of these files in individual index folders. You can find these indexes in folders stored in a cupboard on the left hand side of the door to the SROWA Research Room on level 3 of SLWA. Look for the Name Index in the file(s) that reference your convict. You will then know which letter number(s) to look for on the microfilm or Ancestry.com. Though some of the files use Correspondence Register Subject/People Numbers and have no page numbers which makes finding the entries you want a little more challenging but still logical.
We now have scanned copies of all of the index folders and they are available to download thanks to the team at SROWA. We have also added links to all of the related files on Ancestry.com. We are progressively adding index links to convict home pages for each register. Hopefully you will very soon be able to look at a convict's page and know which registers that he has entries in. We are also progressively adding convict indexes to additional files in Cons 1156. So far we have added C2 & C3.
The Combined Name Index download below has been created by extracting the "Name Index" pages from each of the 17 index files and making it searchable. It is also bookmarked. If you have someone of interest, not just convicts, in the Colony between 1850 and 1868 it is worth doing a search on that file.
- Cons 1156 Combined "Name Index" download
- Cons 1156 C1 To Depot, Staff & Engineers 1853 - 1854
- Cons 1156 C2 To Various Officials 1866 - 1867
- Cons 1156 C3 To Various Officials 1867 - 1868
- Cons 1156 C10 To Depots, Staff & Engineers 1855 - 1856
- Cons 1156 C11 To Various Officials 1853 - 1859
- Cons 1156 C12 To Resident Magistrates 1859-1864
- Cons 1156 C19 To Colonial Secretary 1850-1851
- Cons 1156 C20 To Colonial Secretary 1853
- Cons 1156 C21 To Colonial Secretary 1854 - 1855
- Cons 1156 C22 To Colonial Secretary 1856 - 1857
- Cons 1156 C23 To Colonial Secretary 1859 - 1860
- Cons 1156 C27 To Various Officials 1856 - 1861
- Cons 1156 C31 To The Surgeon 1860-1868
- Cons 1156 C35 To Depots, Staff & Engineers 1854-1855
- Cons 1156 C36 To The Governor, Depots, Staff & Settlers 1862, 1866-1867
- Cons 1156 C37 To Various Officials 1864-1865
- Cons 1156 Correspondence Registers