PROLOGUE

 
 
The early colonial church registers of baptisms, marriages and burials are somewhat 
disappointing, to say the least, from a genealogical point of view. Often there is just 
a date and a name, no place nor other identifying information. This database attempts 
to redress this lack of detail by combining the data in the church registers with data from the 
convict shipping indents, the early colonial musters of 1802, 1806, 1811, 1814, 1822, 1825, 
the "1828 Census of New South Wales" and any other relevent comtempory documents.
 
During the first 'decade' there were 7,378 convict arrivals (6,023 males 
and 1,355 females) plus the New South Wales Corps. Added to which there were 
1,800 births less 1,820 deaths. 
 
For this first 'decade' the rate of identification of the fathers was 86%. 
Similarly the rate of identification of the mothers was 86%.
 
The number of marriages was 540. The number of de facto relationships 
was 522. 
 
The rate of identification of the 'grooms' was 93% and for the 'brides' 91%.
 
The high number of deaths 1,820 (being 20% of arrivals plus births) reflected 
the extend of the near starvation during the early years of the settlement.
 
The number of executions was 47.
 
The rate of identification of the deceased was 84%.
 
The state of 'morality' in the colony can be jugded by the fact that only 
58% of children born were baptised, the number of de facto relationships was 
very nearly equal to the number of marriages and only 82% of the deceased 
received a Christian burial.
 
Thus by the end of the first 'decade' of the colony's existence it can be 
estimated that the population was around 8,000 souls.

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