Our editor, Cassie Mercer, is presenting at the Society of Australian Genealogists on Saturday, November 17.
Topic: Rebels, Priests & Love Letters
The Minerva arrived in Sydney on 11 January 1800, sailing up the harbour past the gibbeted body of another Irish convict, Francis Morgan, whose body was swinging from Fort Denison. The ship brought the first of the rebels who were involved in Ireland’s uprisings between 1797 and the Battle of Vinegar Hill in 1798.
Cassie Mercer will present brand new research into the lives of the rebels. Hear about their trials, which had captivated Ireland at the time. Some had chosen voluntary exile, others were tried by court martial. There were also rebel priests and urban criminals, both male and female on board. Hear from the convicts themselves, through letters they wrote to their family. Within months of arrival some were planning to take over the colony by converging at Parramatta in September 1800. Learn about their fate as they struggled with life in Sydney.
Where: 120 Kent Street Sydney, NSW 2000 Australia
Phone: 02 9247 3953
Book: http://www.sag.org.au/events/list-of-events.html
