Tasmania Reads: Reading an Account of the Voyage of a Convict Transport (Part One: The Challenge)
The State Library and Archive Service is issuing a challenge to Tasmanians to read five different examples of nineteenth-century handwriting from our Heritage Collections, each featuring a different set of records held in the State Archives.
The scripts are selected to give you insights into some of the key strengths of our collection and we hope they will pique your interest to explore further.
As the week progresses, the challenge will get a bit more difficult, as you become more familiar with reading script.
Each challenge will consist of two blogs. The morning blog will contain your transcription challenge, while the afternoon blog will provide the answer, as well as historical background to the events discussed in the challenge task. There will also be recommendations of other resources held in the Libraries Tasmania collections on the topic for you to explore.
Your Transcription Challenge
Your first challenge is to transcribe a passage from the account of the voyage of the Female Transport, Garland Grove (2) in 1842/1843:
The Answer …
will be published in our blog this afternoon. Stay tuned!
My attempt:
‘In that situation I witnessed many a heart-rending scene, poor old men and women some coming many miles to take a last farewell of their erring daughters, some so old and feeble they had to be lifted in and out of the Ship, they were so over powered with grief, no doubt their unfortunate children gave promise of better things in early life and now look back with shame and sorrow.’
Love the idea of a transcription challenge!
Such an emotive and evocative piece. I imagine the grief was more likely because the parents knew they would never see their children again.
Thank you for posting.
in that situation I witness “many” a heart-rending scene, poor old men and women some – coming many miles to take a last farewell – of their erring daughters, some so old and feeble they had to be lifted in and out of the Ship, they were – so overpowered – with grief; no doubt their unfortunate – children – gave promise – of better – things in early life – and now look back with shame and sorrow