Fact-checked by Grok 2 weeks ago

Billy Blue

William Blue (c. 1767 – 7 May 1834), commonly known as Billy Blue or "The Old Commodore," was a convict of African descent transported to New South Wales, who after emancipation established Sydney's inaugural ferry service and became a distinctive entrepreneurial figure in the colony's maritime economy.^[1]^[2] Arriving in Sydney aboard the Minorca on 14 December 1801 following a 1796 conviction for stealing sugar, Blue quickly transitioned to waterman roles, including oyster collection and harbour watchman duties appointed by Governor Lachlan Macquarie in 1811.^[1]^[2] In 1817, Macquarie granted him 80 acres at what became Blues Point on the North Shore, where Blue operated boats ferrying passengers and goods across Port Jackson, amassing a small fleet despite recurrent legal entanglements such as smuggling charges and disputes with officials.^[1]^[2] Renowned for his loquacious eccentricity and self-aggrandizing naval pretensions—despite limited formal military service—Blue's colorful persona and contributions to early Sydney's transport infrastructure cemented his legacy, with his namesake locality persisting as a geographical marker.^[1]^[2]

Origins

Birth and Ancestry

William Blue was born c. 1767, though the precise location remains uncertain with historical records citing possibilities including Jamaica and New York City.^[1] Convict shipping indents from his transportation to Australia describe him as "a Jamaican Negro sailor" aged 29 in 1796, aligning with a Jamaican origin, while later family claims and his own assertions of military service in the American War of Independence point toward New York as a potential birthplace.^[3]^[1] Colonial documents, including trial and shipping records, confirm Blue's African descent through repeated references to his appearance as a "Negro," distinguishing him in the context of late 18th-century British and American societies where such descriptors denoted individuals of sub-Saharan African heritage, often stemming from the transatlantic slave trade.^[3] This identification is consistent across primary sources without contradiction, though details of his lineage beyond descent are absent from verifiable records.^[1] Little is documented of Blue's early life prior to his appearance in England, but circumstantial evidence from the era suggests probable involvement in enslavement or indentured labor in the Americas, given the prevalence of such systems for persons of African descent in both Jamaica and colonial New York.^[1] By 1796, he had relocated to Deptford, London, where he worked as a chocolate-maker and Thames River laborer, demonstrating practical adaptation to maritime and dockside employment without reliance on verified narratives of manumission or escape.^[1]

Military Service Claims

Billy Blue asserted that he had served in the British Army during the American War of Independence, potentially as a freed African-American from colonial New York.^[1] These claims surfaced in his later testimony, including sworn evidence provided in the 1832 civil case Martin v. Munn, as reported in the Sydney Gazette.^[4] Blue's reported age of approximately 80 in the 1828 New South Wales census aligns temporally with participation in the 1770s conflict, though such self-reported details invite scrutiny given inconsistencies in convict narratives.^[5] No official muster rolls or primary military records substantiate Blue's specific service, despite extensive documentation of Black Loyalists who fought for Britain in exchange for promises of freedom and land.^[6] ^[7] Historical analyses note that while thousands of Black individuals enlisted—often as escaped slaves seeking emancipation—verification requires matching names against regimental lists, which yield no trace of a "William Blue" or variant in relevant British or Loyalist archives.^[8] This absence suggests embellishment, a pattern observed in early colonial self-narratives where exaggerated martial credentials conferred social leverage amid a penal society rife with ex-soldiers who could appraise authenticity.^[4] Causal factors support the plausibility of informal enlistment for a man of Blue's probable origins: British forces actively recruited free Blacks and runaways during the war, offering mobility and status in imperial hierarchies that rigidified post-conflict.^[1] Yet, without corroboration, Blue's assertions align more closely with strategic persona-building than verifiable history, distinguishing them from the empirically attested roles of Black Loyalists in units like the Black Pioneers, whose service is cross-verified in multiple ledgers.^[9] Secondary sources, drawing from colonial gazettes and biographies, treat these claims as dubious but not fabricated outright, given the colony's veteran populace that deterred blatant falsehoods.^[4]

Conviction and Transportation

Trial and Sentence

On 4 October 1796, William Blue, also known as Billy Blue, was tried and convicted at the Maidstone Assizes in Kent, England, for grand larceny after stealing approximately 20 pounds of raw sugar from aboard the ship Lady Castlereagh.^[3]^[10] The theft, valued sufficiently to qualify as grand larceny under contemporary English law (property exceeding 40 shillings), involved raw sugar likely intended for illicit confectionery production, a common opportunistic crime in port areas amid post-war economic strains following the American Revolutionary War.^[3] Records identify Blue as a seaman aged around 29, with no documented prior convictions, though British courts of the era imposed severe penalties for property offenses to deter theft in an agrarian economy reliant on trade and enclosures displacing laborers.^[3] Blue received a sentence of seven years' transportation to the penal colonies, a standard punishment for grand larceny that emphasized removal and forced labor over execution, which was reserved for more violent or repeated crimes.^[3] He initially served over four years in English prisons and convict hulks—floating prisons moored in the Thames—under conditions of hard labor and disease risk, as was typical for awaiting transport amid overcrowded jails post-Napoleonic Wars.^[3] Contemporary judicial records, drawn from assize proceedings and Home Office registers, show no irregularities in Blue's case; penalties for larceny were applied based on offense severity and value, uniformly across defendants irrespective of ethnicity, countering unsubstantiated claims of systemic racial bias in Georgian-era convictions where empirical data indicates property crimes dominated transportations (over 70% of cases).^[3]

Voyage to Australia

William Blue was transported as one of 297 convicts on the joint Third Fleet voyage of the ships Nile, Canada, and Minorca, which departed Spithead, England, on 21 June 1801 under convoy, bound for [Port Jackson](/page/Port Jackson) via Rio de Janeiro for provisioning.^[11]^[12] Blue sailed specifically on the Minorca, a merchant vessel repurposed for convict transport, carrying 104 male prisoners at embarkation.^[3]^[12] The Minorca arrived at Sydney Cove on 14 December 1801 after a passage of approximately six months, during which five convicts succumbed to disease, yielding a mortality rate of under 5 percent—lower than many prior transports and attributable to enforced hygiene protocols, including daily deck airing and lime-washing of holds as mandated by Admiralty instructions to surgeons and masters.^[12]^[13] Convicts endured iron restraints below decks, limited rations of salted meat and biscuit, and exposure to typhus and scurvy risks in confined spaces averaging 70 cubic feet per man, yet the system's mechanics prioritized delivery over comfort to sustain colonial labor supply.^[14]^[13] Blue's convict indent records note no shipboard offenses or punishments, consistent with the absence of such entries for most survivors in muster rolls, reflecting enforced discipline under military guards rather than inherent reform.^[3] This compliance amid hardships underscored the pragmatic efficacy of transportation: by 1801, over 7,000 convicts had been delivered to New South Wales, empirically enabling settlement expansion through coerced workforce deployment without reliance on voluntary migration.^[11]^[14]

Arrival and Early Settlement

Initial Labor and Emancipation

Upon arrival in Sydney on 14 December 1801 aboard the convict transport Minorca, William Blue, having already served over four years of his seven-year sentence in British prisons and hulks, was subject to the standard colonial requirement for transported felons: assignment to unpaid government labor until emancipation.^[1]^[3] With less than two years remaining, Blue's duties likely involved menial tasks common to short-term urban convicts, such as loading cargo at wharves (as a former sailor) or contributing to public infrastructure in the fledgling settlement, where approximately 40% of the adult population were still under sentence amid a total of about 2,200 inhabitants.^[15] Colonial records do not detail specific assignments for Blue, but the system's emphasis on utilitarian labor for self-sufficiency—evident in survival rates where disciplined convicts transitioned to independence—aligned with his prompt completion without documented infractions or extensions, a rarity given frequent extensions for idleness or minor offenses among peers.^[1] Blue fulfilled his term by early 1803, attaining "free by servitude" status, which conferred unconditional emancipation and eligibility for land grants or trade, marking his shift from coerced worker to autonomous agent in a merit-driven colonial economy.^[3] This outcome contrasted sharply with the recidivism plaguing many emancipists; historical data indicate that while some former convicts achieved self-sufficiency, a significant portion relapsed into vagrancy or petty crime due to lack of discipline, with government musters in the early 1800s recording persistent dependencies that Blue avoided through evident reliability.^[4] His emancipation thus exemplified causal factors in early Australian society—personal restraint yielding economic agency—over narratives framing convicts uniformly as victims, as Blue's record shows no appeals or indulgences beyond standard servitude.^[1] By mid-1804, already cohabiting at The Rocks with a fellow ex-convict, Blue leveraged this freedom for initial ventures, underscoring the colony's structure rewarding completion over prolonged subjugation.^[1]

Entry into Watermanship

In 1807, following his emancipation from convict servitude, William Blue transitioned into watermanship by securing a license to operate as a ferryman on Sydney Harbour, addressing the logistical demands of a burgeoning colonial settlement where the harbour's expansive waterways necessitated reliable passenger transport between isolated northern points and the primary hub at Sydney Cove.^[1] On 2 August 1807, Blue placed an advertisement in the Sydney Gazette, declaring himself "the only waterman licensed to ply a ferry in this harbour" and offering accommodations in a "tight and safe boat" for public use, thereby establishing his foundational role in the nascent ferry trade.^[16] This licensing positioned Blue to exploit the harbour's geography empirically, as early settlement patterns concentrated activity south of the water while northern areas like Blues Point required crossing services amid population growth from approximately 5,000 free and convict residents in 1806 to over 7,000 by 1810.^[17] Blue's proficiency in boating stemmed plausibly from pre-transportation exposure in Deptford, a Thames-side locale in London where he resided by 1796 and where watermen commonly plied trade amid shipbuilding and riverine commerce, allowing him to adapt swiftly to Sydney's conditions through self-reliant application rather than institutional support.^[3] He procured his initial vessel via accumulated earnings from interim pursuits such as oyster vending post-freedom in 1804, enabling independent operation without documented reliance on colonial provisioning.^[18] Gazette records from this period corroborate his early preeminence, with no contemporaneous advertisements for rival ferry services, underscoring a de facto monopoly predicated on licensing exclusivity and practical harbor mastery until later entrants diluted it.^[16]

Career as Ferryman and Entrepreneur

Establishment of Ferry Service

In 1807, following his emancipation, William Blue purchased a rowboat and secured an exclusive license to operate the primary ferry service shuttling passengers and goods between Sydney Cove and the North Shore of Port Jackson.^[18]^[17] This initiative established him as the colony's leading waterman, filling a critical gap in connectivity during an era without bridges or organized transport infrastructure.^[1] An advertisement published in the Sydney Gazette on 2 August 1807 proclaimed Blue as "the only waterman licensed to ply a ferry in this harbour," highlighting the service's dependability for crossing the harbor and underscoring his entrepreneurial advertising to attract colonial residents and traders.^[17]^[4] He charged standard fares for these crossings, which generated verifiable revenue documented in later legal claims for unpaid fees, enabling sustained operations and contributions to early economic mobility by linking Sydney's developing settlements.^[15] Blue's daily routine involved manually rowing his boat across the harbor, accommodating passengers, cargo, and even officials, which positioned his enterprise as a foundational element of colonial logistics and earned him the moniker "Old Commodore" reflective of his authoritative command over the service.^[1]^[18] This monopoly persisted through consistent demand, supporting trade flows and personal financial stability without reliance on government subsidies.^[17]

Expansion and Land Acquisition

In 1817, Governor Lachlan Macquarie granted William Blue 80 acres (32 hectares) of land at Northampton Farm, situated at the southernmost tip of the North Shore of Port Jackson and subsequently renamed Blues Point in his honor.^[1] ^[2] This award recognized Blue's contributions to colonial administration and commerce, stemming from his appointments as harbour watchman and constable in 1811, as well as his reliable ferry services facilitating transport across the harbor.^[1] The grant, deeded to Blue and his heirs in perpetuity, exemplified rewards for practical utility in a resource-scarce settlement, rather than mere favoritism, as evidenced by Macquarie's pattern of incentivizing productive labor among emancipated convicts.^[1] Blue developed the property into a working farm, constructing a villa and engaging in agriculture by cultivating vegetables and fruit trees, which he marketed in Sydney by 1833.^[1] ^[2] This shift diversified his income beyond watermanship, integrating farming with his expanding ferry fleet—several boats operating from the site—to sustain self-sufficiency and modest prosperity.^[2] Such land tenure elevated Blue to smallholder status, a rarity for ex-convicts in early New South Wales, where most remained laborers due to limited capital or skills; his success highlighted the colony's emergent opportunities for unequal outcomes driven by differential effort and market responsiveness in an underpopulated frontier.^[1] In 1823, Governor Brisbane reaffirmed Blue's occupancy of Northampton Farm amid rival claims by settlers, permitting continued agricultural use alongside ferry operations and thereby securing the property's economic viability.^[1] This authorization underscored the farm's integral role in Blue's entrepreneurial portfolio, where productive cultivation offset the precarity of colonial land disputes and reinforced the causal mechanism of service-based accumulation over egalitarian redistribution.^[1]

Interactions with Colonial Governors

Billy Blue developed a mutually beneficial relationship with Governor Lachlan Macquarie, who governed New South Wales from 1810 to 1821. In 1811, Macquarie appointed Blue as harbour watchman and constable, positions that granted him authority over waterfront activities and facilitated the acquisition of a home at East Circular Quay overlooking Sydney Harbour.^[1] These roles underscored Blue's utility in maintaining order and supporting maritime operations, aligning with Macquarie's emphasis on integrating emancipated convicts into the colonial economy through practical contributions rather than ideological favoritism.^[2] Blue's ferry service further cemented this alliance, as it provided reliable transport across Sydney Harbour, including regular passages for Macquarie's wife Elizabeth and son Lachlan, documented in the governor's 1817 diary entries.^[1] In recognition of this service, Macquarie granted Blue 80 acres of land on the North Shore in 1817, establishing the farm known as Northampton at what became Billy Blue's Point; the governor also bestowed the nickname "Commodore" on Blue, reflecting informal esteem tied to his nautical competence.^[1]^[2] Blue later attested in 1832 court testimony to a close rapport, claiming he and Macquarie "were always together" as equals, though this self-reported account highlights personal agency and reciprocal utility over unsubstantiated narratives of exceptional patronage.^[19] Under Governor Sir Thomas Brisbane, who succeeded Macquarie in 1821, Blue petitioned for protection of his ferry rights and land holdings on 28 October 1823, emphasizing his lifelong service to the colonial government amid pressures from influential settlers.^[1] Brisbane ruled in Blue's favor, authorizing continued operation of the ferry between Northampton and Sydney, thereby extending pragmatic support based on established contributions rather than prior governorship loyalties.^[19] This decision preserved Blue's economic position temporarily, illustrating how governors valued his ferry's role in facilitating administrative connectivity across the harbor.^[2]

Conflicts and Legal Disputes

Disputes with Governor Brisbane

In the early 1820s, shortly after Governor Lachlan Macquarie's recall in 1821, William Blue encountered significant opposition to his established rights at Blues Point, where he held an 80-acre land grant from 1817 and operated a key ferry service across Sydney Harbour. Influential settlers Edward Wollstonecraft and William Gore sought to dislodge him, levying accusations of smuggling goods and harboring escaped convicts, which threatened his occupancy and livelihood despite precedents set under prior administrations.^[1] Blue mounted a vigorous defense through direct appeals to Governor Thomas Brisbane, submitting petitions that underscored his decades of colonial service, advanced age (claiming near 90 years), and purported military background, while decrying the challengers' exercise of "arbitrary power" without due process.^[20] A government inquiry prompted by these petitions, including one dated 28 October 1823, confirmed instances of Blue's involvement in illicit activities, such as facilitating unauthorized passages. Nonetheless, Brisbane intervened decisively, authorizing Blue to retain "the Use and Occupation of his ferry, which he formerly occupied between his farm in Northampton and Sydney," thereby preserving his economic position amid the contested claims.^[1] Blue persisted with additional submissions, such as on 17 November 1823 and 12 August 1825, reiterating demands for secure tenure and highlighting encroachments on government-domain properties he had long utilized rent-free.^[4] These appeals exemplified Blue's strategy of leveraging public and official channels to contest perceived overreach by elites, contrasting the informal precedents of Macquarie's era with Brisbane's more structured oversight.^[19] The resolution, formalized in the Sydney Gazette on 25 January 1825, restored Blue's ferry operations, underscoring the governor's pragmatic balancing of order and established usage in a colony rife with property ambiguities. This episode highlighted tensions inherent in colonial land administration, where emancipist holdings faced scrutiny from newcomers, yet Blue's repeated petitioning—often laced with rhetorical flourishes—demonstrated effective navigation of executive authority without outright eviction during Brisbane's tenure (1821–1825).^[1] Brisbane's rulings, while acknowledging verified infractions, prioritized continuity over wholesale displacement, reflecting the executive's broad discretion in adjudicating such conflicts absent formalized courts for minor claims.

Evictions and Property Losses

In 1823, rivals Edward Wollstonecraft and William Gore sought to evict Blue from his Northampton farm and revoke his ferry rights, accusing him of smuggling and harboring escaped convicts. Blue petitioned Governor Brisbane, who ruled in his favor on November 17, 1823, affirming Blue's occupancy of the ferry premises linking Northampton to Sydney Cove.^[1]^[17] By early 1825, amid administrative transitions following Brisbane's departure, Blue temporarily lost his ferry license, likely tied to persistent allegations and policy shifts curtailing informal monopolies. The Sydney Gazette reported on January 25, 1825, that he had regained authorization to operate the service.^[1]^[21] Subsequent legal convictions for harboring an escaped convict and manslaughter incurred fines that eroded Blue's financial position, though no imprisonment followed.^[1] These penalties, combined with rival encroachments on his 80-acre grant, progressively diminished his property control, leaving him reliant on the core Northampton farmstead.^[3] Such displacements stemmed from Blue's confrontational stance toward colonial officials and competitors, rather than racial animus, as evidenced by his prior gubernatorial patronage and the relative security of acquiescent ex-convicts; compliant operators faced fewer revocations despite similar origins.^[1] Blue's persistence in watermanship post-losses underscored adaptive pragmatism amid capricious enforcement of property entitlements.^[17]

Personal Life and Character

Family and Relationships

William Blue married Elizabeth Williams, a convict transported from Hampshire, England, aboard the Experiment and arrived in Sydney on 11 June 1804, on 27 April 1805 at St Philip's Church of England in Sydney.^[1]^[3] The couple established a household at The Rocks, where Blue resided by July 1804 prior to their marriage.^[1] They had six children, five of whom were baptized at St Philip's Church: Susannah (born circa 1805), William (born 3 February 1807, baptized 8 March 1807), and others including John and possibly Maria, as indicated in family records and later property associations.^[10]^[22]^[3] Blue, of probable African descent from Jamaica or New York, and Williams, of European origin, formed a mixed-race family unit, with baptismal entries reflecting their integration into colonial Anglican records without noted barriers at the time.^[23]^[3] Elizabeth Williams died in 1824, leaving Blue to raise the six children, four of whom were under 15 years old according to the 1828 census, which listed Blue as an 80-year-old landholder residing at what became known as Blues Point on the North Shore.^[10]^[1] This household composition highlights relative stability for an ex-convict family, as evidenced by child survival into adulthood and subsequent property holdings by offspring such as daughter Susannah, who owned the Billy Blue Inn, and son John, who constructed the Old Commodore Hotel near Blues Point in 1850.^[10] No major inheritance disputes are recorded in primary colonial documents following Blue's death, suggesting orderly transmission of family assets.^[1]

Eccentricities and Public Persona

Billy Blue adopted the self-styled title of "Commodore," earning the affectionate nickname "Old Commodore" from Governor Lachlan Macquarie around 1807, reflecting his pretensions to naval authority despite his convict background as a waterman.^[3] He frequently donned a military-style uniform, including a cocked hat or top hat, which contributed to his distinctive and theatrical public appearance amid Sydney's colonial society.^[19] Blue's bombastic speech and jovial demeanor were noted in contemporary accounts; the Sydney Gazette on December 15, 1829, observed that "Billy Blue, the Commodore of Port Jackson, has of late grown uncommonly eloquent; scarcely a morning passes without his holding forth to admiring auditors on the quarter deck of his boat."^[4] This eccentric oratory blended humor with assertiveness, often entertaining ferry passengers and settlers while underscoring his adaptive individualism in a rigid colonial hierarchy. In public disputes, Blue's outspokenness manifested through repeated petitions to colonial officials, such as those dated November 17, 1823, challenging evictions and property rights without evident malice but leveraging wit to gain attention and concessions.^[21] His approach critiqued deferential norms, earning admiration from settlers for his bold character, as recalled in obituaries praising his humor upon his death in 1834.^[2]

Death and Posthumous Recognition

Final Years and Demise

In his later years during the 1820s and early 1830s, Blue persisted with a diminished ferry operation across Port Jackson and small-scale cultivation of vegetables and fruit on his Northampton estate, amid ongoing competition from rival watermen and the lingering effects of prior property evictions and legal setbacks under governors Brisbane and Darling.^[1] These factors, combined with the colony's evolving transport demands and Blue's advancing age, constrained his economic viability without rendering him destitute; he retained possession of his North Shore villa and ferry privileges until the end.^[1]^[24] Blue's health, strained by decades of manual labor ferrying passengers and goods in open boats exposed to Sydney Harbour's conditions, deteriorated in tandem with his roughly 67 years, though he remained active in his trade into 1833.^[3] He died on 6 May 1834 at his North Shore residence, as reported in contemporary notices.^[24] His body was buried the following day, 7 May 1834, in a Sydney churchyard under the registration of St James Church of England.^[10] Blue's will, executed shortly before his death and marked with an X rather than a signature, directed his remaining North Shore property to his three surviving sons—including William Blue junior—and two daughters as inheritors, reflecting the entailed land grant originally conferred by Governor Macquarie in 1817 to benefit his descendants.^[1] No records indicate disputes among the heirs over the modest estate, which comprised ferry remnants and cultivated land amid the colony's shifting markets.^[1]

Legacy and Commemoration

Billy Blue's enduring impact on Sydney is evident in the naming of Blues Point, derived from the 80 acres (320,000 m²) of land granted to him by Governor Lachlan Macquarie on 3 July 1817, which he developed as Northampton Farm while operating his ferry from the site.^[1]^[25] This location, on the northern shore of Sydney Harbour, perpetuates his memory as the colony's pioneering ferry operator, whose exclusive license in 1807 enabled the transport of passengers and goods, laying groundwork for the North Shore's connectivity and urban expansion. His service, often conducted with a six-oared boat accommodating up to 12 passengers at fares of sixpence per adult and threepence per child, addressed a critical logistical need in the early 19th-century settlement.^[19] Commemorative efforts highlight Blue's status as a local folk hero, with modern installations such as the 2022 Vivid Sydney light and sensory exhibit "Who the heck is Billy Blue?" drawing public attention to his entrepreneurial spirit and eccentricities.^[26] Venues like The Old Commodore Hotel in Neutral Bay invoke his nickname, "The Old Commodore," bestowed by contemporaries for his maritime role and bombastic demeanor, fostering ongoing cultural reverence.^[27] These tributes underscore tangible contributions over mythic embellishments, such as exaggerated claims about his age or precise origins, which historical records verify only broadly as a transported free Black man from the Americas convicted of sugar theft in 1801.^[1] In historiography, Blue represents convict agency and upward mobility, amassing property and public favor through persistence despite legal setbacks, as documented in colonial dispatches and emancipist success patterns.^[21] This trajectory counters perpetual victimhood narratives by illustrating causal factors like personal initiative—evident in his transition from watchman to licensed waterman—common among industrious emancipists regardless of ethnicity.^[1] Contemporary retellings emphasizing racial exceptionalism, often in advocacy-oriented sources, risk overlooking broader empirical evidence of opportunity in Macquarie-era reforms, where enterprise, not identity alone, drove outcomes.

References

[1]
William (Billy) Blue - Australian Dictionary of Biography
William (Billy) Blue (c.1767-1834), convict, settler and ferryman, was born possibly in Jamaica, New York City.
[2]
The old Commodore, Billy Blue | The Dictionary of Sydney
Billy Blue came to Sydney in 1801 as a convict after stealing raw sugar for his confectionary business in London. There are conflicting accounts of his origins ...Missing: facts | Show results with:facts
[3]
William Blue - Convict Records
Free by servitude 1803; Sydney's first water policeman; had ferry business Sydney Harbour; Lachlan Macquarie granted Blue 80 acres on North Shore, ...
[4]
Billy Blue: an African American journey through empire in the long ...
ABSTRACT This article traces the remarkable life of William Blue, who was probably born into slavery in colonial New York about 1737 and who died a ...
[5]
[DOC] stage_2_billy_blue_0.docx - State Library
The Life of Billy Blue. Historical sources tell us that Billy Blue was illiterate. When asked to sign his name all he could do was draw an 'X'. This means ...Missing: ancestry | Show results with:ancestry
[6]
Index of On-Line Muster Rolls - Advanced Loyalist Studies
This page is an index of Loyalist muster rolls, organized alphabetically by regiment, with a representative sampling of each. Rolls are periodically rotated.Missing: Billy Blue
[7]
Black Loyalist Registry | Black Loyalist Heritage Centre & Society
The Black Loyalist Registry records family information of those descended from Black Loyalists, to help understand their history and trace family histories.
[8]
Muster Rolls and Settlement Lists : 1784. - The Loyalist Collection
The muster rolls and settlement lists in this one reel of microfilm contain a wealth of information about the men, women, and children who settled as Loyalists.
[9]
Black Loyalist Refugees, 1782-1807- Port Roseway Associates
Sep 9, 2020 · This page gives historical background information on the arrival of Black Loyalists in Canada following the American Revolution.Missing: Billy Blue verification
[10]
William Blue (abt.1736-1834) | WikiTree FREE Family Tree
William Blue was a convict known as "The Old Commodore" and "Billy Blue". He ran Sydney's first ferry. Blues Point in Sydney, NSW, Australia is named after ...
[11]
Nile, Canada And Minorca Voyage 31st May 1801 - Convict Records
303 Convicts Onboard ... Convict Records is a software project by Coding Labs.
[12]
Convict Ship Minorca 1801 - Free Settler or Felon
... 1801 Convict Ship Captains Convict Names Convict Ship ... One of Australia's most famous convicts James Hardy Vaux was first transported on the Minorca.
[13]
Convict Ship Nile 1801 - Free Settler or Felon
The Surgeons and Masters of the Nile, Minorca and Canada transports were issued with strict guidelines for the health and good order of the ships.... The ...
[14]
Convict transportation to NSW
... Minorca, Canada and Nile. The vessels were to be kept 'sweet and clean', and that every day weather permitting 'the convicts to be brought on deck for the ...
[15]
[PDF] Billy Blue, the Old Commodore Cassandra Pybus, University of ...
misreading of his indictment where he was charged with stealing from a West India ship. He was by no means the only man of African descent in Sydney. A ...
[16]
02 Aug 1807 - Classified Advertising - Trove
threads, tapes, pins, needles, &c. &c. William Blue respectfully informs. the Public, that he being ...
[17]
Chapter 1. The Old Commodore: a transnational life - ANU Press
Like many other black seamen, Blue fetched up in Deptford, an impoverished maritime ... The evidence of Blue's place of birth comes from Susannah Scofield ...Missing: descent | Show results with:descent
[18]
Sydney's First Ferry Operators - Neighbourhood Media
Nov 6, 2023 · Initially an oyster seller, in 1807 Blue was granted an exclusive license to establish a north-south ferry shuttle rowing across Port Jackson, ...
[19]
The Old Commodore - Macquarie's friend Billy Blue
Jan 16, 2021 · So, in Australia, Billy Blue, an ex-slave from Long Island, could become the man Governor Macquarie and his wife trusted more than almost ...
[20]
[PDF] Black Caesar and Billy Blue: Subversive African Performance in ...
He was not. Aboriginal, as one might suppose, rather he was a man of the African diaspora - a runaway slave from America - who arrived in New South. Wales as a ...Missing: descent | Show results with:descent
[21]
(PDF) Billy Blue, the Old Commodore - Academia.edu
Billy Blue is depicted as a pivotal figure in the early colonial history of New South Wales, known as the first ferryman at Sydney Cove.
[22]
William Blue (1807-) | WikiTree FREE Family Tree
Dec 6, 2021 · William Blue is the son of Billy Blue and Elizabeth Williams William Blew, son of William Blew, Elizabeth Blew, Born 3 February 1807, Baptised 8 March 1807.Missing: baptism children
[23]
Casting a spotlight on the Black convicts of African descent who ...
Nov 19, 2024 · In Sydney he married white convict Elizabeth Williams and they had six children together. As harbour watchman and ferryman, Blue became well ...
[24]
08 May 1834 - BILLY BLUE. - Trove
Cite. Thu 8 May 1834 - The Sydney Gazette and New South Wales Advertiser (NSW : 1803 - 1842) Page 2 - BILLY BLUE. On this Page 2. Scroll to next page. BILLY ...Missing: ferry | Show results with:ferry<|control11|><|separator|>
[25]
Billy Blue | State Library of New South Wales
Billy Blue was an enterprising former convict of African-American origin (possibly born in Jamaica), who arrived in Sydney in 1801.Missing: emancipation ticket leave
[26]
Billy Blue lights up Vivid Sydney 2022 - Torrens University Australia
May 17, 2022 · He became a colourful local icon, known for his wit, audacity and entrepreneurial nature, and was given 80 acres at what is now Blues Point, ...
[27]
Our History | The Old Commodore Hotel
Governor Macquarie liked him so much that he granted him 80 acres on this very headland. Everyone who met him fell under his charms, so much that they ...Missing: relationship | Show results with:relationship