This book contains no hearsay, only reliable researched facts. Sources of information - The Historical Records of the Nation & Private Collections...James McClelland, OAM

Covering:
Parramatta; Penrith; Liverpool; Windsor; Richmond; Campbelltown; Updated lists of First Fleet Convicts; Countries where Australian & British Commonwealth soldiers lie buried

Book 53 - 175 Pages with photos & illustrations

Excerpts.......
1200 AD
Scientific investigation of some of the priceless pearls on some of the world's Crown Jewels suggests that they were obtained from the sea off the N. Western Australian Coastline about this time, it would suggest that fishermen of Asian origin regularly visited Australian waters.
Evidence found on N.W. Coastline supports theory that Chinese seamen are regularly landing on Australian coastline.
1266
Marco Polo makes his great overland journey into China, on his return he wrote of such great riches and of a great land in the south filled with gold that explorers wanted to search for a sea route to China.
1482
Christopher Columbus asks the King of Portugal for funds for a voyage of discovery to discover a sea route to China. His request is refused, he is also of the opinion that the earth is round and not flat.
1488
A Portuguese seaman, Bartholemew Diaz, sails around the Cape of Good Hope and establishes a sea route to the East.
1492
Columbus is finally given funds by Queen Isabella of Spain. He sets sail across the Atlantic to discover a route to China but finds his way blocked by the land mass of North America.
1497
The great Navigator, Vasco Da Gama, sails around Cape of Good Hope and establishes a trading route to India.
1512
Portuguese discover New Guinea and mistake it for part of the Great South Land.
1520
Ferdinand Magellan and his fleet of four ships sail around Cape Horn from the Atlantic Ocean into the Pacific and discover the Philipine Islands.
1567
The Spanish Government sends out Alvaro de Mandoza with two ships to search for the Great South Land, he only discovers the Solomon Islands.
1577
Sir Francis Drake, in the Golden Hind, sails into the Pacific Ocean from the Atlantic and sails North, he names present day California - New Albion - and claims it for England. He then sails across the Pacific to Java, thence to Cape of Good Hope and back to Plymouth, arriving there in 1580, he becomes the first Englishman to circle the world and yet he missed seeing our homeland.
1580
A proposal is submitted to Elizabeth I of England that a company be established to trade beyond the Equinoctial Line, however nothing is done about it.

Book 19 - 46 Pages

Excerpts......

Many place names in the Penrith area date from the early settlement of the colony of New South Wales. Here are some:

AGNES BANKS Named after the farm granted in 1804 to Andrew Thompson, of Windsor, by Governor King.
BADGERY'S CREEK Named after James Badgery, who was granted land on the lower Nepean and then a considerable area on South Creek.
BERKSHIRE PARK Named after a grant of 320 acres made to Richard Rouse in 1838.
CAMBRIDGE PARK Portion of land grant of 1500 acres to P.P. King in 1831. The name seems to belong to a sub-division in the 1920's or 1930's.
CASTLEREAGH Named by Governor Macquarie in 1810 after Lord Castlereagh.
COLYTON Named after McCarthy's Farm, Cranebrook House. James McCarthy was granted land in 1804.
DUNHEVED Originally DUNHAVED, after the ancient name of the keep, or citadel, of Launceston in Cornwall, England. This is situated in an area of 660 acres originally granted to Philip G. King in 1806.
EMU PLAINS The whole of the area on the west side of the Nepean, named as early as 1808. The name originated with Capt. Watkin Tench, but in the form of EMU ISLAND. In 1814 Governor Macquarie referred to "Emu Plains - hitherto erroneously called Emu Island".
ERSKINE PARK The name of a grant to James Erskine of 3000 acres in 1818.
JAMISON TOWN Named after Thomas Jamison, who was granted 1000 acres in 1805.
KEMPS CREEK Named after Anthony Fern Kemp, who was granted land in this area.
KINGSWOOD Named after the King Family, who held grants of land in this area. Formerly known as CROSS ROADS because of the junction of the Great Western Road and Camden-Richmond Road.
LLANDILO This area was named after the Welsh town of LLANDILO FAWR, and the original name is due to Saint Teilo, who lived in the 6th century. "Llan" means a church or enclosure.
LONDONDERRY Thirty acres of land was granted to Thomas Kendall in 1831. He called the property "Londonderry".
LUDDENHAM Named after a district in Kent, from a grant of 6710 acres given to John Blaxland in 1813 and named "Luddenham".
MOUNT VERNON The name of Anthony Fern Kemp's grant near the Cabramatta district.
MULGOA Aboriginal word meaning "Black Swan".
REGENTVILLE Named after the estate of Sir John Jamison, who acquired many acres by grant and purchase. A mansion of this name was built on the estate.
ST. MARYS Named after the parish church of St. Mary Magdalene, consecrated in 1840. It was earlier known as SOUTH CREEK because settlement was originally on the south banks of the creek.
YARRAMUNDI Aboriginal word meaning "Deep Water".

Book 5 - 179 Pages

INTRODUCTION

In the year 1828, Penrith was not even marked on the maps of the colony. The district on which this book is based was known and referred to as THE DISTRICT OF EVAN, and was officially described as .........

EVAN
One of the original districts of the Country of Cumberland, NSW bounded on the South side by the BRINGELLY district...on the East side by the SOUTH CREEK to the RICHMOND ROAD...thence by that road to the CHAIN OF PONDS at LARRA'S FARM...and by the RICHMOND COMMON LINE to MATTHEW'S FARM opposite the GROSE RIVER, and on the West side by the NEPEAN RIVER.

In the year 1848, Penrith was appearing on the maps of the colony as a village and was officially described then as.........

PENRITH
A village of New South Wales situated in the Parishes of Castlereagh and Mulgoa. It consists only of one long street which is the Great Western Road, it has 63 houses and a total population of 291: 171 males and 120 females. It has a Protestant Church, a Catholic Church, a Police Barracks and a Court House. The Presbyterian and Wesleyan Church people hold their services in the Court House.

In 1848, the Penrith Police District was roughly the same size as the original district of Evan - it contained 4,120 people and had 728 houses.

EMU, now known as EMU PLAINS, and CASTLEREAGH, had been proclaimed as towns but beyond having a few Inns, had failed to develop. Penrith only really began to develop after the discovery of gold.

This book does not claim to be a complete record of all persons living in the district of Evan in 1828, but great care has been taken to make it as accurate as possible. Family History Researchers will find it very useful as a Time Mark as to whether a person was living in the Penrith district in 1828, or not.

If the book is further dissected by the reader into households and the people employed by them, a very interesting picture of life in the Penrith district in 1828 will emerge.

Book 29 - 37 Pages

.....the Blessing of the Fleet Festival is essentially an ancient religious ceremony. The fishing boats often go 200 kilometres or more out to sea and in all kinds of weather. The fishermen simply ask for our Good Lord's blessing that they may have a good catch of fish and be able to return safely to port to the arms of their families.

The order of the Festival, depending on the weather of course, will go something like this, I stress that this is not an official order of ceremony, but only a summary.

At 9 a.m. all the fishermen and their families will gather in the Civic Centre together with all others who care to attend for the special fishermen's mass.

A beautiful display of banners will also be seen at this time. These banners are a real credit to the people who make them.

About 11 a.m. a great procession of floats and local organisations will take place, organised by all the organisations and business houses of the district, most of the fishermen will have to go to the harbour to prepare their boats, but some may walk in the procession.

About mid-day, or a little later, the procession will reach the wharf and the actual blessing of the gaily decorated boats will take place..........

James McClelland, OAM

Book 34 - 109 Pages

The 12th Regiment, Australian Light Horse crossing the old Liverpool Bridge for embarkation at Liverpool Railway Station, 25th April, 1915
Original photo donated by Mr. Ern Hyland

Book 35 - 161 Pages

Welcome - a very warm welcome to this book. A book which I feel will be of immense value to all Australians in the years to follow who are interested in genealogical and family history.
This book's greatest asset to family historians is that it is a time milestone. The names of all persons living in Newcastle in 1828 are recorded and all male citizens on the Newcastle Electoral Roll for 1880 are also recorded. Of course in 1880 ladies had not as yet been given the right to vote and that is the reason why only males are recorded on the Roll. So we have two very valuable time stones by which we can establish whether a pioneer was living in Newcastle in 1828 or 1880 or not.
When the 1828 census was taken, most of the people instructed by the Governor to prepare the census were very careful in their work, that is, in all areas except Newcastle. In Newcastle the census taker did not seem to be really interested in his work and most of the entries for Newcastle in 1828. No indication was given as to whether the person was a convict of not, and most of the names are recorded as living in the barracks at Newcastle.
Now we know that in 1828 there were two large barracks at Newcastle, a military barracks and a convict barracks. Now as the soldiers were not recorded on the census it would be safe to assume that all persons stated as residing at the barracks at Newcastle were convicts.
The names of as many pioneering families as possible have also been recorded. I would like to be informed of any names that I may have missed so that I can include them in the next edition of this book.
I do hope that you enjoy this book, and I do hope that the good Lord takes good care of you and your loved ones in the generations that are to follow us.
Thank you.
James McClelland, OAM

Book 40 - 82 Pages

There can be no question in the mind of any person that GRIFFITH, NSW, is fast becoming one of the great cities of the future. A wonderful place to live and the ideal place to bring up children, where the young can find romance and hope for the future, and where the old can look back on a life of contentment and achievement.

James McClelland, OAM

Book 41 - 87 Pages

Any author can write glowing words about a city that he is writing about. I do not feel that there is any need to write glowing words about Albury, it does not need them. Albury is a great city in its own right, it has become a great city simply because of the calibre of the people who live in it.
I have found in my travels that most people and children have a fair idea of the history of their own towns and cities, but very few know much about the influences that brought about the establishment of our homeland and ultimately their own towns and cities.
I feel by including facts about such influences it makes a book more interesting and gives the children of large country cities and towns a much broader knowledge of these influences, which in turn foster a great love for our history.
As an author, I naturally hope that you will like my work, but because we are humans, some will like it, some will not, but every item in it, even the signals exchange between the ships of the First Fleet, are authentic and have come from actual records.
May the Good Lord take good care of you and your loved ones and protect you from harm.

James McClelland, OAM

Book 46 - 71 Pages

Some people love to have a home by the sea, but my love is the Blue Mountain foothills of Silverdale, Werombi, Warragamba, Wallacia, Luddenham and Greendale.
I love the village way of life; I love the people who have made the foothills their home.
I think our district is indeed a place of history - a wonderful place to call home.

James McClelland, OAM 

Book 57 - 98 Pages with photos & illustrations

It give me pleasure in recommending this publication to the thousands of residents living downstream of Warragamba Dam, including Penrith, Emu Plains, Castlereagh, Windsor, Richmond and the communities along the Hawkesbury as it winds it way to the sea.
It is often said that hindsight is a wonderful teacher. Hindsight is the ability to understand, after something has happened, what should have been done.
A great deal of the material in this book is the work of James McClelland and my personal thanks must go to him as his work and insights have allowed me to take up the fight to protect life and property below the dam.
Jumping to conclusions is not nearly as good a mental exercise as digging for facts.
On 13th May, 1816, His Excellence, the Governor, commanded the clergy of the day to read during the Divine Services, that settlers of the banks of the Nepean and Hawkesbury River move to areas that he has marked out, that are out of reach of these inundations, for their accommodation and comfort. He went on to say that the recent losses and misfortunes, to a great degree, were because of their own imprudence and indolence.
It is a different story today, and we must know the facts. The proposed spillway option does not protect life or property below the Dam and, indeed, only comes into use when floods to the proportion of those in 1867 are repeated. That means water lapping the steps of Penrith Post Office in the east and near Russell Street, Emu Plains, in the west.

This book is a must read for those with the view to saving thousands of people from utter ruin and distress.

Councillor Jim Aitken

Book 118 - 117 Pages with photos & illustrations

Many thanks to the people who were responsible for compiling this book. Since Australia was discovered Parramatta has been regarded as being the starting point for things we now take for granted for it is where most beginnings were made. Some of Australia's most important primary industries - sheep breeding, wool growing and wheat farming - were started in Parramatta.
Parramatta is a great warm and friendly city, the second oldest settlement in the Commonwealth and it is the oldest country town (proclaimed a city on 27th October, 1938).
Wheat was first harvested at Rose Hill in 1789.
James Ruse, a free convict cultivated two acres of land in 1789 and was granted thirty acres in March, 1791, to continue his farming.
John Macarthur began experiments in Parramatta, breeding merino sheep at his historic Elizabeth Farm.
Australia's first fair was held at Parramatta in 1813.
The first telephone line in Parramatta was connected to Murray Brothers in 1880.
Many books have been written and many more will be written on its history, but I want this book to be a little different. I want it to be a book that people will appreciate and value.
The law requires me to lodge a copy of every book I, or anyone else, writes with the State Library of New South Wales and here the books are kept safe for posterity. So all that have advertised in this book can be assured that in the long-distant years to come, their advertisements will be read by Australians who are trying to put together a picture of how we are living at this point in time.
No one book could do justice to the early history of Parramatta; no one book could even possibly hope to include all the stories abounding from its foundation to the present day, but I feel that this book accurately covers part of our history.
I do sincerely hope you enjoy it.

James McClelland, O.A.M.

Book 48 - 124 Pages

This book does not claim to be a complete record of all persons living in the district of Parramatta in 1828, but great care has been taken to make it as accurate as possible. Family History Researchers will find it very useful as a Time Mark as to whether a person was living in the Parramatta district in 1828, or not.

If the book is further dissected by the reader into households and the people employed by them, a very interesting picture of life in the Parramatta district in 1828 will emerge.

Book 51 - 70 Pages