I’ve been exploring and learning more about the Old Register index, which is a fairly new source to me and available online via Museums of History NSW.

The Old Register covers the period 1794 to 1824, early years of colonial settlement in New South Wales. It’s official name is the Registers of Assignments and Other Legal Instruments, and it’s been put on the UNESCO Australian Memory of the World Register. This is in recognition of its value in documenting Australian heritage.

The Register is a good complementary source to the Colonial Secretary’s Papers, and I’ve found some tiny bits of useful information about several of my ancestors, providing additional details about their lives and starting points for further research.

The separation of my 6x great-grandparents Edward and Sarah Reynolds is recorded on 17 January 1807, along with a settlement agreement between them which included wheat and a pig for breeding.

William Spears, my 5x great-grandfather, is recorded as having a connection to a farm owned by Isaac Garrick, and assigning the farm’s wheat crops for sale.

Some of the places my 5x great-grandfather George Dowling lived are recorded when they changed hands. They include 17 Pitt Row in Sydney, and 40 Cambridge Street and 20 Cumberland Street in The Rocks. He’s also mentioned as having owned a sloop called Revenge which he sold for £100.

If you have ancestors who lived in early colonial New South Wales, I recommend checking out the Old Register. You never know what you might find.

Selected resources

The ‘Old Register’ Index, 1794-1824, Museums of History NSW, https://mhnsw.au/indexes/land/the-old-register/, accessed 18 July 2026.

UNESCO Australian Memory of the World, https://www.amw.org.au/, accessed 18 July 2026.