History

A commemorative booklet with a focus on John and Mary Swan and their family is being produced to celebrate the anniversary. You can purchase it through the booking system on this website. We hope it will become a family collectible.

Here is a history snapshot.

John and Mary (nee Cameron) Swan emigrated to Tasmania (then Van Diemen’s Land) from London in the Lusitania, arriving in Hobart on 25 April 1823. John was 27; Mary was a mere 23 years old.

They brought with them four daughters, high hopes and a quantity of goods which they believed could be on sold at a handsome profit.

Key factors in this momentous move to the other side of the world were the promise of land grants for free settlers amid a severe economic depression in Britain together with good guidance from a well researched book published in London in 1822 entitled “A Description of Van Diemen’s Land with Important Hints to Emigrants.”

Soon after his arrival John Swan was granted 2,000 acres of land at Bagdad which he promptly leased out with a proviso the lessee had to build a homestead. He named the property Rosewood. John was then free to pursue his commercial interests in Hobart which he did with great gusto.

In just a few years he had made a considerable fortune while at the same time Mary gave birth to another 11 children, nine of whom married and produced issue.

Two centuries and many generations on the descendents of John and Mary Swan have scattered around the globe.

So now is a fitting time to see how many of the Swan family we can muster to celebrate 200 years since that great voyage to Van Diemen’s Land / Tasmania.

We hope you can join us. Please book by clicking on the BOOK HERE button in the top right.

Do check the FAQ page as well.

We hope you can join us.