The letters of John Hawdon and others from 1828 to 1837, preserved in the State Library of NSW, provide insights into colonial life in New South Wales. They highlight themes of isolation, communication challenges, economic struggles, and attitudes toward gender and Indigenous populations, alongside Hawdon's farming experiences and family connections.
Category: Letters
Insights from the Hawdon Letters: Colonial Life in NSW, Part 1, 1828-1830
John Hawdon's letters (1828-1830) provide an intimate view of colonial life in New South Wales. Addressed to family in England, they detail challenges of farming, personal hardships, and isolation. The cross-written letters, located at the State Library of NSW, are difficult to decipher but are significant historical records of early colonial settlement in the Cowpastures.
