Hi William

You made a comment way back in 2010:

Comment by William Douglas on October 28, 2010 at 15:41
I thought it about time I added some detail to the Douglas Archives about the very early arrivals in New South Wales.

No sooner had I done so, than I received a copy of an 'essay' written by Carol Baxter entitled
'The Douglas Controversy'.

She writes: The Douglas Controversy deals with one such situation (uses of "circumstantial evidence").
The controversy centres around three fathers and two sons and raises the question of "who begat who". The three fathers were convicts who arrived in the colony in its early years: William Douglas on the Alexander in 1788, Thomas Douglas on.........

It is highly likely that the first 'Douglas' to arrive in Australia was this William Douglas mentioned by Carol Baxter and he arrived in New South Wales on 21st January 1788 onboard the Alexander, one of a flotilla of vessels called the First Fleet.

He had been convicted of larceny at Lincoln Court on 9th July 1785 and was sentenced to 7 years transportation.

William was quick to find romance in NSW and married one Mary Groves on 1st June 1788. She was also a convict who had arrived onboard the Prince of Wales at the same time as William, I wonder if she was involved in the controversy?

some extra info below:

Best regards