I am hoping to find out if anyone has any information about any men or women with the surname Kearns who lived in the Moreton Bay region of Queensland between 1823 and 1852.

My g.g.grandfather was born there in 1850 but I am unable to trace his parents so I have decided to broaden my search and look for anyone with the surname KEARNS. I am assuming that in the early days of the settlement there couldn't have been many.

Any help or assistance would be greatly appreciated.
Sioban Kearns

Do you have his marriage certificate?BMD index is online.

Have marriage and death certificate but no parents names listed on either. No record of birth in either NSW or QLD BMD but place of birth (Moreton Bay) listed on other certs.

Wondering what records exist for Moreton Bay/Brisbane around 1850 and how to find out if anyone had the surname Kearns.

From memory the states did not exist in 1850,Moreton Bay was used for Queensland area.
NSW BMD index has 30 Kearns born 1840-1860 but as you didn't mention his name,i can't help.

His name was John Kearns but I have already checked the BMD's and there is no record of his birth. Not sure why this is but that is why I am at a loss to find out who his parents are. No birth cert, no parents listed on marriage or death cert. The only clue that I have is that he was born in Moreton Bay in 1850. I don't know if he had brothers or sisters. Seems a rather difficult puzzle to crack.

There is a listing of a John Kearns in the NSW library records - of convicts sent to Sydney/Moreton Bay in 1849- "Worthy of Reclamation" - I thought that this man may be my g.g.grandfather's father but at the moment I am unsure of how to prove that the John Kearns listed in the records was indeed sent to Moreton Bay. I think that the 'Havering' was one of the last transport ships sent to Queensland with exiles from Ireland. All I know is that his name was John Kearns, from Dublin, convicted of coining but really not sure if he is my ancestor. The date fits - if in fact he was sent to Moreton Bay in 1849 and my g.g.grandfather was born there in 1850....

Do you know of any records that would show the convicts that were indeed taken to Moreton Bay?

You will need to find more on John before you start looking for his father.Assuming his father was a convict?