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New on the site
John and Charlotte Boughton (added 19 January 2010).
Thomas and Anne Stubbs (added 10 January 2010).
Susannah Matilda Ward (added 3 January 2010).
Edward Gostwyck Cory (added 2 January 2010).
James Phillips and Lydia Ballard (added 29 December 2009).
James Phillips Webber (added 27 December 2009).
William and Maria Dun (added 17 December 2009).
Paterson Museum
Paterson Museum is open from 11.00am to 3.00pm on Sundays (Details 
).
Tocal Homestead
Tocal Homestead is open to the public at weekends until the end of November and then closes for the summer, to reopen at the begining of March 2010 (Details ).
Welcome to the Paterson River website, focused on the early history of the Paterson distict. To get a feel for the site you could start with:
- an overview of settlement from 1812-1821
- the site of first settlement: Old Banks
- an overview of Aboriginal history of the area
- an overview of settlement from 1822
More newspapers on-line
The Sydney Gazette 1803-1842 has been on-line for quite a while now and is a great source of information on early Paterson history. Just before Christmas 2009 the Sydney Herald 1831-1842 went on-line (more exciting for some of us than the Christmas sales). During 2010 the National Library plans to add the Maitland Mercury 1856-1893 (earlier issues are already on-line), the Australian 1824-1828 and the Sydney Monitor 1824-1841. All the text is fully searchable, so these additions will be invaluable.
Macquarie's bicentennary
Lachlan Macquarie took office as governor of New South Wales on 1 January 1810 and the early European settlement of Paterson is directly linked to his governorship. Macquarie gave permission for the first four settlers to take up land on the Paterson River at Old Banks in 1812. Nearly all of Paterson's inhabitants from 1812 to 1821 settled there with his permission, many of them convicts rewarded for good behaviour while at the penal settlement of Newcastle where they had been sent by the courts for re-offending in Sydney. See overview of settlement at Patersons Plains 1812-1821, and Governor Macquarie's bicentenary.
New books on Paterson's history
'The Paterson at War' by David Brouwer, 60 pages, available from Tocal Homestead or College. It reveals the Paterson district's involvement in major world conflicts (Boer War, the so-called Great War, and WWII), including anecdotes and memories of those who served at home and abroad. The history of a major gunnery observation post (still standing) at Tocal is recorded in the participants' own words. Details .
'Gostwyck, Paterson 1823-2009' by Lesley Gent. From the original land grant in 1823 to the present day, the book contains details of the property's owners - Edward Gostwyck Cory 1823-1873, John Ponsford Luke 1874-1885, Theophilus Cooper 1885-1903, and George Priestly and his family 1903-2009. It also contains a detailed history of Gostwyck House, including the original home built in 1831, its demolition and the building of the present home in 1874. Available from Paterson Historical Society. Details .
