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Australia Research Outline |
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Table of Contents
Helps For Using This Research Outline
Introduction
Record Selection Table
Archives And Libraries
National Archives And Libraries
Branches Of The National Archives Of Australia
National Library
State Archives
State Libraries
Other Libraries
Computer Networks And Bulletin Boards
Familysearch™
Biography
Business Records And Commerce
Cemeteries
Census
Census Substitutes
Church Directories
Church History
Church Records
Information Recorded In Church Registers
Locating Church Records
Indexes To Church Records
Civil Registration
General Historical Background
Information Recorded In Civil Registers
Indexes To Civil Registration Records
Locating Civil Registration Records
Records At The Family History Library
Convict Records
Correctional Institutions
Court Records
Directories
Emigration And Immigration
Encyclopedias And Dictionaries
Gazetteers
Finding Place Names In The Family History Library Catalog
Modern Place Names
Historical Place Names
Genealogy
Major Collections And Databases
Family Histories
Genealogical Collections
Genealogical Indexes
Research Coordination
Heraldry
Historical Geography
History
Local Histories
Land And Property
Finding Land Records In Australia
Finding Land Records In The Family History Library
Languages
Language Aids
Maps
Using Maps
Finding The Specific Town On The Map
Finding Maps And Atlases
Medical Records
Military Records
Minorities
Native Races
Naturalization And Citizenship
Newspapers
Obituaries
Occupations
Orphans And Orphanages
Periodicals
Indexes
Obtaining Periodicals
Probate Records
Public Records
Schools
Societies
Genealogical And Family History Societies
Historical Societies
Family Associations And One-name Societies
Locating Records At The Family History Library
Records Not At The Family History Library
Taxation
Voting Registers
Other Records Of Australia
For Further Reading
Comments And Suggestions
CHURCH RECORDS Church records are an excellent source for information on names, dates, and places of birth, marriage, and burial. Most people who lived in Australia are recorded in a church record. Church records pre-date civil registration, and they may be the only source of family information for that time period. For information on government recordings of births, deaths, and marriages, see the “Civil Registration” section of this outline.
General Historical Background
In general, the keeping of church records in Australia began in 1788 with the recording of baptisms and marriages.
The beginning date for church records varies by state as follows:
1788
1803
1829
1829
1836
1837
1911 (before 1911, see New South Wales and South Australia)
1911( before 1911, see New South Wales)
For more information about the various churches in Australia, see the “Church History” section of this outline.
Copies of Church Records
In some cases, all or parts of original church records have been lost. Fortunately some copies were made. These copies are kept in various archives and can be used to supplement missing or illegible registers.
The most important church records for genealogical research are christening (baptism), marriage, and burial registers. The information recorded in church registers varies according to time period and the church official who recorded the event. Generally, the more recent records give the most complete information.
Christenings. Children were generally christened or baptized within a few days of birth. Christening registers usually give the infant’s and parents’ names, status of legitimacy, names of witnesses or godparents, and the christening date. Other details may include a birth date, age (if a baptism of an older child or an adult), father’s occupation, and the family’s place of residence. Death information is sometimes added.
Marriages. Marriage registers often include the marriage date, names of bride and groom, marital status prior to the marriage, and names of witnesses. Other information such as age, residence, occupation, names of parents, and birthplace may also be listed.
Burials. Burials are recorded in the church records of the local congregation where the individual was buried. Burial registers list the name of the deceased and the date and place of death or burial. They also may include additional details such as age, place of residence, cause of death, and names of surviving family members. Occasionally the date and place of birth and even parents’ names are given. Some denominations did not always keep burial registers.
Church records were kept locally. You must know your ancestor’s religion and the town where he or she lived. You must also determine the parish of your ancestor’s town so that you will know which registers to search. For information on finding a parish, see the “Gazetteers” section of this outline. The “Church Directories” section of this outline also gives information about finding a parish.
There are books available that will help you locate church records. The following book lists the various denominations by town and indicates where the records are held:
Vine Hall, Nick. Parish Registers in Australia : A list of all known originals, transcripts, microforms & indexes of Australian Parish Registers. Middle Park, Victoria: N. Vine Hall, 1989. (FHL book 994 K23vh; computer number 555977.)
Church Record Inventories. An inventory is a listing of available church records, their location, and what years they cover. Sometimes inventories identify which parishes served which towns at different periods of time. For other ways to identify which parish served which town, see the “Church Directories” section of this outline.
Inventories of church records are listed in the Locality Search of the Family History Library Catalog under:
Records at the Family History Library. The Family History Library has some Australian church records on microfilm and microfiche. They are listed in the Locality Search of the Family History Library Catalog under:
Records Not at the Family History Library. Copies of church records for the various states for the pre-civil registration time period were given to each state’s registrar general and often kept in the state archives. The dates of these records are as follows:
After civil registration began, many church records were kept in local custody. Others are found in state repositories and church archives. For the address of a given church, see the “Church Directories” section of this outline. The following is a good directory to use in locating church archives:
Ansell, L. J. Register of church archives in Australia. Church Archivists Society. [Australia]: Downs Printing Co. Pty. Ltd., Toowoomba. 1982. (FHL book 994 K23r; computer number 174595.)
For information on state repositories, see the “Archives and Libraries” section of this outline.
There are two excellent indexes to church records. The Thomas D. Mutch Index (called the Mutch Index) is a card index of birth, marriage, and death entries compiled from parish registers. Though it covers later time periods, it is most effective for the pre-1830 time frame. The Kerrison James Index covers pre-1830 christenings, marriages, and burials copied from English church records.
For several years, various states have worked to produce Pioneer Indexes, which include some parish registers in addition to civil registration records. To learn more about these indexes, see the “Civil Registration” section of this outline.
To find indexes that are available at the Family History Library, look in the Locality Search of the Family History Library Catalog under:
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• New South Wales
• Tasmania
• Queensland
• Western Australia
• South Australia
• Victoria
• Northern Territory
•Australian Capital Territory
Information Recorded in Church Registers
Locating Church Records
AUSTRALIA - CHURCH RECORDS - INVENTORIES, REGISTERS, CATALOGSAUSTRALIA, [STATE] - CHURCH RECORDS - INVENTORIES, REGISTERS, CATALOGS
AUSTRALIA, [STATE], [TOWN] - CHURCH RECORDS
Indexes to Church Records
AUSTRALIA - CHURCH RECORDS - INDEXESAUSTRALIA, [STATE] - CHURCH RECORDS - INDEXES
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Version of Data: 6/8/2001]