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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
CORRECTIONAL INSTITUTIONS Correctional institutions, including jails and penal colonies, created many valuable genealogical records. Such records include jail entrance and charge books, musters of convicts and prisoners, registers of sentences and punishments, registers of prisoner conduct, petitions for mitigation of sentences, and registers of sentences remitted or commuted.
The Family History Library has a large collection of records generated by correctional institutions. These records can be found in the Locality Search of the Family History Library Catalog under one of the following headings:
Court records contain information about individuals who were involved in litigation or other court matters. Details about Australian convicts are often found in court records. Most court records provide names of individuals who served as defendants, plaintiffs, jurors, or witnesses. They may also provide such information as the individual’s residence, occupation, physical description, and family.
There were several different courts in Australia. Cases brought before the district magistrates’ courts and the courts of quarter sessions in each state concerned petty crimes such as theft, breaches of peace, and drunkenness.
Supreme courts handled divorces, bankruptcies, insolvencies, and naturalizations. Some of the functions of the supreme courts were later transferred to the federal courts. The federal courts tried the most serious and indictable offenses such as murder and manslaughter.
Coroner’s courts investigated unusual deaths. Records dealing with these matters included the deceased’s name, age, and place of death. Newspapers often reported the dealings of the coroner’s courts, which may provide additional information such as the names of the descendant’s spouse and children and reports of witnesses.
Each state published a government or police gazette. These gazettes included information about individuals who appeared before the courts and individuals who were employed by the government or who held public offices (school teachers, constables, or postmasters). The gazettes also gave details about land grants and transfers, leases, mining claims, runaway convicts, and individuals who were granted various licenses.
Court records in Australia can be found in national archives, state archives, and other local repositories and libraries. For further information, see the “Archives and Libraries” section of this outline.
There are some published name indexes to existing court records. The Family History Library has many of these indexes. Look in the Locality Search of the Family History Library Catalog under:
The Family History Library has some microfilm copies of Australian court records and gazettes. These copies are listed in the Locality Search of the Family History Library Catalog under:
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AUSTRALIA - CORRECTIONAL INSTITUTIONSAUSTRALIA, [STATE] - CORRECTIONAL INSTITUTIONSAUSTRALIA, [STATE], [TOWN] - CORRECTIONAL INSTITUTIONS
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COURT RECORDS
AUSTRALIA, [STATE] - COURT RECORDS: INDEXESAUSTRALIA, [STATE], [TOWN] - COURT RECORDS: INDEXES
Many Australian archives have published guides to their court record holdings. These copies are listed in the Locality Search of the Family History Library Catalog under:
AUSTRALIA, [STATE], [TOWN] - COURT RECORDS - INVENTORIES, REGISTERS, CATALOGS
AUSTRALIA - COURT RECORDSAUSTRALIA, [STATE] - COURT RECORDSAUSTRALIA, [STATE], [TOWN] - COURT RECORDS
[FamilySearchTM: Research Guidance
Version of Data: 6/8/2001]