Tasmania Civil Registration

Australia Tasmania  Tasmania Civil Registration

Registration of births, marriages and deaths was introduced in December 1838. Before that date, information could only be traced through church records.

Births Prior to 1896

 * Given name (if known at time of registration) and surname.
 * Date and place of birth.
 * Names of parents, including the maiden surname of mother.
 * Father's occupation.

In 1896 the date and place of the parents' marriage were added. In 1902 the ages and birthplaces of the parents were added. In 1909 previous issue (children) were added.

Deaths Prior to 1897

 * Name of deceased.
 * Date and place of death.
 * Age at death.
 * Occupation.
 * Cause of death.

In 1897 the birthplace of the deceased was added, although in some instances this had been informally included since the 1880s. In 1914 the age at marriage and number of issue were added.

Marriages Prior to 1896

 * Names of the bride and groom.
 * Date and place of marriage.
 * Age at marriage (sometimes only whether "under" or "over" age, i.e. 21).
 * Occupation and status (e.g. bachelor and spinster).
 * Names of witnesses to the marriage.
 * Names of parents

In 1896 the places of birth were added. Where the marriage took place in a church no other information is contained in the church record of the event.

The above information was taken from Brief Guide 15: information recorded in Tasmanian birth, death, and marriage records.

Indexes

 * The Tasmanian Pioneer Index to births, marriages and deaths, December 1803-December 1899, are available at the Colonial Tasmanian Family Links database and on fiche in the Family History Library in Salt Lake City.
 * The Federation Index of births, marriages and deaths, 1900 to the present, can be ordered through the Tasmanian Registry of Births, Deaths and Marriages office. The CD-Rom edition Tasmanian Federation Index: Births 1900 - 1919, Deaths &amp; Marriages 1900 - 1930 is available for purchase from Macbeth Genealogical Services Pty Ltd.

Strategy
Quite a few births were registered without a given name. It is possible to find the names by doing the following.


 * Look at the civil register to see if a name was added after the index was created.
 * Look at the civil register to see if a note was added about where the child was baptised and his or her given name.
 * Search additional records, such as marriage, newspapers or obituaries, to decide by a preponderance of evidence the probable name of the child.

Location of Original Records
Registrar General of Births, Deaths and Marriages

15 Murray Street G.P.O. Box 198 Hobart, Tasmania 7001 Australia (011) (61) (2) 30-3793