Australia, Sydney Branch Genealogical Library, Cemetery Inscriptions - FamilySearch Historical Records

Record Description
This collection will include records from 1800 to 1960.

The records includes index cards of inscriptions found in cemeteries in Australia. Most entries are actual monumental inscriptions from cemeteries, while other entries were taken from burial registers. The majority of cemeteries are public ones in New South Wales, yet other States and Territories are represented. The cemeteries included were not transcribed completely.

These records are handwritten transcriptions and do not list Cemetery locations within the content and need to be viewed on the cards. There are many errors in transcriptions and as such cannot be relied on for accuracy.

Extraction information was originally entered into books, but individual entries were later transferred to cards. The cards are arranged alphabetically within each cemetery. The transcription accounts were sometimes not in agreement in their entries and the search in this collection has not always succeeded because of this.

This cemetery transcription collection was begun approximately in 1950 by members of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints residing primarily in New South Wales and Queensland. Most information is extracted from the monuments, but extractions from a few burial registers are included. Each cemetery had not been transcribed completely. Some transcribers only did those monuments for which they had a particular interest. The majority of the cemeteries are public cemeteries with only a few churchyards transcribed. Some tombstones may not have survived.

For a list of localities currently published in this collection, select the Browse link from the collection landing page.

Record Content
Cemetery inscriptions may contain the following information:


 * Name of deceased
 * Age of deceased
 * When and where died
 * Birth date of deceased
 * Birth place of deceased
 * Death and place of deceased
 * Names of parents
 * Name of spouse
 * Names of children
 * How many years in Australia
 * Cemetery and manner of burial
 * Names of witnesses
 * Source of information

How to Use the Records
As you are searching it is helpful to know such information as your ancestor’s given name and surname, some identifying information such as residence and age, and family relationships. Remember that there may be more than one person in the records with the same name as your ancestor and that your ancestor may have used nicknames or different names at different times.

Search the Collection

Fill in the requested information in the initial search page. This search will return a list of possible matches. Compare the information about the ancestors in the list to what you already know about your ancestors to determine if this is the correct family or person. You may need to look at several images and compare the information about the individuals listed in those images to your ancestors to make this determination.

Using the Information
Use the information that you have found on the tombstones to:


 * Locate death certificates which may have additional information.
 * Date of birth and names of parents and place of birth, if available, can be used to search for additional birth information.

Related Websites

 * Australia Maps
 * New South Wales Map 1833
 * Cemetery Inscriptions in Sydney Branch Library, 1800-1960

Related Wiki Articles

 * Australia
 * Australia Cemeteries

Citing FamilySearch Historical Collections
When you copy information from a record, you should list where you found the information. This will help you or others to find the record again. It is also good to keep track of records where you did not find information, including the names of the people you looked for in the records.

Citation for This Collection
Citations for individual image records are available for this collection. Browse through images in this collection and click on the "Show Citation" box: Australia, Cemetery Inscriptions, Sydney Branch Genealogical Library, 1800-1960

The following citation refers to the original source of the information published in FamilySearch.org Historical Records collections. Sources include the author, custodian, publisher, and archive for the original records.