Australia, New South Wales, 1891 Census - FamilySearch Historical Records

Australia New South Wales



What is in the Collection?
These records include an index with images of census returns from 1891 for New South Wales. Original records are located in the Mitchell Library in Sydney.

To protect individual privacy, all national censuses were destroyed after statistical information was collected. The New South Wales 1891 census was one of the few census records that survived the destruction.

Australian states also took censuses—mostly from the nineteenth century on. However, many of the censuses did not survive because they were taken for population studies and taxation.

Sample Images


Census records may contain the following information:
 * Name of ancestor
 * Occupation
 * Marital status
 * Address
 * Number of individuals in household
 * Ethnicity

How Do I Search the Collection?
This section provides information on how to search the collection, what to do with information once found, some tips on how to find records, and what do if no record is found. When searching:  As you are searching, it is helpful to know such information as your ancestor’s given name and surname, some identifying information such as approximate year and place of residence, approximated age at time of census, and family relationships. To search the collection by name: Fill in the requested information in the boxes on the initial search page. This search will return a list of possible matches. Compare the information about the individuals 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 the information on several individuals comparing the information about them to your ancestors to make this determination.

To browse by image: To search the collection you will need to follow this series of links: ⇒Select "Browse through images" on the initial collection page ⇒ Select the appropriate 'Census District' which takes you to the images


 * Use the place of residence to locate other records.
 * Use the address to locate the ancestor in city directories.
 * Note neighbors of the ancestor as they were sometimes relatives.

Tips to Keep in Mind

 * When looking for a person who had a common name, look at all the entries for the name before deciding which is correct.
 * 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.
 * Titles may be clues to property ownership, occupations, rank, or status within the community.
 * Be aware that, as with any index, transcription errors may occur.

I Can't Find Who I'm Looking For, Now What?

 * Check for variant spellings of the names.
 * Search the records of localities near to where the ancestor is believed to have lived.
 * Try searching for only the given name or surname as one or the other may be indexed incorrectly.
 * Sometimes browsing through the pages is better than searching with the index because of indexing errors.

Related Websites

 * National Archives of Australia Step-by-step Guide for Researchers
 * NSW Government State Records
 * Early Australian Census Records
 * Registry of Births, Deaths and Marriages
 * Immigration Records

Related Wiki Articles

 * Australia Census
 * Australia

Citing this Collection
Citing your sources makes it easy for others to find and evaluate the records you used. When you copy information from a record, list where you found that information. Here you can find citations already created for the entire collection and for each individual record or image.

Collection Citation:

Image Citation:

Record citation (or citation for the index entry):