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

What Is in the Collection?
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.

Sample Image
Cemetery inscriptions may contain the following information:


 * Name of Deceased
 * Age of Deceased
 * Date and Place of Death
 * Date and Place of Birth
 * Names of Parents
 * Name of Spouse
 * Names of Children
 * Years in Australia
 * Cemetery and Manner of Burial
 * Names of Witnesses
 * Source of Information

How Do I Search the Collection?
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.

To search the collection by name: 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 compare the information about more than one person to find your ancestor.

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 “Film" category which takes you to the images

Search the collection by image comparing the information with what you already know about your ancestors to determine if the image relates to them. 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.

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.

Known Issues With This Collection
For a full list of all known issues associated with this collection see the attached article. If you encounter additional problems, please email them to [mailto:support@familysearch.org support@familysearch.org]. Please include the full path to the link and a description of the problem in your e-mail. Your assistance will help ensure that future reworks will be considered.

Citing This Collection
Citations help you keep track of places you have searched and sources you have found. Identifying your sources helps others find the records you used.

Collection Citation:

Record Citation (or citation for the index entry): Image Citation