Australia, New South Wales, 1828 Census - FamilySearch Historical Records

What is in This Collection?
This collection will include records from 1828, which is an index of the 1828 census returns from New South Wales. Original records are located in the Mitchell Library in Sydney, which is one of three buildings attached to the State Library of New South Wales.

The 1828 New South Wales Census was conducted in November 1828 and was the first census to be taken in New South Wales. Prison convicts were often sent to Australia to serve their sentences, so this information may appear on the census. To protect individual privacy, national censuses were destroyed after statistical information was collected. The New South Wales 1828 census was one of the few censuses that survived the destruction.

What Can These Records Tell Me?
The following information may be found in these records:

Census
 * Given name and surname
 * Age
 * Free or bond
 * Sentence
 * Name of ship
 * Year of arrival
 * Employment
 * Denomination
 * Residence
 * Religion
 * Total number of acres, cleared and/or cultivated
 * Livestock totals

How Do I Search This Collection?
Before searching this collection, it is helpful to know:
 * Given name
 * Surname
 * Estimated age at the time the census was taken.

View the Images
View images in this collection by visiting the :
 * 1) Select District name

How Do I Analyze the Results?
Compare each result from your search with what you know to determine if there is a match. This may require viewing multiple records or images. Keep track of your research in a research log.

I Found the Person I Was Looking For, What Now?

 * Look at an image of the original record. The original may contain information that was not recorded in the index or transcription. To find a copy of the original record, visit the State Library - New South Wales page.
 * If they have land, check for land and property records
 * If they arrived in the country, check for their immigration records
 * If they immigrated, check for their records in the country of origin
 * If they are sentenced check their prison records
 * Check church records using their denominations

I Can’t Find the Person I’m Looking For, What Now?

 * 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
 * Check for variant spellings of the names
 * They may have an alias

Research Helps
The following articles will help you in your research for your family in Australia.
 * Record Finder
 * Australia Research Tips and Strategies

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.