Western Australia Church Records

Online Resources and Websites

 * Western Australia Online Index Search Tool
 * Western Australia Birth Index - at FindMyPast, index ($)
 * Western Australia Marriage Index - at FindMyPast, index ($)
 * Western Australia Death Index - at FindMyPast, index ($)
 * Anglican Church records for the northwest diocese of Western Australia - at FamilySearch, index and images.
 * 1963-1973 - Anglican marriages of the Swan/Forrest districts of Western Australia, 1963-1973 - at FamilySearch, images.
 * 1830-1841 - Anglican Registers of baptisms, marriages and burials performed, 1830-1841 - at FamilySearch, index and images.
 * 1914-1954 - Roman Catholic baptisms in the Swan/Forrest districts of Western Australia, 1914-1954 - at FamilySearch, images.
 * Western Australian Genealogical Society church and cemetery records collection - at FamilySearch, images.

Australia

 * 1788-1922 - Australia, Birth Index, 1788-1922, index - at Ancestry.com ($)
 * 1792-1981 - Australia, Births and Baptisms, 1792-1981, index - at Ancestry.com ($). Also at FindMyPast ($). Also at My Heritage ($)
 * 1788-1950 - Australia, Marriage Index, 1788-1950, index - at Ancestry.com ($)
 * 1788-1935 - Australia, Marriages, 1788-1935, index - at FindMyPast ($)
 * 1810-1980 - Australia, Marriages, 1810-1980, index - at MyHeritage ($)
 * 1787-1985 - Australia, Death Index, 1787-1985, index - at Ancestry.com ($)
 * 1816-1980 - Australia Deaths & Burials, 1816-1980, index - at FindMyPast ($). Also at My Heritage ($)

FamilySearch Library

 * Click on "Places within Australia, Western Australia". Choose a location to see if additional online church records are available.

Libraries
State Library of Western Australia Perth Cultural Centre 25 Francis Street Perth WA 6000 Australia Telephone:+61 8 9427 3111 E-mail: info@slwa.wa.gov.au - National Library of Australia Parkes Place Canberra ACT 2600 Australia Telephone: +61 (0)2 6262 1111 Address postal enquiries to: Reader Services National Library of Australia Canberra ACT 2600 Australia
 * Family history
 * Ask a Librarian
 * Oder a copy
 * How do I research my family history?
 * Catalogue Search
 * Ask a Librarian

Archives
Uniting Church Archives Western Australia Physical Address: 85-89 Edward St, Perth, Australia Postal Address: GPO Box M952, Perth WA 6843 Australia Phone: (08) 9260 9865 Email: archiveswa@wa.uca.org.au
 * Website

Societies

 * The Society of Australian Genealogists, based in Sydney, provides an expert and specialist family history service, and holds microfilms of records of churches of all denominations throughout Australia and overseas. The SAG sells copies of their microfilms to family history societies, historical societies, and libraries.

Western Australia Genealogical Society/Family History Western Australia 6/48 May Street Bayswater, Western Australia 6053 Australia Phone: (08) 9271 4311 ABN 98 749 329 203
 * Website
 * Facebook
 * Table Search Guide
 * Services

Writing for Records
Originals of parish records may still be held at the local church. See the Letter Writing Guide for Genealogy for help in composing a letter requesting information from a local church. Address directories for major religious groups are listed here. Baptist, Pentecostal, and Reformed churches have multiple umbrella organizations. For those, use Google.
 * Anglican Directory Australia Parishes
 * Catholic Find A Church, Australia
 * Churches of Christ in Australia
 * Greek Orthodox Churches in Australia
 * Jehovah's Witnesses Find a Meeting in Australia
 * Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints Find a Ward
 * Find a Lutheran Church Australia
 * OCA Orthodox Church Parishes in Australia
 * Russian Orthodox Church Directory of Parishes and Monasteries in Australia
 * PresKey OnLine Directory, Find a Presbyterian Church in Australia
 * Salvation Army Churches in Australia
 * Seventh-day Adventist Congregations in Australia
 * Uniting Church Congregations of Australia (Congregational)

Historical Background

 * The origins of the present state began with the establishment of a convict-supported settlement from New South Wales at King George III Sound.
 * The settlement was founded in response to British concerns about the possibility of a French colony being established on the coast of Western Australia. On 7 March 1831. it was transferred to the control of the Swan River Colony, and named Albany in 1832.
 * In 1829, the Swan River Colony was established on the Swan River. By 1832, the British settler population of the colony had reached around 1,500, and the official name of the colony was changed to Western Australia on 6 February that year.
 * The two separate townsites of the colony developed slowly into the port city of Fremantle and the state's capital, Perth.
 * York was the first inland settlement in Western Australia.
 * Population growth was very slow until significant discoveries of gold were made in the 1890s around Kalgoorlie.
 * Parish registers began for:
 * Church of England in 1830
 * Methodist Church in 1840
 * Presbyterian Church in 1889
 * Roman Catholic Church in 1844
 * Wesleyan Methodist Church in 1851

Information Recorded in Church Records
The information recorded in church or parish registers varies somewhat from religion to religion, and later records generally give more complete information than earlier ones. Most church registers for the Anglican, Catholic, and Presbyterian denominations provide the following information:

Baptisms

 * Birth and baptism dates
 * Place of baptism
 * Christian name of the child
 * Christian and surname of the father
 * Christian name of the mother (some include maiden surname)
 * Parents’ abode
 * Occupation of the father
 * Name of the officiating minister

Children were generally baptized within a few days of birth. If a child died soon after birth, death information was sometimes added as a note.

Marriages

 * Date and place of marriage
 * Full names of the bride and groom
 * Parish of residence of the bride and groom
 * Marital status of the bride and groom prior to this marriage
 * Married by banns or license
 * In the case of a minor, whether with consent of parents
 * Name of the officiating minister
 * Signatures or marks of the bride and groom
 * Signatures or marks of witnesses

Marriage registers may also include other information about the bride and groom such as their ages, occupations, and names of parents. In cases of second and later marriages for a woman, they may include her former married names along with her maiden name.

Marriage registers sometimes include the published banns. These were announcements of intent to marry which were made for two or three Sundays prior to the marriage, and gave an opportunity for anyone to come forward who knew of any reason why the couple should not be married.

Burials

 * Dates of death and burial
 * Place of burial
 * Name of the deceased
 * Place of abode at time of death
 * Age of the deceased
 * Occupation of the deceased
 * Name of the officiating minister

Occasionally parents' names, cause of death, and even the date and place of birth are given for the deceased. Burials were recorded in the records of the church where the person was buried. The burial usually took place within a few days of death. Burial records exist for individuals for whom no birth or marriage record exists. In addition, stillbirths may have been recorded in a burial register when no baptism occurred.