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

Record Description
This collection is currently browse only, but will eventually include an index of the 1828 census returns from New South Wales. Original records are located in the Mitchell Library in Sydney.

The 1828 New South Wales Census was held in November 1828, and was the first census to be written in New South Wales.

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.

Record Content
Census records may contain the following information:


 * 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 to Use the Record
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 to 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 residence, estimated age at census, and family relationships.

Search the Collection
To search by index (when available): 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.

Using the Information

 * Use the estimated age to calculate a birth date.
 * Use the migration information (ship name and year) to find passenger lists.
 * Use the religious information to locate church records.
 * Use the estimated ages of children to estimate the marriage year of the parents (be careful because older children may not be in the home).

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.
 * Continue to search the index and records to identify children, siblings, parents, and other relatives who may have also lived in New South Wales.
 * Be aware that, as with any index, transcription errors may occur.

Unable to Find Your Ancestor

 * Check for variant spellings of the names.
 * Try searching for only the given name or surname, as one may be indexed incorrectly.
 * If you are quite sure that your ancestor should be in the census, but are unable to locate them through the index, sometimes browsing through the images is best.

Related Websites

 * New South Wales Cemetery Records Australia
 * State Library New South Wales

Related Wiki Articles

 * Australia
 * Australia, New South Wales, Index to Bounty Immigrants (FamilySearch Historical Records)
 * Australia, Cemetery Inscriptions, Sydney Branch Genealogical Library (FamilySearch Historical Records)

Citations for This Collection
When you copy information from a record, you should list where you found the information; that is, cite your sources. This will help people find the record again and evaluate the reliability of the source. 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. Citations are available for the collection as a whole and each record or image individually.

Collection Citation:

Record citation (or citation for the index entry):

Image citation: