Australia, New South Wales, Alphabetical Index to Newspaper Cuttings - FamilySearch Historical Records

Record Description
Newspaper cuttings are pasted to the cards. In some cases the information is extracted or typewritten on the cards, and these include the name of the newspaper that published the event.

For an alphabetical list of records currently published in this collection, select the Browse link from the collection landing page.

In the past, ads were placed in the local newspaper to announce a birth, marriage, or death. This information was later extracted into an alphabetically filed card index. Information included in these cards is primarily for marriages and deaths, but does include some births. There are a few cards with information extracted from the 1811 census, Thomas Mutch index, probate index, vital records, etc. Population coverage is not comprehensive. The majority of the records are from New South Wales, but there are a few from Queensland.

Most events included in the records date from approximately 1841-1987. Information included in the cards may predate 1841. A very few earlier records do exist.

This collection was created to more readily assist in locating information regarding a birth, marriage, death, obituary or other miscellaneous information about an individual that appeared in a newspaper.

Information related to the immediate event is probably accurate. The accuracy of other information given would depend on the knowledge of the informant.

Citation for This Collection
The following citation refers to the original source of the information published in FamilySearch.org Historical Records collections. Sources include the author, custodian, publisher, and archive for the original records.

Suggested citation format for a record in this collection.

Record Content
Key genealogical facts found in most of the cards include:


 * Name of individuals who were born, married, or died
 * Date and place of birth
 * Date and place of marriage
 * Date and place of death
 * Place of burial
 * Name of spouse
 * Names of children
 * Names of parents
 * Names of siblings
 * Short biography (in case of obituaries)
 * Date of arrival in Australia
 * Place of residence

How to Use the Records
If a person is unable to find an ancestor in the vital, church, or immigration records, this card index would be a good next source to check.

Search 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.

Search Collection By Image

To search the collection, select "Browse through images" on the initial collection page ⇒Select the “Record” ⇒Select the “County” ⇒Select the “Volume and Year” which takes you to the images.

Look at the images one by one comparing the information with what you already know about your ancestors to determine which one is your ancestor. You may need to compare the information about more than one person to make this determination.

Related Websites

 * New South Wales GenWeb Project

Related Wiki Articles

 * Australia Newspapers
 * Queensland Newspapers
 * Australia Obituaries

Citing FamilySearch Historical Collections
When you copy information from the record, you should list where you found the information. This will help you or others to find the record again. It is also good to keep track of records where you do not find information, including the names of the people you looked for in the records.

A suggested format for keeping track of records that you have searched is found in the wiki article Help:How to Cite FamilySearch Collections.

Citation Example for a Record Found in This Collection
"Australia, New South Wales, Alphabetical Index to Newspaper Cuttings, 1841-1987," database and digital images, FamilySearch (https://familysearch.org: accessed 17 March 2011), Algernon Thomas Smith, 1956; citing Greenwich Stake Geneological Library. Newspapers, FHL microfilm 001,514,729; Greenwich Stake Geneological Library, Greenwich, New South Wales, Australia.