Presbyterian Church Records in Australia

Historical Background

 * Presbyterian Christianity came to Australia with the arrival of members from a number of Presbyterian denominations in Great Britain at the end of the 18th century. The Presbyterian missionaries played an important role to spread the faith in Australia. Since then Presbyterianism grew to the fourth largest Christian faith in the country.
 * The Presbyterian Church of Australia was formed when Presbyterian churches from various Australian states federated in 1901. The churches that formed the Presbyterian Church of Australia were the Presbyterian Churches of New South Wales, Victoria, Queensland, South Australia, Tasmania and Western Australia. These state churches were (and still are) incorporated by separate Acts of Parliament.
 * In 1977. two-thirds of the Presbyterian Church of Australia, together with nearly all the membership of the Congregational Union of Australia and the Methodist Church of Australasia, joined to form the Uniting Church in Australia.
 * The current iteration of the PCA is made up of the one-third of 1977 churches that did not join.
 * The Presbyterian Church of Australia's official website has stated that the church has over 50,000 adults and children within 740 congregations with more than 600 ministers, deaconesses and theological students. At the last Commonwealth Census (2016) nearly 540,000 people identified as Presbyterian/Reformed, representing 2.3% of the population. This makes Presbyterianism Australia's fifth largest Christian denomination, although not all Presbyterians are members of the Presbyterian Church of Australia.
 * See also List of Presbyterian and Reformed denominations in Australia for various independent Presbyterian churches not affiliated with the PCA or the Uniting Church.

Archives
Presbyterian Church of Australia, New South Wales The Ferguson Memorial Library and Presbyterian Archives are located within the Presbyterian Church Offices at 168 Chalmers St Surry Hills. Postal address: Ferguson Memorial Library PO BOX 2196 Strawberry Hills NSW 2012
 * Family History Services
 * "There is no personal access to records for family history research. Family history research is available at the discretion of the archivist and will be dealt with by staff as time permits as church research takes priority. Requests for specific events will be considered with a maximum of two hours research. Charges apply."

Libraries
Located in NSW, the Uniting Church uses the Mitchell Library as the main repository for the national records of the Church.

Mitchell Library Mitchell Library, State Library of New South Wales 1 Shakespeare Place Sydney NSW 2000 Australia Telephone: (02) 9273 1414 Enquiries: Ask a Librarian


 * Births, marriages, and deaths guide

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.

Writing to Local Churches
Birth, marriage, and death registers are kept at the current individual churches. Contact the current minister to find out what records are still available.
 * Presbyterian Church of Australia Church Directory]
 * Uniting Church: Find Your Church
 * Make an appointment to look at the records. Or ask the minister of the church to make a copy of the record for you.
 * To find church staff available, you might have to visit on Sunday.
 * Ask for small searches at a time, such as one birth record or a specific marriage. Never ask for "everything on a family or surname".
 * A donation ($25-$40) for their time and effort to help you would be appropriate.
 * If the church has a website, you may be able to e-mail a message.
 * See the Letter Writing Guide for Genealogy for help with composing letters.