Australia, Victoria, Inquest Deposition Files - FamilySearch Historical Records

What is in This Collection?
This collection contains digital images of court inquest records from the Public Records Office of Victoria in North Melbourne, Australia. The collection will also include Inquest Deposition Files created by the Coroners Court of Victoria. The years covered include 1865-1925. Earlier records are handwritten.

Most genealogical records found in Australia are in English. However, due to immigrants coming from various countries throughout the 18th and 19th centuries, variations in spelling may appear in many of the records. See Australia Language and Languages for further help.

Sample Image


Inquest Records may contain the following information:


 * Name of deceased
 * Cause of death
 * Date of death
 * Place of death
 * Age of deceased
 * Date of Inquest
 * Names of any witnesses
 * Testimonies of witnesses

How Do I Search This Collection?
To begin your search, it would be helpful if you knew the name of your ancestor, a place of residence before the time of the event you are searching for, and/or an approximate year of death.

To Search by Image: To search the collection you will need to follow this series of links: ⇒Select the "Browse" link in the initial search page ⇒Select the "Record Type" category ⇒Select the "Year" category ⇒Select the "File Number" category which will take you to the images.

When searching it is helpful to know:
 * Your ancestor's given name and surname
 * Some identifying information such as residence, age, and family relationships
 * Also, 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

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?

 * Search for death records
 * Search for death or burial information in the BillionGraves Index or at Find A Grave


 * If your ancestor does not have a common name, collect entries for every person who has the same surname
 * Search the records of nearby areas

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

 * If your ancestor does not have a common name, collect entries for every person who has the same surname
 * Search the records of nearby areas

Check for other names. An individual might appear under an unexpected name for a variety of reasons:
 * - They might have been listed under a middle name, nickname, or abbreviation of their given name
 * - A woman may have returned to her maiden name after the death of her husband


 * Consult the Australia Record Finder to find other records

Citing This Collection
Citing your sources makes it easy for others to find and evaluate the records you used. When you copy information from a record, list where you found that information. Here you can find citations already created for the entire collection and for each individual record or image.

"Australia, Victoria Inquest Records, 1865-1925." Images. FamilySearch. http://FamilySearch.org : accessed 2017. Citing Public Records Office of Victoria, Melbourne.
 * Collection Citation:

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