New South Wales Church Records

How to Find Records

 * Webinar:

Online Resources

 * The New South Wales Registry of Births, Deaths, and Marriages includes church records that were kept from 1788 to 1855, prior to collection of vital records by the government.
 * Card index to New South Wales church records
 * New South Wales church records - at FamilySearch, index and images. Contains registers for different denominations throughout New South Wales, particularly around the Sydney area.
 * 1787-1810 - Index to baptisms, N.S.W., 1787-1800 ; Index to burials in New South Wales 1787 to 1800 (including deaths at sea on first fleet) ; Index to marriages in New South Wales, a.d. 1788-1800 ; Index to marriages in New South Wales from January 1, 1800 to December 31st, 1810, transcribed from "The Kerrison James" records - at FamilySearch, images.
 * 1788-1830 - Kerrison James Index to church records, 1788-1830 - at FamilySearch, images.
 * 1801-1981 - Church record transcriptions : New South Wales, 1801-1981 - at FamilySearch, index and images.
 * Births, St. John, Parramatta, 1801-1814 -- Births, St. John's Anglican, Wilberforce, 1825-1831 -- Births, Presbyterian, Clarence Town, 1843-1862 -- Births, Pitt Town, 1826-1842 -- Baptisms, St. Peter's Anglican, Richmond, 1839-1855 -- Births, Whitingham Parish Anglican, Singleton, 1835-1862 -- Baptisms, Anglican, Wilberforce, 1826-1870 -- Marriages, Anglican, Richmond, 1856-1914 -- Marriages, Presbyterian, Morpeth, 1840-1860 -- Births, St. James Catholic, Morpeth, 1857-1981 -- Marriages, St. John's Anglican, Wollombi, 1856-1899


 * 1804-1900 - New South Wales Parish Registers, Christ Church Cathedral Newcastle at FindMyPast, ($), index.
 * 1814-2011 - Sydney, Australia, Anglican Parish Registers, 1814-2011 at Ancestry ($) - index and images
 * 1816-1982 - Australia, New South Wales, cemetery, military, and church record transcripts : COLLECTION RECORD, 1816-1982, index and images. How to Use This Collection
 * 1818-1894 - Church record transcriptions : Sydney and the Hunter Valley, New South Wales, 1818-1894 - at FamilySearch, index.
 * 1818-1976 - Parish register index for the Hunter region (New South Wales) : church records indexes, 1818-1976- at FamilySearch, images.
 * 1824-1864 - Church of England in Australia records : Port Macquarie and surrounding areas, 1824-1864 - at FamilySearch, index and images.
 * 1826-1906 - Index of the parish registers of the Church of England for the Diocese of Newcastle, New South Wales, Australia, for the years 1826-1906 at FamilySearch, images.
 * 1827-1870 - Historic records - at FamilySearch, images.
 * Includes transcripts of church records and other historical and genealogical records pertaining to Wheeo, Binda, Crookwell, Dalton, Goulburn, Gunning and surrounding areas in New South Wales, ca. 1827-1970.


 * 1838-1918 - New South Wales, Australia, St. John's Parramatta, Church Records, 1838 to 1918 Ancestry.com, ($)
 * 1839-1925 - Index of parish register information : 1839-1925 at FamilySearch, images.
 * 1839-1963 - New South Wales, Australia, St Peters Cooks River Select Births, Marriages and Burials, 1839-1963 at Ancestry.com ($) - index and images
 * 1839-1963 - Church records, 1839-1963, Church of England in Australia. All Saints' Church, Singleton - at FamilySearch, images.
 * 1843-1963 - Church of England in Australia records : Grafton Diocese, Clarence River District, 1843-1963 - at FamilySearch, index and images. Contains Church of England records for towns in the Clarence River District such as Grafton, Lawrence, Ulmarra, Tucabia, Liston, Grevillia, Woodenbong, Urbenville, Kempsey, Bellbrook, Alstonville, Wyangarie, Maclean and others.
 * 1896-1981 - Church of England in Australia records : Mid-Richmond District, 1896-1981 - at FamilySearch, images.
 * 1903-1974 - Church of England in Australia records : Eureka-Clunes Parochial District, 1903-1974 - at FamilySearch, images. Registers cover the areas of Eureka, Clunes, Eltham, Federal, Lismore, and surrounding towns.
 * 1924-1981 - Church of England in Australia records : Bonalbo, Woodenbong and Mallanganee parishes, 1924-1981 - at FamilySearch, images.

Civil Registration and Church Records

 * From 1788 to 1856 the only birth, death or marriage records kept in New South Wales were the registers maintained by the established churches. As registrar's offices assumed responsibility for registration, they requested copies of earlier church records to incorporate into their collections. The New South Wales Registry holds transcriptions of these early church records. Any surviving original registers are located in the NSW Archives.
 * Unfortunately, the extant records for this period are not comprehensive. Some ministers, missionaries and other authorized administrators kept records but not all were in a position to be this diligent. In addition many of the records contain inaccuracies and bad spelling. Distances to town centres, distrust of authority and lack of participation in formal church services contributed to the church registration system's inability to adequately record the details of all births, deaths and marriages that occurred in New South Wales.
 * The church records are indexed with civil registration.
 * New South Wales Birth, Death, and Marriage Index
 * 1788-1914 - New South Wales Births at FindMyPast; index only ($); Also at MyHeritage ($)
 * 1788-1945 - New South Wales Marriages at FindMyPast; index only ($)
 * 1788-1966 - Australia, New South Wales Marriage Index at MyHeritage; index only ($)
 * 1787-1986 - Australia, New South Wales Death Index at MyHeritage; index only ($)
 * 1788-1945 - New South Wales Deaths at FindMyPast; index only ($)

FamilySearch Catalog
See church records available in the FamilySearch collection at Australia, New South Wales - Church records.

Archives

 * Archive Resources Kit
 * Includes microfilms of church registers collected by the government, 1787-1856.


 * Community Access Points
 * Lists libraries and societies where these microfilms can be viewed.

"The ARK is held by 40 community access points across NSW. The majority of access points are libraries. The ARK consists of microfilm copies of our most popular and heavily used colonial records. Included are records relating to convict arrivals, assisted immigrants, births, deaths and marriages, publicans' licences, electoral rolls, naturalisation, returns of the colony ('Blue Books'), land grants, and the wide range of functions of the Colonial Secretary (1788-1825). You may find that the ARK (or parts of it) are held at a library near you."

NSW Government State Records and Archives 161 O'Connell Street Kingswood NSW 2747 Australia
 * Telephone: (02) 9673 1788
 * Plan Your Visit
 * Collection Search Engine
 * Family history guides and links

Anglican Archives

 * Anglican Diocese of Canberra and Goulburn records are all deposited in the National Library of Australia. Microfilmed copies are in the Society of Australian Genealogists collection . Research services are also provided by the Anglican Historical Society of the Diocese of Canberra and Goulburn (below).


 * Anglican Diocese of Grafton Archives


 * Anglican Diocese of Newcastle Archives: Parish registers, links to alphabetical list of existing registers, listing of libraries with microfilmed copies.


 * Sydney Diocesan Archives (Anglican) are not open to the public for family research.
 * Since 2017, registers containing name-linked information which are held in the Sydney Diocesan Archives have been digitised and made available to the public via Ancestry. The database is called Sydney, Australia, Anglican Parish Registers, 1814-2011.
 * Ancestry has indexed the registers, so you can search for entries via the name search function. Or you can flick through the pages of each register, viewing high quality photographic images of each page. This is a continuous process. So far, some 1646 registers have been digitised, and there are nearly 1.5 million records from our registers available on Ancestry. The types of registers which have been digitised include: Baptism Registers; Banns Registers; Burial Registers; Composite Registers (single volumes containing records of baptisms, marriages & burials); Confirmation Registers; Marriage Declaration Registers; and, Marriage Registers. We are sending more registers to be digitised for Ancestry every year.

Catholic Archdiocese of Sydney Archives
"Sydney Archdiocesan Archives as a Church Archives has the main function of serving the administrative needs of the Archbishop, Bishops and the Agencies of the Catholic Archdiocese of Sydney. Subsequently, the Sydney Archdiocesan Archives is not available for Family History Research." "Sacramental registers (baptism, marriage, and burial) have been microfilmed within the constraints of legislation and are available for family history research at Society of Australian Genealogists (120 Kent Street Sydney), State Library of NSW and National Library of Australia (Canberra)." "Prior to March 1856 when Civil Registration began in New South Wales details on certificates were taken from Church registers. A certificate that refers to the “Parish of St James, County of Cumberland” refers to the geographic area of St Mary’s in the colonial period, that is, the central Sydney area, not to records that are kept at St James Church or to St Mary’s Cathedral." "Records of that time often contained little information. Names of parents were not included on marriage certificates until 1856."

Libraries
The SLNSW has a Family History Service which occupies the same role as the Society of Australian Genealogists (above) in terms of assisting family historians, except that it is government funded and free to use. If you live in a state other than NSW, your state library should have similar resources.
 * State Library of New South Wales Family History Service

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
 * How do I research my family history?
 * Catalogue Search
 * Ask a Librarian

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. Of those church and parish registers which have been deposited into the Sydney Diocesan Archives, the Society of Australian Genealogists has microfilmed the baptism, marriage & burial registers up to approximately 1930, and in some cases up to more recent dates. This was part of the "Joint Copy Project" records in conjunction with the National Library of Australia and the Mitchell Library (State Library of NSW). They have also borrowed registers directly from parish offices.


 * Anglican Historical Society of the Diocese of Canberra and Goulburn
 * The Diocese provides a research service for those seeking parish archival information and family history information (i.e. baptisms, confirmations, marriages and burials). The volunteer research work is carried out by a member of the Anglican Historical Society.
 * A search fee of $20 is charged for each five year period searched for individual requests. Search fees are paid into the Anglican Historical Society account.
 * Enquiries should be made in writing and addressed to the Registrar, Diocese of Canberra and Goulburn, GPO Box 1981, Canberra, ACT 2601 or Telephone: 02 6245 7101

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.
 * 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.

Catholic Churches in Australia Directory

The Anglican Church of Australia Directory
 * If you know the name of the church or parish, use the search tool.
 * Or consult the map and select the diocese to see a list of parishes in the diocese:
 * Armidale
 * Bathurst
 * Canberra and Goulburn
 * Grafton
 * Newcastle
 * Riverina
 * Sydney




 * 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 Anglican Church of Australia, formerly known as the Church of England in Australia, is a Christian church in Australia and an autonomous church of the Anglican Communion.
 * Australian society was predominantly Anglo-Celtic, with 40% of the population being Anglican. It remained the largest Christian denomination until the 1986 census.
 * When the First Fleet was sent to New South Wales in 1787, Richard Johnson of the Church of England was licensed as chaplain to the fleet and the settlement.
 * In early Colonial times, the Church of England clergy worked closely with the governors. Richard Johnson, a chaplain, was charged by the governor, Arthur Phillip, with improving "public morality" in the colony, but he was also heavily involved in health and education.
 * Authorities were suspicious of Roman Catholicism for the first three decades of settlement and Roman Catholic convicts were compelled to attend Church of England services and their children and orphans were raised by the authorities as Anglicans.
 * The Church Act of 1836 established legal equality for Anglicans, Roman Catholics and Presbyterians and was later extended to Methodists.
 * The Australian Constitution of 1901 provided for freedom of religion.
 * Parish registers began for:
 * Baptist Church in 1831
 * Church of England in 1787
 * Congregational Church in 1840
 * Independent Church in 1840
 * Presbyterian Church in 1803
 * Roman Catholic Church in 1819
 * Wesleyan Methodist Church in 1816

The Value of Church Records in Australia Family History

 * Church records are a valuable source for proving the dates and places of births, marriages, and deaths and the identity and relationships of family members.
 * They are particularly important prior to the start of each stategovernmentkeeping birth, marriage, and death certificates.

Prepare by Collecting Background Information
You will possibly find many different people with the same name as your ancestor, especially when a family stayed in a locality for several generations, and several children were named after the grandparents or aunts and uncles. Be prepared to find the correct church records by gathering in advance as many of these exact details about the ancestor as possible:
 * name, including middle name and maiden name
 * names of all spouses, including middle and maiden name
 * exact or closely estimated dates of birth, marriage, and death
 * names and approximate birthdates of children
 * all known places of residence
 * occupations
 * military service details

Carefully evaluate the church records you find to make sure you have really found records for your ancestor and not just a "near match". If one or more of the details do not line up, be careful about accepting the entry as your ancestor. There are guiding principles for deciding how to resolve discrepancies between records that are seemingly close. For more instruction in evaluating evidence, read the Wiki article, Evaluate the Evidence.

Where Did Your Ancestors Worship?
Knowing the denomination of your ancestor is an important part of church records research. Start by learning how to search a variety of records for clues to the denomination, locality, and possibly even the specific names of churches where your ancestors worshipped. Follow the tips in the Wiki article, Determining the Church Your Ancestor Attended. Although this article was written for United States research, the same tips hold true for Australia.

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.

FamilySearch Library
Additional sources are listed in the FamilySearch Catalog: