Australia Genealogy, Family History and Historical Societies

There are many societies and organizations in Australia whose purpose is to promote and contribute to genealogy, family history, or history in general. They emphasize the study of families and the tracing of ancestry or descendancy.

The following website is a listing of Genealogy, Family History and Historical Societies in Australia starting with National Organizations:


 * http://www.coraweb.com.au/categories/family-history-and-historical-societies

Genealogical and family history societies publish helpful periodicals, transcripts, or compiled genealogies. Many have special indexes, collections, and projects. These societies often publish queries about their members’ ancestors or maintain a list of members’ research interests. Some societies specialize in specific areas, topics, ethnic groups, or surnames.

Historical societies can be valuable sources of information because they often have information about specific individuals who lived in the area or who took part in an event (i.e., the railway, the military, and so forth). Many societies have special collections of books and manuscripts for their topic of interest.

You may find it helpful to join those societies in the area you are researching and support their efforts. Members of the societies receive preferential treatment. You may receive advice, research assistance, and contacts with others interested in the same topics.


 * Australian Capital Territory (ACT)
 * New South Wales (NSW)
 * Northern Territory (NT)
 * Queensland (QLD)
 * South Australia {SA)
 * Tasmania (TAS)
 * Victoria (VIC)
 * Western Australia (WA)

The addresses for the main societies for each state are available on the Society's website.

Locating Records at the FamilySearch Library
Older records of the Australian Societies in the FamilySearch Catalog in the Author/Title Search under the name of the society. They are also listed in the Place Search of the FamilySearch Catalog under one of the following:


 * AUSTRALIA - SOCIETIES - DIRECTORIES
 * AUSTRALIA - GENEALOGY

A Place search may be narrowed down by entering a State and/or a Town as part of Australia. Some records gathered by societies are listed in the Place Search of the FamilySearch Catalog under the type of record. For example, cemetery transcripts gathered by a local genealogical society are listed in the Place Search of the FamilySearch Catalog under:


 * AUSTRALIA, [STATE] - CEMETERIES
 * AUSTRALIA, [STATE], [TOWN] - CEMETERIES

Information on some Societies is contained in the following books at the FamilySearch Library. This information is older and is not as current as that found on the individual web sites.

Reid, Ralph. Into History: a guide to historical, genealogical, family history and heritage societies, groups and organisations in Australia. North Ryde, N.S.W.: R.S. &amp; A.F. Reid, 1989. (FamilySearch Library Call Number 994 C44r.) This guide lists information that may be of interest to genealogists and historians. There may be more recent editions available.

Vine Hall, Nick. Tracing your family history in Australia: a guide to sources.Second Edition. Albert Park, Victoria: N. Vine Hall, 1994. (FamilySearch Library Call Number994 D23v.) Miscellaneous Australian Genealogical Records (FamilySearch Historical Records)