South Australia Church Records

Online Resources

 * South Australia Baptisms and Confirmations at FindMyPast - index ($)

Catholic

 * Church records, 1848-1952, Catholic Church. St. Mary of the Angels (Port Lincoln, South Australia); Catholic Church. St. Patrick's (Adelaide, South Australia) - at FamiliySearch, images.

Church of England (Anglican)

 * Parish registers, 1849-1935, Church of England in Australia. St. Andrew's Church (Walkerville, South Australia) - at FamiliySearch, images.
 * Parish registers, 1885-1962, Church of England in Australia. St. Agnes' Church (Grange, South Australia) - at FamiliySearch, images.
 * Parish registers, 1925-1974, Church of England in Australia. All Saints' Church Seacliff, St. Margaret's Church Darlington, St. Jude's Church Brighton (South Australia) - at FamiliySearch, images.
 * River Murray Mission baptisms, 1894-1913, Church of England in Australia. River Murray Mission (South Australia) - at FamiliySearch, images.

Methodist

 * Church records, 1861-1878, Mintaro Circuit (South Australia : Methodist) - at FamiliySearch, images.
 * Registers of baptisms, 1856-1909, 1871-1909, and roll of members, 1884-1902 of Auburn Circuit (South Australia): Methodist - at FamiliySearch, images.
 * Members roll, 1891-1910, Port Broughton Circuit (South Australia : Methodist) - at FamiliySearch, images.
 * Roll of members, 1890-1898, Moonta Circuit (South Australia : Methodist) - at FamiliySearch, images.

Wesleyan Methodist

 * Church records, 1848-1922, Redruth Circuit (South Australia : Wesleyan Methodist) - at FamiliySearch, images.
 * Church records, 1865-1921, Goolwa and Middleton Circuit (South Australia : Wesleyan Methodist) - at FamiliySearch, images.
 * Church records, 1888-1913, Port Adelaide Circuit (South Australia : Wesleyan Methodist) - at FamiliySearch, images.
 * Church records, 1890-1922, Mintaro and Auburn Circuit (South Australia : Wesleyan Methodist) - at FamiliySearch, images.
 * Member's roll book, 1891-1909, Ardrossan Circuit (South Australia : Wesleyan Methodist) - at FamiliySearch, images.
 * Members roll, 1884-1900, Unley Circuit (South Australia : Wesleyan Methodist) - at FamiliySearch, images.
 * Members roll, 1890-1905, Port Lincoln Circuit (South Australia :Wesleyan Methodist) - at FamiliySearch, images.
 * Members roll, 1890-1917, Petersburg Circuit (South Australia : Wesleyan Methodist) - at FamiliySearch, images.
 * Members roll, 1890-1934, Kadina and Wallaroo Circuit (South Australia : Wesleyan Methodist) - at FamiliySearch, images.
 * Members roll, 1892-1913, Melrose Circuit (South Australia : Wesleyan Methodist) - at FamiliySearch, images.
 * Members roll, 1897-1911, Jamestown Circuit (South Australia : Wesleyan Methodist) - at FamiliySearch, images.
 * Methodist baptisms in South Australia, 1882-1915, Kent Town and Norwood Circuit (South Australia : Wesleyan Methodist) - at FamiliySearch, images.
 * Register of baptisms, 1853-1941, Virginia Circuit (South Australia : Wesleyan Methodist) - at FamiliySearch, images.
 * Register of baptisms, 1857-1907, Yankalilla Circuit (South Australia : Wesleyan Methodist) - at FamiliySearch, images.
 * Register of baptisms, 1860-1873, Mount Gambier Circuit (South Australia : Wesleyan Methodist) - at FamiliySearch, images.
 * Register of baptisms, 1862-1898, Wallaroo Circuit (South Australia : Methodist); Methodist Church of Australasia. South Australia Conference; Kadina and Wallaroo Circuit (South Australia : Wesleyan Methodist) - at FamiliySearch, images.
 * Register of baptisms, 1868-1911; Membership rolls, 1913-1943 of Angaston Circuit (South Australia: Wesleyan Methodist) - at FamiliySearch, images.
 * Methodist baptisms in South Australia, 1885-1928, Kingston and Robe Circuit (South Australia : Wesleyan Methodist) - at FamiliySearch, images.


 * Register of baptisms, 1871-1892, Port Wakefield Circuit (South Australia : Wesleyan Methodist) - at FamiliySearch, images.
 * Register of baptisms, 1881-1906, Quorn Circuit (South Australia : Wesleyan Methodist) - at FamiliySearch, images.
 * Register of baptisms, 1882-1907, Unley Circuit (South Australia: Wesleyan Methodist) - at FamiliySearch, images.
 * Register of baptisms, 1884-1932, Riverton Circuit (South Australia : Wesleyan Methodist) - at FamiliySearch, images.
 * Register of marriages and baptisms, 1869-1919, Mount Remarkable Circuit (South Australia : Wesleyan Methodist) - at FamiliySearch, images.
 * Roll of members, 1890-1916, Mount Barker Circuit (South Australia : Wesleyan Methodist) - at FamiliySearch, images.
 * Roll of members, 1890-1920, Minlaton Circuit (South Australia : Wesleyan Methodist) - at FamiliySearch, images.
 * Roll of members, 1891-1903, Laura Circuit (South Australia : Wesleyan Methodist) - at FamiliySearch, images.
 * Roll of members, 1894-1920, Millicent Circuit (South Australia : Wesleyan Methodist) - at FamiliySearch, images.

Church Records Available Prior to Civil Registration (1842)

 * On 15 August 1834, the British Parliament passed the South Australia Act 1834 (Foundation Act), which empowered His Majesty to erect and establish a province or provinces in southern Australia.
 * The South Australian Company sought, and obtained, the Commissioners' permission to send Company ships to South Australia.
 * The company's settlement of seven vessels and 636 people was temporarily made at Kingscote on Kangaroo Island, until the official site of the capital was selected by William Light, where the City of Adelaide is currently located. The first immigrants arrived at Holdfast Bay (near the present day Glenelg) in November 1836.
 * Civil registration began in South Australia on 1 June 1842 and that means we have a mere six years of European settlement outside civil registration.

Births
'While the colony never recognised any Established Church, the Colonial Chaplain was Anglican and very few other churches were represented in the Colony prior to June 1842. The known surviving church registers include:'
 * Anglican:
 * Adelaide (Holy) Trinity, 1835-1969
 * Adelaide (Holy) Trinity Parish register transcripts, 1836-1842
 * Catholic: Adelaide circuit from 1839
 * Presbyterian: Gouger Street Adelaide from 1839
 * Society of Friends: Pennington Tce Meeting House from 1841

Marriages
'Apart from the Colonial Chaplain, some civil officials also conducted marriages. A small number of marriages were performed by other denominations: '
 * Anglican: 
 * Adelaide (Holy) Trinity from 1836: List of entries in the marriage register prior to compulsory registration, July 1836 to June 1842, with index
 * Parish registers, 1841-1969, Church of England in Australia. St. John the Evangelist Church (Adelaide, South Australia)
 * Church of Scotland: 
 * Register of marriages solemnized by the Rev. Robert Haining 1842, Church of Scotland in Australia. Adelaide, Australia
 * Congregational:
 * Memoranda of marriages somemnized by the Rev. Thomas Quinton Stow, Congregational Minister, May 11, 1841 to May 18, 1842
 * Lutheran: Hahndorf from 1839; Klemzig from 1838
 * United Presbyterian: Gouger Street from 1839
 * Society of Friends: Pennington Tce Meeting House from 1841

Deaths

 * Anglican:
 * Adelaide (Holy) Trinity from 1837: Australia, South Australia, index to deaths prior to compulsory registration, 1802-1842
 * Kingscote: from 1836

Lutheran

 * Lutheran Church - South Australia

Roman Catholic

 * Diocese of Adelaide's Archives and Records Services

State Library of South Australia
The State Library of South Australia is custodian of records belonging to the following churches:


 * Anglican SRG 94
 * Baptist SRG 465
 * Congregational SRG 95
 * Methodist SRG 4
 * Presbyterian SRG 123
 * Society of Friends (Quaker) SRG 103
 * Uniting Church in Australia SRG 198