Vital Records: Births & Marriages

Sources for Researching ACT Family History - Births and Marriages

Pre-Capital Period

VITAL RECORDS - INDEXES

The NSW indexes to Births (1788-1905), Deaths (1788-1973) and Marriages (1788-1955) are searchable online at the NSW Registry of BDM website. Earlier incarnations of these indexes are also available on CD-ROM and microfiche.

Registration in this area is most likely, but not exclusively, in the District of Queanbeyan.

NEWSPAPERS – INDEXES

Bombala Herald : births, deaths and marriages, 1901-[1911] compiled by Betty Guise Forster, 1992.
Microfilm of this newspaper is available in the ACT Heritage Library.
ACTHL LOCATION: H 929.39447 BOMB

Index to Queanbeyan newspapers : news from around Australia and New Zealand. Volume 1, September 1860 to December 1861. Volume 2, January 1962 to December 1863 compiled by Brooke Watson and Wendy Eldridge.
Microfilm of this newspaper is available in the ACT Heritage Library.
ACTHL LOCATION: H 079.9447 INDE

Monaro Mercury 1864-1905 (covering the Cooma and Monaro Districts)Extracts of birth, deaths, marriages and general information (Hotel Licences, Land Grants, Bankruptcy), 1864-1905 by Sue and Mike Grieves.
Microfilm of this newspaper is available on request in the ACT Heritage Library.

Yass Courier 1857-1905 Extracts of engagements, marriages, births, deaths, probates, memoriams and other general information, 1857-1905 by Sue and Mike Grieves.
Microfilm of this newspaper is available in the ACT Heritage Library.

NEWSPAPERS – FULL TEXT

Some historical local newspapers are available online and are fully searchable through Trove.

  • Age (Queanbeyan, NSW : 1904 - 1907)
  • The Argyle Liberal and District Recorder  (NSW: 1903-1930) (Crookwell)
  • Braidwood Dispatch and Mining Journal (NSW : 1888 - 1954)
  • Braidwood Independent (NSW : 1867)
  • Braidwood Review and District Advocate (NSW : 1915 - 1954)
  • Golden Age (Queanbeyan, NSW : 1860 - 1864)
  • Goulburn Chronicle and Southern Advertiser (NSW : 1860 - 1861)
  • Goulburn Evening Penny Post (NSW : 1881 - 1940)
  • Goulburn Evening Post (NSW : 1940 - 1954)
  • Goulburn Herald (NSW : 1860 - 1864)
  • Goulburn Herald (NSW : 1881 - 1907)
  • The Goulburn Herald and Chronicle (NSW : 1864 - 1881)
  • The Goulburn Herald and County of Argyle Advertiser (NSW : 1848 - 1859)
  • Manaro Mercury, and Cooma and Bombala Advertiser (NSW : 1862 - 1931)
  • Queanbeyan Age (NSW : 1867 - 1904)
  • Queanbeyan Age (NSW : 1907 - 1915)
  • Queanbeyan Age and General Advertiser (NSW : 1864 - 1867)
  • Queanbeyan Age and Queanbeyan Observer (NSW : 1915 - 1927)
  • Queanbeyan-Canberra Advocate (NSW : 1905 - 1927)
  • Queanbeyan Leader (NSW : 1905 - 1916)
  • Queanbeyan Observer (NSW : 1894 - 1908; 1910 - 1915)
  • Southern Argus (Goulburn, NSW : 1881 - 1885)
  • Southern Morning Herald (Goulburn, NSW : 1920 - 1923)
  • Yass Courier (NSW : 1902 - 1929)
  • Yass Evening Tribune (NSW : 1899 - 1928)
  • Yass Tribune-Courier (NSW : 1929 - 1954)
CHURCHES AND OTHER COMMUNITIES OF FAITH

Church registers remain the property of the congregation or denomination. They are private records which may or may not be made available to family historians.

Some denominations maintain central archives repositories, some have deposited their records with collecting libraries and archives and some continue to be held by the congregation.

Parish register index in parish order Church of England Diocese of Canberra-Goulburn [microform], 1999.

Parish registers cover the following areas: Adaminaby, Adelong, Albury, Barmedman, Bega, Berridale, Binda, Bodalla, Bombala, Boorowa, Braidwood, Bribraree, Bungendore, Cobargo, Cooma, Cootamundra, Crookwell, Goulburn, Gundagai, Gunning, Holbrook, Junee, Kameruka, Koorawatha, Lake Bathurst, Marulan, Moruya, Murrumburrah, North Goulburn, Pambula, Queanbeyan, Taralgo, Tarcutta, Temora, Tumbarumba, Tumut, Wagga Wagga, West Goulburn, Yass, Young. Period covered varies for each area, general range 1850s to 1920.
ACTHL LOCATION: H 929.39447 PARI


Capital Period

VITAL RECORDS - INDEXES

ACT Historical Marriage Index 1930+ A free, online, searchable index of limited information relating to marriages registered in the ACT from 1930 to 75 years prior to today. Typical information from this index is registration number, names of parties to marriage and date of marriage.

ACT Historical Death Index 1930+ A free, online, searchable index of limited information relating to deaths registered in the ACT from 1930, to 30 years prior to this year. Typical information from this index is registration number, names of deceased, parents names (rarely) and date of death.

VITAL RECORDS - CERTIFICATES

The ACT Registry Office records all births, deaths and marriages occurring in the Australian Capital Territory since 1 January 1930.

These records are confidential and access is restricted. Details of who may apply for certificates can be found on the Access Canberra website.

Application may be made online, in writing using the appropriate form, or in person. A fee is payable.

NEWSPAPERS - INDEXES

The Angelus : Queanbeyan-Canberra Catholic Monthly, April 1923-February 1953[Index to the Birth, Death and Marriage notices in The Angelus, April 1923-August 1939; February 1955. Compiled from incomplete holdings at the National Library of Australia] by Betty Guise Forster, 1993.
ACTHL LOCATION: H 929.394 FEDE

Federal Capital Pioneer, December 1924-August 1926Index to the Birth, Death and Marriage notices in the Federal Capital Pioneer, December 1924 to August 1926 by Betty Guise Forster, 1993.Microfilm of this newspaper is available on request in the ACT Heritage Library.
ACTHL LOCATION: H 929.394 FEDE

Federal Capital Pioneer Magazine, October 1926- May/June 1927A fully searchable CD-ROM and microfilm of this newspaper available on request in the ACT Heritage Library.
ACTHL LOCATION: H CD-ROM 994.71 FEDE

Canberra Community News, October 1925-December 1927
Microfilm of this newspaper is available on request in the ACT Heritage Library.

NEWSPAPERS – FULL TEXT

Some historical local newspapers are available online and are fully searchable through Trove.

  • Canberra Community News (Canberra, ACT : 1925 - 1927)
  • Canberra Illustrated: A Quarterly Magazine (ACT : 1925)
  • Canberra Times (ACT : 1926 - 1954)
  • Federal Capital Pioneer (Canberra, ACT : 1924 - 1926)
  • Federal Capital Pioneer Magazine (Canberra, ACT : 1926 - 1927)
  • Good Neighbour (ACT : 1950-1969
  • Student Notes/Canberra University College Students Association (ACT : 1947-1950)
  • Woroni (Canberra, ACT : 1950-2007)
CHURCHES AND OTHER COMMUNITIES OF FAITH

Church registers remain the property of the congregation or denomination. They are private records which may or may not be made available to family historians.

Some denominations maintain central archives repositories, some have deposited their records with collecting libraries and archives and some continue to be held by the congregation.

Parish register index in parish order Church of England Diocese of Canberra-Goulburn [microform], 1999.Parish registers cover the following areas: Adaminaby, Adelong, Albury, Barmedman, Bega, Berridale, Binda, Bodalla, Bombala, Boorowa, Braidwood, Bribraree, Bungendore, Cobargo, Cooma, Cootamundra, Crookwell, Goulburn, Gundagai, Gunning, Holbrook, Junee, Kameruka, Koorawatha, Lake Bathurst, Marulan, Moruya, Murrumburrah, North Goulburn, Pambula, Queanbeyan, Taralgo, Tarcutta, Temora, Tumbarumba, Tumut, Wagga Wagga, West Goulburn, Yass, Young. Period covered varies for each area, general range 1850s to 1920.
ACTHL LOCATION: H 929.39447 PARI

Do you know of sources we've missed?  Please let us know.