South Australia Church Records

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Australia

South Australia

Church Records

• South Australian Parish Registers, Graham Jaunay Ancestry and Local History Research

This website has a search application that gives the location of original, microform copies, and transcripts of church records for locations and denominations throughout South Australia.

• South Australian births, deaths and marriages before civil registration Name Search

Online Resources

Adelaide

A majority of the state's population lives within Greater Adelaide's metropolitan area.

• 1802-1842 Australia, South Australia, index to deaths prior to compulsory registration, 1802-1842. Church of England in Australia. Holy Trinity Church (Adelaide) - at FamilySearch, images.
• 1884-1912 Church records, 1884-1912, Wesleyan Methodist Church (Parkside, Adelaide)
• 1835-1969 Parish registers, 1835-1969, Church of England in Australia. Holy Trinity Church (Adelaide) - at FamilySearch, images.
• 1835-1969 Parish registers, 1841-1969, Church of England in Australia. St. John the Evangelist Church (Adelaide) - at FamilySearch, images.
• 1836-1842 List of entries in the marriage register prior to compulsory registration, July 1836 to June 1842, with index. Church of England in Australia. Holy Trinity Church (Adelaide) - at FamilySearch, images.
• 1836-1842 Parish register transcripts, 1836-1842, Church of England in Australia. Holy Trinity Church (Adelaide) - at FamilySearch, images.
• 1841-1842 Memoranda of marriages somemnized by the Rev. Thomas Quinton Stow, Congregational Minister, May 11, 1841 to May 18, 1842; Stow Memorial Church (Adelaide) Congregational - at FamilySearch, images.
• 1842 Register of marriages solemnized by the Rev. Robert Haining 1842, Church of Scotland in Australia, Adelaide - at FamilySearch, images.

• 1846-1953 Parish registers, 1846-1953, Church of England in Australia. St. Mary's-on-the-Sturt Church (Adelaide) - at FamilySearch, images.
• 1849-1969 Parish registers, 1849-1969, Church of England in Australia. Christ Church (North Adelaide) - at FamilySearch, images.
• 1854-1963 - -Parish registers, 1854-1963, Church of England in Australia. St. Luke's Church (Adelaide) - at FamilySearch, images.
• 1860-1932 Parish registers, 1860-1932, Church of England in Australia. St. Paul's Church (Adelaide) - at FamilySearch, images.
• 1876-1974 Parish registers, 1876-1974, Church of England in Australia. St. Peter's Cathedral (Adelaide) - at FamilySearch, images.
• 1887-1929 Parish registers, 1887-1929, Church of England in Australia. St. Mary Magdalene's Church (Adelaide) - at FamilySearch, images.
• 1890-1973 Parish registers, 1890-1973, Church of England in Australia. St. Cyprian's Church (North Adelaide) - at FamilySearch, images.
• 1915-1974 Parish registers, 1915-1974, Church of England in Australia. St. James' Church (Adelaide) - at FamilySearch, images.

Catholic

• South Australia Baptisms and Confirmations at Findmypast - index ($)
• 1848-1952 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.

Australia

• 1788-1922 Australia, Birth Index, 1788-1922, index - at Ancestry ($)
• 1792-1981 Australia, Births and Baptisms, 1792-1981, index - at Ancestry ($). Also at Findmypast ($). Also at My Heritage ($)
• 1788-1950 Australia, Marriage Index, 1788-1950, index - at Ancestry ($)
• 1788-1935 Australia, Marriages, 1788-1935, index - at Findmypast ($)
• 1810-1980 Australia, Marriages, 1810-1980, index - at MyHeritage ($)
• 1787-1985 Australia, Death Index, 1787-1985, index - at Ancestry ($)
• 1816-1980 Australia Deaths & Burials, 1816-1980, index - at Findmypast ($). Also at My Heritage ($)

Church of England (Anglican)

• 1849-1935 Parish registers, 1849-1935, Church of England in Australia. St. Andrew's Church (Walkerville, South Australia) - at FamiliySearch, images.
• 1885-1962 - -Parish registers, 1885-1962, Church of England in Australia. St. Agnes' Church (Grange, South Australia) - at FamiliySearch, images.
• 1894-1913 River Murray Mission baptisms, 1894-1913, Church of England in Australia. River Murray Mission (South Australia) - at FamiliySearch, images.
• 1925-1974 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.

Methodist

• 1852-1909, 1871-1909 Registers of baptisms, 1856-1909, 1871-1909, and roll of members, 1884-1902 of Auburn Circuit (South Australia): Methodist - at FamiliySearch, images.
• 1861-1878 Church records, 1861-1878, Mintaro Circuit (South Australia : Methodist) - at FamiliySearch, images.
• 1891-1910 Members roll, 1891-1910, Port Broughton Circuit (South Australia : Methodist) - at FamiliySearch, images.
• 1890-1910 Roll of members, 1890-1898, Moonta Circuit (South Australia : Methodist) - at FamiliySearch, images.

Wesleyan Methodist

• 1848-1922 Church records, 1848-1922, Redruth Circuit (South Australia : Wesleyan Methodist) - at FamiliySearch, images.
• 1853-1941 Register of baptisms, 1853-1941, Virginia Circuit (South Australia : Wesleyan Methodist) - at FamiliySearch, images.
• 1857-1907 Register of baptisms, 1857-1907, Yankalilla Circuit (South Australia : Wesleyan Methodist) - at FamiliySearch, images.
• 1860-1873 Register of baptisms, 1860-1873, Mount Gambier Circuit (South Australia : Wesleyan Methodist) - at FamiliySearch, images.
• 1862-1898 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.
• 1865-1921 Church records, 1865-1921, Goolwa and Middleton Circuit (South Australia : Wesleyan Methodist) - at FamiliySearch, images.
• 1868-1911, 1913-1943 Register of baptisms, 1868-1911; Membership rolls, 1913-1943 of Angaston Circuit (South Australia: Wesleyan Methodist) - at FamiliySearch, images.
• 1869-1919 Register of marriages and baptisms, 1869-1919, Mount Remarkable Circuit (South Australia : Wesleyan Methodist) - at FamiliySearch, images.
• 1871-1892 Register of baptisms, 1871-1892, Port Wakefield Circuit (South Australia : Wesleyan Methodist) - at FamiliySearch, images.
• 1881-1915 Methodist baptisms in South Australia, 1882-1915, Kent Town and Norwood Circuit (South Australia : Wesleyan Methodist) - at FamiliySearch, images.
• 1881-1906 Register of baptisms, 1881-1906, Quorn Circuit (South Australia : Wesleyan Methodist) - at FamiliySearch, images.
• 1882-1907 Register of baptisms, 1882-1907, Unley Circuit (South Australia: Wesleyan Methodist) - at FamiliySearch, images.
• 1884-1932 Register of baptisms, 1884-1932, Riverton Circuit (South Australia : Wesleyan Methodist) - at FamiliySearch, images.
• 1884-1900 Members roll, 1884-1900, Unley Circuit (South Australia : Wesleyan Methodist) - at FamiliySearch, images.

• 1885-1928 Methodist baptisms in South Australia, 1885-1928, Kingston and Robe Circuit (South Australia : Wesleyan Methodist) - at FamiliySearch, images.
• 1888-1913 Church records, 1888-1913, Port Adelaide Circuit (South Australia : Wesleyan Methodist) - at FamiliySearch, images.
• 1890-1922 Church records, 1890-1922, Mintaro and Auburn Circuit (South Australia : Wesleyan Methodist) - at FamiliySearch, images.
• 1890-1905 Members roll, 1890-1905, Port Lincoln Circuit (South Australia :Wesleyan Methodist) - at FamiliySearch, images.
• 1890-1917 Members roll, 1890-1917, Petersburg Circuit (South Australia : Wesleyan Methodist) - at FamiliySearch, images.
• 1890-1934 Members roll, 1890-1934, Kadina and Wallaroo Circuit (South Australia : Wesleyan Methodist) - at FamiliySearch, images.
• 1890-1916 Roll of members, 1890-1916, Mount Barker Circuit (South Australia : Wesleyan Methodist) - at FamiliySearch, images.
• 1890-1920 Roll of members, 1890-1920, Minlaton Circuit (South Australia : Wesleyan Methodist) - at FamiliySearch, images.
• 1891-1903 Roll of members, 1891-1903, Laura Circuit (South Australia : Wesleyan Methodist) - at FamiliySearch, images.
• 1891-1909 Member's roll book, 1891-1909, Ardrossan Circuit (South Australia : Wesleyan Methodist) - at FamiliySearch, images.
• 1892-1913 Members roll, 1892-1913, Melrose Circuit (South Australia : Wesleyan Methodist) - at FamiliySearch, images.
• 1894-1920 Roll of members, 1894-1920, Millicent Circuit (South Australia : Wesleyan Methodist) - at FamiliySearch, images.
• 1897-1911 Members roll, 1897-1911, Jamestown Circuit (South Australia : Wesleyan Methodist) - at FamiliySearch, images.

FamilySearch Library

• Adelaide where most people lived.

South Australia Record Repositories

Genealogy SA

Genealogy SA
South Australian Genealogy and Heraldry Society (SAGHS)
201 Unley Road
Unley, South Australia
Bus: Stop 5, Unley Rd, Unley (Bus route 190 is direct from the City to our front door)

Postal address:
PO Box 3114, Unley, South Australia, 5061

Telephone (08) 8272 4222
Email saghs.admin@saghs.org.au

• Online Database and Transcription Sevice
  • Baptisms
  • Marriages
  • Burials
• Research Services

State Library of South Australia

State Library of South Australia
Corner of North Terrace and Kintore Avenue
GPO Box 419
Adelaide, South Australia 5001
Telephone: (08) 8207 7250
Email:SLSAinfo@sa.gov.au Website

• Family History Guide
• Church Records Guide South Australia State Library 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)
• Detailed List of Church Records Holdings

Lutheran Archives

Lutheran Church - South Australia
The Lutheran Archives
27 Fourth Street
Bowden, South Australia 5007
Telephone: (08) 8340 4009
Email: archives@lca.org.au
Website

The parish registers contain information on births, baptisms, confirmations, marriages, deaths and burials of people who were associated with the Lutheran Church. These are extremely valuable for family history research. To assist researchers a Church Records Computer Database Index has been prepared. A printout of the surname provides the researcher with an index to entries with that surname in the parish registers. This enables the researcher to quickly locate those records which may be useful. There is an additional charge for this service.

Roman Catholic Archives

Diocese of Adelaide's Archives and Records Services
Catholic Diocesan Centre
39 Wakefield Street
Adelaide, South Australia 5000
Email: archives@adelaide.catholic.org.au
Telephone: 08 8210 8115
Fax: 08 8223 2307

Family History Research Policy

Our policy is to direct family historians to other agencies when the same records are available for public use elsewhere.

Family historians are not required to complete the form 'Application for Access to the Archives'.

Email Archives and Records Services at archives@adelaide.catholic.org.au to enquire about relevant holdings.

Australia Repositories

National Library of Australia

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

Society of Australian Genealogists

• 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.

Writing for Records

Originals of parish records may still be held at the local church.
See the Letter Writing Guide for Genealogy for help in composing a letter requesting information from a local church.
Address directories for major religious groups are listed here. Baptist, Pentecostal, and Reformed churches have multiple umbrella organizations. For those, use Google.

• Anglican Directory Australia Parishes
• Catholic Find A Church, Australia
• 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)

Starting Dates

• Parish registers began for:

Baptist Church in 1838

Church of England in 1835

Congregational Church in 1837

Lutheran Church in 1838

Presbyterian Church in 1839

Roman Catholic Church in 1840

Wesleyan Methodist Church in 1837

Church Records Available Prior to Civil Registration (1842)

South Australian births, deaths and marriages before civil registration Name Search

This searchable database will disclose the known persons recorded in the records below. The version contained herein has been updated to 20 Dec 2005.

Historical Background

• 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.
• Between 1836 and June 1841, the only records of birth, marriage, and death are found in church records.
  

Births

While the colony never recognized 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 (All SA: Clare, Gawler, Mount Barker, Willunga, South East): See SAGHS
• Lutheran: Lobenthal from 1841 see SLSA
• Presbyterian: Gouger Street Adelaide from 1839: See SAGHS and SLSA
• Society of Friends: North Adelaide, Pennington Tce Meeting House from 1841, see SLSA

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; for Lobenthal from 1841 see SLSA
• United Presbyterian: Gouger Street from 1839 See SAGHS and SLSA
• Society of Friends: North Adelaide, Pennington Tce Meeting House from 1841, see SLSA

Deaths

• Anglican:
  • Adelaide (Holy) Trinity from 1837: Australia, South Australia, index to deaths prior to compulsory registration, 1802-1842
• Lutheran: Lobenthal from 1841 see SLSA
• Kingscote: from 1836

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.

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