In a few of the vital records collections on Ancestry.com.au, you will find indexes that link to images of actual records. In other cases, there are indexes containing information which will help you request the full record. Viewing the actual record is beneficial as it often contains details not included in the index.
If you find your ancestor in an index, be sure to click on the database title and look at the description to learn how to request the actual record.
For Australian Birth, Marriage and Death Certificates, you will need to contact the individual state registry offices:
- NSW Registry of Births Deaths & Marriages
- Victorian Registry of Births, Deaths and Marriages
- ACT Births, Deaths and Marriages
- Queensland Registry of Births, Deaths and Marriages
- Northern Territory Registry of Births, Deaths and Marriages
- South Australia Births, Deaths and Marriages Registration Office
- Tasmanian Registry of Births, Deaths and Marriages
- Western Australia Registry of Births, Deaths and Marriages
With the England & Wales FREE BMD Birth, Marriage and Death indexes, you can order a copy of the original certificate directly through Ancestry.com.au – just look for the little shopping trolley image to the right of the search results.
These records, collectively known as vital records, can provide details about important milestones in your ancestors’ lives. They include information like the event date and place, parents’ names, occupation and residence. The cause of death is also included in most death records.
Vital records are a cornerstone of family history research because they were typically created at or near the time of the event, making the record more likely to be accurate. This category includes indexes that can help you request copies from vital records keepers, and in some cases the images of actual records.
- To narrow your search, estimate birth dates using information found in census records and in other records.
- Narrow your search for marriage records by looking at the age and birthplace of the first child. This information can also be found in census records. Start your search a year or two prior to the child’s birth and gradually widen your search back (and forward) in time until you locate the record.
- Track your ancestor year to year in directories to help zero in on death dates and places. Husbands who predecease their wives will typically stop being listed after death and you’ll often find the wife in his place, listed as “widow.”
- Once you find a matching record, save it to your family tree – that way you can provide evidence to back up the info in your family tree, easily share your discover with your family, and quickly find the historical record again later.