Births, deaths and marriages

Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander visitors are kindly advised that this website includes images, sounds and names of people who have passed.

All users should be aware that some topics or historical content may be culturally sensitive, offensive or distressing, and that some images may contain nudity or are of people not yet identified. Certain words, terms or descriptions may reflect the author's/creator's attitude or that of the period in which they were written, but are now considered inappropriate in today's context.

Key to library resources

Access anywhere with a library card In the Library (or anywhere with a Library card for NSW residents)
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Births and baptisms

Researching births and bapitisms

Begin researching your ancestor's birth and baptism by finding their birth certificate, then using other resources such as church registers, newspapers and other genealogical resources to fill in the gaps.

Make sure you view or buy a copy of the original records as they usually have more details than the index.

Use this information to work back through the generations.

About the resources

Your ancestor's record might not include all the details that we've listed. The information documented can vary from record to record, especially earlier records as they tend not to contain as much information as later records.

Find your ancestor's birth certificate

Where else to find information about births?

You can find information about births in marriage and death records such as church registers, wills and cemetery records. You might find your ancestor's date and place of birth in these records.

Try other indexes

Can’t find your ancestor in the birth indexes? Try searching indexes for deaths and marriages. Check out the resources on these other pages in this guide:

Births from the past 100 years

You can apply for a copy of a birth certificate from the past 100 years through the NSW Registry of Births, Deaths and Marriages. You will need to be eligible to apply. Refer to the website to see if you meet the criteria.

You can buy certificates for births that occurred over 100 years ago through the Registry's website.

Family history transcription agent

You can pay family history transcription agents for full and partial transcriptions or verification of details. Unlike a certificate, the transcription cannot be used for legal purposes.