Northern Territory Library
Family History Subject Guide
The Northern Territory Library hosts workshops to demonstrate effective
research techniques for family historians. Information on the sources
available in the Library to gather information is provided in this guide.
Has someone else already
published your family history?
Reid, Ralph S.
Australian family histories
St. Clair, N.S.W. R.S. and A.F.
Reid, 2004.
REF 929.2 REID
2007 edition available on CDROM
Check the National Library Catalogue
10 Golden Rules of Genealogy
1. Always work backwards from the known
(yourself) to the unknown (forebears)
2. Never believe everything on a Birth, Death or
Marriage certificate
3. Never completely trust the spelling of surnames,
place names etc.
4. Always check surname variants when
researching
5. Always have at least two separate sources of
proof for each event
trove.nla.gov.au
Check the Society of Australian
Genealogists catalogues.
6. Remember that everything is only speculation
until verified
7. Always photocopy certificates and important
documents and leave the originals in a safe place
8. If a document exists, read it!
Check for “Pioneers” directories and
Biographical Dictionaries e.g.
Groote Eylandt genealogies:
Warnimamalya Warnimikirra AniLangwa Ayangkidarrba (personal
Indigenous names for this island)
Leeding, Velma J.
Batchelor, N.T. : Batchelor Institute
of Indigenous Tertiary Education,
2002.
929.394295 LEED
Department of Arts & Museums
9. Join at least one Family History Group,
Genealogical Society or Historical Society
10. Share your information and documentation
(copies only) with other researchers
www.familysearch.org
Familysearch has thousands of family history
records. It also has free software to help you
organise your family history records.
New South Wales
Personal Ancestral File
Like PAF, RootsMagic is desktop genealogy
software that allows you to record, research,
and share your family history.
www.bdm.nsw.gov.au
Births 1788 - 1909
Deaths 1788 - 1979
Marriages 1788 – 1959
Births from 1909 to 1918 are indexed on a CD Rom
“Federation Index “
Church records for pre 1858 baptisms, marriages
and burials are held in the Archives Resources Kit,
on microfilm, located in the family history area.
A guide to converting BDM Volume numbers into
ARK Reel numbers is located at NSW Archives
Office. www.records.nsw.gov.au
Queensland
www.justice.qld.gov.au/829.htm
Births to 1914
Marriages to 1934
Civil Registration and
Births Deaths and Marriages
Northern Territory
There are no online indexes available. The
following indexes are available on CD Rom at the
Northern Territory Library:
Births, Deaths & Marriages 1870-1918
Deaths 1824-2004 pt 1
Deaths Index to 2006
Current BDM certificates can be ordered from The
Department of Justice.
www.nt.gov.au/justice/bdm
Australian Capital Territory
www.ors.act.gov.au/community/births_deaths_
and_marriages
Deaths older than 20 years
Available on CD Rom:
Historical Indexes of the Canberra / Queanbeyan
District
v. 1. Bungendore & Michelago NSW
v. 2. Council & Court Records, Queanbeyan
v. 3. Land & other records
v. 4. Parish registers & Burial Records
Deaths to 1964
Available on Microfiche
Births to 1919
Deaths to 1959
Marriages to 1939
Victoria
online.justice.vic.gov.au/bdm/home
This is a pay service.
Births 1853-1907,
Deaths to 1985
Marriages to 1942
Available on CD Rom:
Pioneers Index 1837-1888
Federation index 1889-1901
Edwardian index 1902-1913
Great War index 1914-1920
Death index 1921-1985
Inquest Index 1840-1985
Marine Births, Deaths & Marriages 1853-1920
Marriage Index 1921-1942
South Australia
Useful guides
www.genealogysa.org.au/
Available on CD Rom
Births 1842-1928
Marriages 1842-1937
Deaths 1842-1973
Family history for
beginners and beyond.
Canberra : Heraldry and
Genealogy Society of
Canberra, 2009.
929.1072 FAMI
Tasmania
portal.archives.tas.gov.au/menu.aspx?search=8
Family Links
Available online:
Births, Deaths and Marriages
Available on CD Rom:
Federation Index 1900-1930
Western Australia
www.bdm.dotag.wa.gov.au
Available online:
Birth indexes - 1841 to 1932
Death indexes - 1841 to 1965
Marriage indexes - 1841 to 1936
Available on CD Rom:
Baptisms Sept 1840 – May 1999
Inquests 1876-1903
Microfiche:
Marriages to 1965 Deaths to 1980
New Zealand
www.bdmhistoricalrecords.dia.govt.nz
Births that occurred at least 100 years ago.
Stillbirths if registered at least 50 years ago.
Marriages and eventually Civil Unions that occurred
80 years ago.
Deaths that occurred at least 50 years ago or the
deceased's date of birth was at least 80 years ago.
trove.nla.gov.au/newspaper
Newspapers add a lot of colour to
your family history.
Tracking Family: a guide
to Aboriginal records
relating to the Northern
Territory. Canberra :
National Archives of
Australia, 2006.
929.39429 TRAC
Northern Territory Archives
Service
Researching your Aboriginal family history at the
Northern Territory Archive Service?
http://www.artsandmuseums.nt.gov.au/ntas/me
dia/pdf/ATSI-Family-History_Oct2012.pdf
Australian Aboriginal Genealogy
Resources
Australian Institute of Aboriginal and Torres
Strait Islander Studies
Our collections have a vast amount of information
about Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander
individuals, families, communities and places.
www.aiatsis.gov.au/research/finding-yourfamily
Centre for Indigenous Family History Studies
The material on this site has been extracted from
publically available records in various state and
federal archives throughout Australia.
www.cifhs.com/default.html
Cora Web provides many links for Aboriginal
Genealogy.
coraweb.com.au/abor.htm
National Archives
References to Indigenous people and issues are
found throughout the National Archives’ collection in
records dating from Federation (1901) to the
present.
indigenousarchives.net/collections/nationalarchives-of-australia/
Contact Details
Phone: 1800 019 155
or (08) 8999 7177
Email:
ntl.info@nt.gov.au
Fax:
(08) 8999 6927
Post:
GPO Box 42, Darwin NT 0801
Location: Parliament House, Darwin
www.ntl.nt.gov.au
More information and other subject guides available through the NT Library website