Births, Deaths And Marriages
- Introduction
- Registry of Births, Deaths and Marriages
- Births and Deaths at Sea
- Other Births and Death Records
- Marriage Records
- Divorce Records
- Cemetery & Burial Records
- Coroner's Court & Coronial Inquests
- Probate & Administration Records
- Church Records
- Further Information
Introduction
Civil registration of Births, Deaths and Marriages has been compulsory in Western Australia since September 1841.
The State Records Office holds numerous records containing information on births, deaths and marriages within the State, including indexes to the birth, death and marriage certificates originally issued by the Registrar General's Office (predecessor to the Registry of Births, Deaths and Marriages).
Other resources containing information on births, deaths and marriages that may be consulted when researching include local court house records, police station records, Coroner's Court inquests, Colonial Secretary's Office correspondence, Supreme Court records, and Cemetery Board records.
Registry of Births, Deaths and Marriages
Birth, Death and Marriage certificates provide the cornerstone for most family history research as they often contain valuable information identifying family members. Dependent upon the date of registration and type of certificate it is possible to locate information such as names of parents, spouse, siblings and children, date and place of birth for parents, and burial details.
Copies of birth, death and marriage certificates must be purchased directly from the Registry of Births, Deaths and Marriages.
While the State Records Office can not provide copies of certificates to clients the following indexes to birth, death and marriage certificates are available in the State Records Office Microform Area:
- Index to Births 1841 - 1905 (on microfiche)
- Index to Marriages 1841 - 1965 (on microfiche)
- Index to Deaths 1841 - 1980 (on microfiche)
Through the use of these indexes it is possible to identify the Surname, Christian name, registry district and registration number of a particular certificate. Obtaining the registry district and number is highly recommended, as the Registry of Births, Deaths and Marriages will charge a reduced fee for the copy of the required certificate if these details can be provided upon application.
The above indexes represent the most uptodate versions released by the Registry of Births, Deaths and Marriages. To locate certificates of a more recent nature it is necessary to contact the Registry of Births, Deaths and Marriages directly.
To purchase certificates online or obtain information on the fees and conditions applicable please see the Registry of Births, Deaths and Marriages section of the Department of the Attorney General website at http://www.dotag.wa.gov.au/. Or contact them directly:
Registry of Births, Deaths & Marriages
Level 10
141 St Georges Terrace
PERTH WA 6000
Phone: 1300 305 021
PO Box 7720
Cloisters Square
PERTH WA 6850
Phone: 1300 305 021
Facsimile: (08) 9264 1599
Website: http://www.bdm.dotag.wa.gov.au/
- Register - Births (1918-1921) and Deaths (1917-1964) at Sea, Acc 1316, Item 19, AN 16
- Returns Respecting Seamen - Discharged, Deserted, Dead, 1914-1966, Acc 1316, Item 5, AN 16
Other Births and Death Records
Although the copies of official birth and death certificates can only be obtained from the registry of Births, Deaths and Marriages there are in some instances similar types of records held in the custody of the State Records Office. These alternative sources of information comprise of ad hoc registers and listings compiled by local government authorities, police stations and mining registrar's for various localities from throughout the State.
Examples of the types of records available include:
- Cue Mining Registrar, Register of Deaths 1892-1894 and Births 1893-1894, Acc 787, Item 144, AN 350
Other references to Deaths can be found in records created by the Colonial Secretary's Office, Court Houses, Police Stations, Shire Councils and Road Boards etc.
Marriage Records
In addition to the marriage certificate it is sometimes possible to track down information on marriages through marriage notification registers held by the State Records Office.
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Various registers from Local Courthouses, Mining Registrars, district offices of the Registrar General's Office, as well as the Colonial Secretary's Office contain details on marriages from throughout Western Australia. Most of these marriage records are locality based and consist of registers of notice of marriage. |
General:
Regional:
- Registrar General's Office - Canning District, Notices of Marriages, 1880-1905, Acc 918
- Mining Register Cue, Marriage Notices, 1900-1903, Cons786, Items 350-353, AN 17
- Geraldton Courthouse, Marriage Notice Book, 1879-1898, Acc 932, Item 22, AN 17
- Registrar General's Office, Irwin District Register Marriage, 1881-1910, Acc 1108
- Leonora Courthouse, Notices of Marriage, 1905, Acc 2695, AN 17
- Toodyay Courthouse. District Marriage Notice Book, 1880-1906, Acc 721, Item 53, AN 17
Divorce Records
The State Records Office holds divorce records created by the Supreme Court of WA covering the period 1864-1976. The Supreme Court held jurisdiction in matrimonial cases from 1863, when the Divorce and Matrimonial Causes Act was passed, up until 1976 when the Family Court Act established State-controlled Family Courts which took over from the Supreme Court divorce and matrimonial causes jurisdiction. Subsequent divorce records are held by the Family Court of WA.
- Supreme Court of WA, Divorce Registers, 1864-1976, Series 40, Consignment 3409, 3455 & 4331
The alphabetical index provided in these registers allows file numbers for specific divorce cases to be identified. Registers also provide useful summary information on individual divorce cases. Later volumes record information such as the names of petitioners, respondents and co-respondents, maiden name of wife and date and place of marriage, and from 1941 onwards the number of children by the marriage. The registers are not restricted and can be viewed on microfilm in the State Records Office Microforms Area.
- Supreme Court of WA, Divorce Files, 1864-1977, Series 35, Consignment 3404, 3457 & 4211
Typically the records in this series consist of petitions, counter-petitions, affidavits, notice of decrees, and related documents. Some files also contain photographs and other evidence. In order to identify particular files, researchers must first note the number given to the divorce in the Divorce Registers (case number/year).
Divorce files have a 75 year restricted access period. For more information on accessing restricted records please click here.
See also further information on accessing Supreme Court divorce records.
Cemetery & Burial Records
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Cemetery Board records can be valuable for locating details on deaths in certain areas. The State Records Office has a number of consignments that contain registers and applications for order of burial. Burial registers can contain information such as date of death and burial, name, age, last residence, occupation, who performed the ceremony, cause of death, religion, undertaker, location in cemetery, number of grave and allotment. |
![Graves of early settlers at East Perth Cemetery, c. 1850s. [001323D]](photos/births-001323d.jpg)
The following are selected examples of the records available:
Information on burials in Western Australia can also be obtained by searching the various cemeteries and burials indexes available on microfiche in the Battye Library. Indexes to records of internments, cremations and memorials for some metropolitan cemeteries are available online through the Metropolitan Cemeteries Board website.
Coroner's Court & Coronial Inquests
Unfortunately relatively few coronial inquest records have survived the last century.
Information relating to early coronial inquests can best be located through the records of the relevant local courthouse or local police station. Coroner's reports contained in court records often include evidence given by various witnesses along with the verdict reached.
The following represent a sample of the coronial records available:
- Boulder Police Station, Inquests Books, 1911-1924, 1932-1937, Acc 1299, Items 184-185, AN 5
- Broome Courthouse, Register of Inquests, 1941-1956, Cons 4109
- Resident Medical Officer - Carnarvon, Post Mortem Book, 1904-1933, Acc 544
- Yalgoo Coroner's Court, Coroner's Inquiry Book, 1897-1948, Acc 1329
References to inquests held prior to 1900 can occasionally be found amongst the Colonial Secretary's Office records. Furthermore, the findings of inquests are often reported in newspapers (particularly for country areas) and details of verdicts can also be found in the Police Gazette.
Additionally, some surviving bound Inquest and Reports of Deaths Registers dating back to the 1920's are still held by the Coroner's Court.
Many of the records created by these courts in the course of administering deceased estates have been transferred to the State Records Office. Details of the records held by the State Records Office are available in the Court Records section.
To view the State Records Office information sheet on Probate and Administration records please click here.
Church Records
Prior to the introduction in 1841 of compulsory registration of births, deaths and marriages, the responsibility for maintaining these records was assumed by the churches. Most of these early records were copied by the Registrar General's Office and transferred to the State Records Office as part of the following consignment:
- Registrar General's Office, List of Births, Deaths and Marriages by locality for the Anglican Church, 1829-1841, Acc 703, AN 9
Other Western Australian church records that document baptisms, burials and marriages are held by the Private Archives section of the Battye Library.
Further Information
State Records Office staff at the Enquiry Desk can provide additional information on records relating to births, deaths and marriages available from within the State Records Office collection. For more information contact us by telephone on (08) 9427 3360, by facsimile on (08) 9427 3368, via email at sro@sro.wa.gov.au or in person.
