Australian research hints please

[KiwiChris]

I am beginning to do some research for an Australian friend with the aim of compiling a database of early Australian C of E Clergy. My role is to pad out the social history, as I have done on the NZ equivalent. That means information on parents and their occuaptions and any news items I can find.

I have Ancestry.au but have not found the Aussie information very helpful. Does anyone have any useful websites to use? BMD would be helpful, and is there an Aussie equivalent of the NZ paperspast website?

I am looking at the period from early missionaries through to about the 1930s.

[Kit]

There is an early newspaper website but it is incomplete:

http://newspapers.nla.gov.au/ndp/del/home

NSW BMD's are a good start:

http://www.bdm.nsw.gov.au/familyHistory/search.htm

NSW State Archives:

http://www.records.nsw.gov.au/state-archives/indexes-online/indexes-online

[Kit]

Aust Dictionary of Biography: (only if really well known)

http://www.adb.online.anu.edu.au/adbonline.htm

[Kit]

I've not used this but foiund it bookmarked. Australian Periodicals 1840-1845

http://www.nla.gov.au/ferg/search.html

[Kit]

Convicts to Australia - may have some info if the person has already been reseached.

http://members.iinet.net.au/~perthdps/convicts/index.html

[Kit]

I googled one of my OH's rellies and the chuch he served in had a history of his life, every minister in the church in fact.

[KiwiChris]

oo thank you, I will book mark all those.

[kiterunner]

For BMD's, it depends which state - some are online and some aren't. I'll post up the other ones that are later on when I've got time.

[kiterunner]

Victoria:
Victoria BMD Indexes (http://online.justice.vic.gov.au/CA2574F700805DE7/page/Historical+research-Search+historical+indexes?OpenDocument&1=60-Historical+research~&2=10-Search+historical+indexes~&3=~)

Queensland:
Queensland BMD indexes (http://www.justice.qld.gov.au/family-history-research.htm)

Western Australia:
Western Australia BMD indexes (http://www.bdm.dotag.wa.gov.au/W/wa_registry_indexes.aspx?uid=9528-1438-1230-2099)

There are some other useful links on here:
http://www.coraweb.com.au/bdmau.htm

[marquette]

This link gives a list of graduates of the Australian Theological College - most seem to late for what you are doing, but there are some early 20th century ones - its also gives a list of theological colleges which might be useful.

http://www.actheology.edu.au/general%20files/Graduates%20master%20list%20publication.pdf

Moore Theological College, Sydney, attached to Sydney Uni, would be the oldest. It also has its own website. I am sure I found a list or part list of graduates somewhere, but cannot find it at this time. Also St Johns College at Morpeth has a long history. Two of the Cole family are not in this list - Rev. Thomas Cornelius Cole who graduated Moore in 1861 and Rev Kingsley Cole his cousin.


Di

[Kit]

With Vic BMD you have to pay to do anything but search the index, including viewing your search results. But if you know John Smith had parents Jim and Mary you can keep changing the dates on the search with until you narrow down what year he was born.

[marquette]

Better than the Vic BMDs are the National Library Newspapers on-line - you can search The Argus birth announcements for exact dates - I have done this for my extensive Cole family. And the Melbourne Cemetery records are online for their exact date of death.

I picked up quite a lot about our three ministers (T.C.Cole, C. Kingsley Cole and Alfred J Cole) from the marriage notices. They often used to say "married by" and you can see all the different churches. Kingsley worked in Dalby Qd, then Geelong, T.C. was at Booroondara, Malvern and Collingwood, Alfred at Berwick. T.C. also married (officiated for) his brothers and sisters and cousins.