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Family History
– Family History Research at PROV
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here for a PDF version (43k)
As the State's archival authority Public Record Office Victoria
holds records created by government departments and authorities, courts,
municipalities, schools, public hospitals and other public offices. The records
date from the settlement of the Port Phillip District in the mid 1830s and
include information relating to areas of activity managed or regulated by
government such as health, education, justice, natural resources, environment,
transport and the arts.
These records not only document Victoria’s history but
also provide a rich source of information about the people who settled in this
state. However, the degree to which a person’s life is documented
in government records varies. Usually there is a record of birth, death and
marriage, which is an excellent starting point for further research. For many
people, there are also records of the disposal of property after death; of
immigration; of rates paid; and of land bought or leased from the Crown. In
addition, there may also be records if an individual died suddenly or in
suspicious circumstances, needed to obtain a licence or was involved in any
civil disputes or criminal matter that came before the courts, was
institutionalised or declared bankrupt, or was a government employee.
The records listed below are some of the most commonly used
for family history research. For information on further resources, consult our PROVguides
and PROV's Online Catalogue. Records can be accessed at
the Ballarat Archives Centre (BAC) or the Victorian Archives Centre (VAC).
Indexes to Births, Deaths and Marriages:
|
Title
|
Date Range
|
Format
|
Location
|
|
Pioneer Index
|
1837 – 1888
|
Reading Room PCs
|
VAC/BAC
|
|
Federation Index
|
1889 – 1901
|
Reading Room PCs
|
VAC/BAC
|
|
Edwardian Index
|
1902 – 1913
|
Reading Room PCs
|
VAC/BAC
|
|
Great War Index
|
1914 – 1920
|
Reading Room PCs
|
VAC/BAC
|
|
Marriage Index
|
1921 – 1942
|
Reading Room PCs
|
VAC/BAC
|
|
Death Index
|
1921 – 1985
|
Reading Room PCs
|
VAC/BAC
|
|
Marine BDM Index
|
1853 – 1920
|
Reading Room PCs
|
VAC/BAC
|
For further information refer to PROVguide 26 Using
Births, Deaths and Marriage Indexes at PROV.
Passenger Lists – Arrivals at Victorian
Ports:
Indexes (available online)
Index
to Inward Overseas Passenger Lists (British, Foreign and NZ Ports (1852 –
1923)
Index
to Registers of Assisted Immigrants from UK 1839 – 1871
For further information refer to PROVguide 52
Immigration Records
Inquests - magisterial inquiries into accidental or unexplained deaths:
|
Title
|
Series No.
|
Format
|
Location
|
|
Inquest Deposition Files 1841 – 1994
|
VPRS 24
|
Original records
|
VAC
|
Indexes:
|
Title
|
Series No.
|
Format
|
Location
|
|
Index to Inquest Depositions 1840 – 1985
|
N/A
|
Reading Room PCs
|
VAC/BAC
|
|
Index to Inquest Depositions 1986 – 1994
|
VPRS 23
|
Original records
|
VAC
|
For further information refer to PROVguide 71
Inquest Records
Wills, Probate and Administration - records
relating to the administration of deceased estates
For further information refer to PROVguide 70
Probate Records.
Land - records relating to the sale, leasehold and
use of crown land
Land Selection and Correspondence - several different series
contain files relevant to different sections of the Land Act. Access is by file
number, which can be found together with family name and other information on
Parish and Township Plans available in the VAC Reading Room or the Land and
Survey Information Centre. Some series are listed in the Microfiche Catalogue
to Crown Land and Survey Files (VPRS
7311 and VPRS
7312) and for some series there is an additional card index.
For further information refer to PROVguide 55 Land
Records.
Crime, Law and Punishment: records of the courts,
prisons and Law Department
For further information refer to PROVguides 57
Convict Records, PROVguide
58 Prison Records and PROVguide
61 Divorce Records.
Education and teacher records: records of the
Education Department and of individual schools
The following general series often contain information on
teachers, children and families:
For records of individual schools search for the school name
in PROV’s Online Catalogue.
For further information refer to PROVguide 56
Education Records.
Mental Health: records of mental health
institutions (very few records of public hospitals are held)
For records of individual institutions and for further
information see PROV's Online Catalogue and PROVguide 59
Mental Health Records from the 1840s to circa 1915. See also PROVguide 23 PROV's
Online Databases and Indexes, and Digitised Records.
Family History Publication
Bronwyn Fensham, Barbara Wels and Kasia Zygmuntowicz, 2004
(2nd ed) Private Lives, Public Records: Family History Resources at Public
Record Office Victoria, Public Record Office. Available for purchase
from Public Record Office Victoria Reading Rooms or by downloading the order
form from the PROV website: http://www.prov.vic.gov.au/publications/publns/PLPR_Brochure.pdf