UPDATE Sept 2014
I prepared this thread back in July 2011, after posting many replies to threads on the Australian Board here at RootsChat. The thread has been read over 10,100 times as I post this update.
There are various online resources that can help advance the quest to obtain the information that has not ever been reconciled by the NSW BDM to their own limited summary information for registrations of marriages in the decades 1856-1895. Of course, some of their registrations have been reconciled to the Church registers, and each registration that has had even a part reconciliation does make note of the respective Church register that was inspected.
BUT, basically, if the marriage was registered outside of the Sydney Metro districts, it is very likely to have those elusive blanks.
Here’s some further tips to help overcome those elusive blanks.
1. Check if the original registers have been photographed. So Try searching the National Library of Australia and/or the Mitchell Library /NSW State Library , and/or the Society of Australian Genealogists …. Links below
2. Write a ‘snail mail’ letter to the Church, or at least to the ‘Head Office” for the Church (you know the denomination and the Reverend as those details ARE included in the NSW BDM’s registration).
3. Don’t assume that an Official Transcription passed down to YOU is actually a FULL transcription, as it is possible to purchase partial transcriptions, so the ‘blanks’ on a partial transcription may be caused by the original purchaser ONLY asking for PART of the mc to be transcribed. So, consider obtaining a FULL transcription.
4. Remember that the Original register is NOT a public document, it is CHURCH property, and so be gentle in your request of the current Rev’d of that Church. Be patient, and accept that the current Rev’d ‘s primary duties are for those that are active in that Church NOW. Family History enquiries are NOT their highest priority, and often are passed to a volunteer member of the Church community. It is still best to write that snail mail request, and ALWAYS include a copy of the document to allow that volunteer to determine the way to go about looking up their local records.
5. If the marriage was celebrated according to Church of England rites, then there should be at least two registers to check. These registers may NOT be held by the local church., as they may have forwarded them to their local Bishop and perhaps are held at the Diocese Admin Offices once these local registers became full. A link to the Anglicans is below.
I welcome everyone’s contributions, particularly if there’s others with tips to share.
Links:
National Library of Australia
https://www.nla.gov.au/family-history-sources NSW State Library
http://www.sl.nsw.gov.au/services/family_history/index.html?HomeLink=Services Society of Australian Genealogists
http://www.sag.org.au/ Anglicans
http://www.anglican.org.au/community/Pages/dioceses.aspx (Diocese : Sydney; Canberra Goulburn; Riverina; Bathurst; Newcastle; Armidale; Grafton, noting Albury NSW is within Wangaratta Vic )
Uniting Church
http://www.insights.nsw.uca.org.au/church/archives.htm Presbyterians : Ferguson Memorial Library, 168 Chalmers St, SURRY HILLS BUT they can provide no additional information for marriages performed by Reverend Fullerton.
Baptists
http://www.baptisthistory.org.au/societies/nsw The Riverina TAFE holds at least the register for St Peters C of E, Broken Hill, and may well hold more as per
http://www.rootschat.com/forum/index.php?topic=638774.0 Familysearch. Org
https://familysearch.org/search/collection/list/?page=1&countryId=1927080 Sydney Diocese Archives
http://www.archives.anglican.asn.au/index.php/p2/family_history (currently preparing for a mass digitisation project with Ancestry.com which will provide even wider public access to the information contained in our baptism, confirmation, banns, marriage and burial registers”) and JOINT COPY PROJECT info re SAG, NSWSL, NLA…. The microfilms are available at SAG, Mitchell Library and the NLA “You should always check the microfilm collections at the SAG and SLNSW before contacting the Sydney Diocesan Archives".
Cheers, JM
