Deaths - Tasmania

The pre-1900 records of the Tasmanian Registrar of Births, Deaths and Marriages are held by the Archives Office of Tasmania. These contain the formal registration records for births, deaths, and marriages in Tasmania from the beginning of official registration in Dec 1838. Even though registration was compulsory after 1838, there are many instances of either failure of local returns to be submitted, or neglect by the responsible party to make a registration. Surviving church records of baptisms, marriages, and burials for the period 1803 to 1838 have been incorporated into the official records maintained by the Registrar.

The pre-1900 records are available on microfilm in the Hobart izone, Burnie, Devonport, Glenorchy, and Launceston Libraries and at the Hobart Branch of the Tasmanian Family History Society . Microfilm copies of the records are also available at many locations interstate. The Tasmanian pioneer index, available on CD-ROM, is the index to the pre-1900 records and provides the reference number necessary to locate the original registration in the microfilm reels.

The Colonial Tasmanian Family Links database, which can be accessed online, is designed to provide a starting point for research into the pre-1900 Tasmanian birth, death and marriage records. It links individuals with other members of their families living in Tasmania in the 19th Century. The database contains approximately five hundred thousand entries.

Records for the post 1900 period are held by the Department of Justice. The Tasmanian federation index indexes deaths from 1900-1930.

What will you find in a Tasmanian Birth, Death or Marriage record?

Related links: Cemetery records | Deaths - Outside Tasmania | Recommended websites | Undertaker records | Wills

Listed here is a selection of further resources.

Civil and pre-civil registration

Date range	Title	Resource type
1803-1899	Colonial Tasmanian Family Links Database (Archives Office of Tasmania)	View Online
1803-1899	Tasmanian pioneer index 1803-1899	CD-ROM
1900-1930	Tasmanian federation index: births 1900-1919, deaths and marriages 1900-1930	CD-ROM

Church records of burials

Date range	Title	Resource type
pre 1900	Harris Church Register Indexes: an index to the baptism, marriage and burial registers of 15 churches in northern Tasmania to 1900 / [compiled by Patricia Faye Harris]	Print
1835-1900	Harris Church Register Indexes: an index to the baptism, marriage and burial registers of Holy Trinity Anglican Church, Launceston, Tasmania, for the years 1835-1900 / [compiled by Patricia Faye Harris]	Print
1837-1953	Tasmanian miscellaneous parish records 1837-1953 / compiled by Kiama Family History Volunteers Group	CD-ROM
1826-1903	Historic New Norfolk: St. Matthew's Church burial records from 13th March 1826 - 30th October 1903 / written by Stanley Cordwell, Joe Cowburn, Rita Cox	Print
1883-1990	Historic New Norfolk: North Circle Public Cemetery burial records, 1883-1990 / by Stanley Cordwell, Joe Cowburn, Rita Cox	Print
1893-1936	All Saints Church of England, Hobart, Tasmania: burial register index 1893-1936 / compiled by Maureen Martin & Meryl Yost	Print
1901-1920	Holy Trinity Anglican Church Launceston: index to burials 1901-1909, 1910-1920	Print

Newspaper announcements

Date range	Title	Resource type
Up to 1899	Deaths in the Ulverstone District to the year 1899, including the entire Police District of Port Sorell to the year 1875, taking in surrounding country districts and larger towns of Forth & Penguin / compiled and edited by the Ulverstone Local History Mus	Print
Up to 1899	Deaths in the Horton, Emu Bay, Wynyard, Montagu & Stanley Districts taking in the whole of the Burnie area to the year 1899 / compiled and edited by the Ulverstone Local History Museum	Print
Up to 1899	Deaths in the Mersey, Port Frederick & Sheffield Districts to the year 1899 / compiled and edited by the Ulverstone Local History Museum	Print
1816-1846	Index to births, deaths and marriages: from early Hobart Town newspapers including the Hobart Town gazette, the Colonial times and the Hobart Town courier / compiled by Anne M Bartlett	Print
1835-1850	The Cornwall Chronicle: a directory of births, deaths and marriages 1835-1850 / edited by Anne M. Bartlett	Print
1842-1899	Index to Launceston Examiner / compiled by Muriel & Betty Bissett	Print
1854-1930	Indexes to birth, death and marriage notices: The Mercury 1854-1930 / original indexes compiled by J. & F. O'Shea and K & A Whitton	CD-ROM
1877-1912	Early coastal newspapers 1877-1912: births, deaths and marriages index / compiled by the Tasmanian Family History Society Inc., Burnie Branch	Print
1887-1916	The North-West Post (1887-1916): an index for family historians: Tasmanian Family History Society Inc., Devonport Branch	Print
1890-1922	The Zeehan and Dundas Herald: births, deaths and marriages index / compiled by the Tasmanian Family History Society Inc, Burnie Branch	Print
1891-1904	Index North West coast Tasmania: 1891 - 1904 Wellington Times, Emu Bay Times, Advocate newspapers	Print
1900-1955	Index to births, deaths & marriages / compiled by the Launceston Branch of the Genealogical Society of Tasmania from The Examiner newspaper	Print
1900-1917	Index to the Advocate, ...: births, deaths and marriages / compiled by the Genealogical Society of Tasmania Inc., Burnie Branch	Print
1901-1907	The Weekly courier: index to photographs, birth, death & marriage notices and personal items of interest to family historians	Print
1906-1998	Circular Head Chronicle: births deaths and marriages index 1906-1998	Print
1986-1987	An Index to the Advocate Tasmania: personal announcements / compiled by Audrey Trebilco for Genealogical Society of Tasmania Inc., Devonport Branch	Print

Obituaries

Date range	Title	Resource type
1941-1950	The Examiner index: obituaries and funerals, 1941-1950	Print
1951-1960	The Examiner index: obituaries and funerals, 1951-1960	Print
1870-1979/80	Index of obituaries from Walch's Tasmanian almanacs: the "Red Books": 1870-1979/80 / compiled by Sandra Duck	Print