Marriages - 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 marriages from 1900-1930.

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

Related links: Marriages - Outside Tasmania | Recommended websites

Listed here is a selection of further resources.

Civil and pre-civil registration
Date range Title Resource type
1803-1830 Van Diemen's Land early marriages: Volume 1: 1803-1830 / compiled by Thelma McKay
Print
1831-1840 Van Diemen's Land early marriages: Volume 2: 1831-1840 / compiled by Thelma McKay
Print
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 marriages
Date range Title Resource type
1837-1953 Tasmanian miscellaneous parish records 1837-1953 / compiled by Kiama Family History Volunteers Group
CD-ROM
1856-1925 All Saints Church of England, Hobart, Tasmania: marriage register index 1856-1925 / compiled by Maureen Martin & Meryl Yost
Print
1863-1915 Deloraine Baptist Church: index to marriages 1863-1873, 1882-1895, 1896-1915 / [compiled by Betty Woods]
Print
1896-1958 Church of England marriage index: Campbell Town District, Tasmania, 1896-1958 / [compiled by Keith Parish]
Print
1896-1963 Church of England marriage index: Fingal and Avoca Districts, Tasmania, 1896-1963 / compiled by Keith Parish, Meryl Yost & Maureen Martin]
Print
1896-1963 Presbyterian Church registers: marriage index: Campbell Town District, Tasmania, 1896-1963 / [compiled by Keith Parish & Meryl Yost]
Print
1896-1902 The Catholic marriage index: St. Marys - Ross Districts, Tasmania, 1896-1902 / [compiled by Keith Parish]
Print
1896-1944 The Methodist marriage index: Campbelltown - Ross - Oatlands Districts, Tasmania, 1896-1944 / [compiled by Keith Parish]
Print
1900-1944 Church of England marriage index: (Holy Trinity) Launceston, Tasmania, 1900-1944 / [compiled by Keith Parish, Maureen Martin & Meryl Yost]
Print
1900-1925 Church of England marriage index: St Peters, St Leonards District, Tasmania, 1900-1925 / [compiled by Keith Parish, Maureen Martin & Meryl Yost]
Print
1900-1924 St John's Church of England marriage register index: Launceston, Tasmania: Part 1, 1900-1924 / [compiled by Keith Parish, Maureen Martin & Meryl Yost]
Print
1926-1963 Presbyterian Church marriage index: Evandale District, Tasmania, 1926-1963 / [compiled by Keith Parish, Maureen Martin & Meryl Yost]
Print
Newspaper announcements
Date range Title Resource type
Up to 1899 Marriages in the Horton, Emu Bay, Wynyard, Montague & 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 Marriages in the Mersey, Port Frederick & Sheffield Districts to the year 1899 / compiled and edited by the Ulverstone Local History Museum
Print
Up to 1899 Marriages 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
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
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

Convict records

Tasmania's records of the convict system document the lives of over 75000 individuals while under sentence, from the beginning of transportation in 1804. These records have been added to the UNESCO International Memory of the World Register and many can now be viewed online.

More about convict records

Ancestry Library

With access to over 4000 databases containing Australian and International census, immigration, military and electoral records. This resource is a treasure trove for family historians.

Search Ancestry Library More detail Library only (not available at home)