Leslie Massey
There are several ways to find out where someone is buried in Australia. Burial and cemetery records are kept by cemetery trusts, church authorities, and local councils. Many of these records have been published and can be searched online or at local libraries, state libraries, or family history societies. Transcriptions or photographs of headstones may also be available online, but often you will need to visit the cemetery itself. Some cemetery websites allow you to search for headstone inscriptions or cemeteries by name. Additionally, historical newspapers can be searched for death or funeral notices, which might give a place of burial.
| Characteristics | Values |
|---|---|
| Cemetery records | Burial records and headstone inscriptions |
| Burial records | Records of the actual burial event |
| Headstone inscriptions | Words found on headstones, plaques, and gravesites |
| Online resources | Australian Cemeteries Index, The Ryerson Index, Australian Cemeteries Website, Trove |
| Offline resources | Local libraries, state libraries, family history societies |
| Other death records | Death notices, funeral notices, obituaries, in memoriam notices, wills and probate records, mission records |
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What You'll Learn
Search cemetery records online or at a library
Burial and cemetery records are kept by cemetery trusts, church authorities, and local councils. Many of these records have been published and can be searched online or at your local library, state library, or family history society.
The National Library of Australia (NLA) has a wealth of cemetery records. You can access CD-ROMs at the Library by requesting them through the catalogue. The NLA also has a searchable index via their catalogue, which can be accessed through Ancestry (Library Edition). The NLA's Newspapers and Family History zone contains numerous resources, including:
- Cemetery transcriptions v3.0: index to selected M.I. transcriptions held at AIGS 1808-2007
- A history of Sydney's early burial grounds, containing information on licences to bury, the removal of the Sydney Burial Ground in 1901, and monumental inscriptions
- The Northern Territory (of) Australia Deaths 1824 to 2004: Index of Northern Territory-related deaths extracted from cemetery registers, headstones, newspapers, probates, and police journals
- Gould Genealogy: A list that includes solitary graves and the tiny cemeteries of former settlements, railway sidings, and pastoral stations
The State Library of New South Wales has a Births, Deaths, and Marriages research guide that includes a list of cemetery websites compiled by Cora Num. The list includes websites of cemeteries from regional and city areas of Australia. The State Library also has a copy of the Devonshire Street Cemetery Reinterment Index on microfilm with the SAG registers in the Family History Service. The library also has an online index, the Savill Index of The Advertiser Funeral Notices 1971-2018.
Ancestry Library includes many cemetery indexes and records, including:
- Australian cemetery index, 1808-2007: Search across 800,000 transcriptions of headstones from several cemeteries in Australia
- Sydney, Australia, Cemetery Headstone Transcriptions 1837-2003: Search over 368,000 headstone transcriptions for burials in Rookwood, South Head, Waverly, and Macquarie Park cemeteries in Sydney, Australia
- Cemeteries in Australia: a register of transcripts: Search lists of cemetery records to find where the records are held
If you are looking for the burial site of a relative, it is helpful to know their name and place of death. It is also useful to know their place of burial, which is usually given on their death certificate. If you don't know where the person is buried, you might find this information by looking at electoral rolls from the place they were living just before their death.
Many people were buried in unmarked graves, and old headstones have often weathered, been destroyed, or are hard to read. In this case, you might be able to find information from registers published by local family history societies. A number of 'lonely graves' projects around Australia are documenting graves that are outside recognized cemeteries, such as those on rural properties. You can do an online search for 'lonely graves' to find information about the various projects.
Other death records you might check are death notices, funeral notices, obituaries, and in memoriam notices published in newspapers, and wills and probate records. Mission records might also contain information about Aboriginal people who died or were buried on the mission.
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Contact cemetery trusts or funeral directors
To find someone's burial place in Australia, one method is to contact cemetery trusts or funeral directors. This can involve reaching out to multiple entities and individuals and making enquiries. Here is a step-by-step guide:
Identify Relevant Cemetery Trusts
Start by determining which cemetery trusts are responsible for cemeteries in the state or region where the person you're searching for is most likely to be buried. Each Australian state and territory has a number of cemetery trusts that You may want to see also To find out where someone is buried in Australia, one of the first things you can do is check death notices, obituaries, and wills. Death Notices Death notices are often published in newspapers, and can be found online or in print. Websites like My Tributes allow you to search for death notices by name, location, or classification. You can also filter your search by date. My Tributes' archive of death notices dates back to 1991 and is free to access. Local newspapers also publish death notices, and if the local newspaper is no longer in print, you can check the metropolitan state newspaper. Obituaries Obituaries are another source of information and can be found in newspapers, journals, magazines, and bulletins. Obituaries Australia is a website that curates obituaries of individuals who have made significant contributions to Australia. The Ryerson Index is another resource that can be used to find obituaries published in Australian newspapers from 1803 to the present. Wills Wills and probate records are also mentioned as potential sources of burial information. While specific websites or databases for searching wills are not mentioned, it may be worth searching through state or national library resources, or through state government websites. It's important to note that while these sources may provide information about the death and burial of an individual, they may not always include the exact location of burial. Burial and cemetery records, which are kept by cemetery trusts, church authorities, and local councils, may be necessary to consult to find specific burial information. You may want to see also There are a number of 'lonely graves' projects around Australia that are documenting graves that are outside recognised cemeteries, such as those on rural properties. These projects aim to record the stories of pioneers and early settlers, so that they are not forgotten. Outback Graves Project The Outback Graves project was started by Mr Tough and his old high school friend Alex Aiken. They are on a mission to find and mark forgotten graves in the Kimberley region. They are installing plaques at these sites with the help of Kimberley locals, station managers, staff, retirees, and four-wheel-drive club members. The pair are calling for more volunteers to help with the project as there are thousands of outback graves across Australia. Lonely Graves of Western Australia The Western Australian Genealogical Society Inc. (WAGS) has a collection of images of lonely graves, memorials, graveyards, and other remote burial sites in Western Australia. The collection was primarily put together by long-standing members Yvonne and Kevin Coate, who have also authored several books on the topic. They invite people to send them images of lonely graves that are not already included in their collection. General Tips for Researching Burial Sites You may want to see also There are a variety of online resources available to search for headstone inscriptions in Australia. The National Library of Australia hosts online indexes of cemetery and burial records, including the Savill Index of The Advertiser Funeral Notices 1971-2018, a searchable database of headstone photographs in over 400 South Australian cemeteries. The library also provides access to CD-ROMs and publications in the Newspapers and Family History zone, such as the Sydney Burial Ground 1819-1901, which contains information on monumental inscriptions. The State Library of New South Wales offers access to over 1,100 Australian cemeteries and 1.7 million inscriptions, including the date of death, age, date of birth, cemetery name, and grave location. Most entries include a photograph of the headstone and details from the inscription, such as the spouse's name. The library also provides access to the Ancestry Library, which includes Australian cemetery indexes and records, as well as specific indexes for New South Wales and Sydney. Other online resources include headstones.weebly.com, which provides access to headstone photographs and inscriptions from South Australian cemeteries. Additionally, the website Cora Num has compiled a list of cemetery websites from regional and city areas of Australia, although the information available may vary. It is important to note that not all headstone inscriptions may be available online, and some may be difficult to read due to weathering or damage. In such cases, registers published by local family history societies or 'lonely graves' projects may provide additional information. You may want to see also Burial and cemetery records are kept by cemetery trusts, church authorities, and local councils. Many of these records have been published online or can be accessed at your local library, state library, or family history society. You can also try searching for the person's death or funeral notice in historical newspapers, which might give a place of burial. If the person was buried in an unmarked grave, you may be able to find information from registers published by local family history societies. There are also a number of "lonely graves" projects in Australia that are documenting graves outside recognized cemeteries. To start your search, you will need to know the name of the person and their place of death. It can also be helpful to know their place of burial, which is usually given on their death certificate. You can search for cemetery records on websites such as Australian Cemeteries Index, The Ryerson Index, and Australian Cemeteries. However, keep in mind that these websites may contain errors or outdated information.Exploring Australia's Government in 1783: A Historical Perspective
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