How to Search NSW Births, Deaths and Marriages for Free (Worked Example)

The NSW Registry of Births, Deaths and Marriages has one of the best free family history indexes in the country. It also catches out almost every beginner the first time, usually because the obvious search is the wrong one.

This guide walks through a real search: the birth of Henry Lawson, one of Australia’s best-known writers. His birth is a perfect teaching example because it contains two of the most common traps.

Quick answer: Use the free NSW Family History Search on the Registry of Births, Deaths and Marriages website. It covers births over 100 years ago, deaths over 30 years ago and marriages over 50 years ago. Search a date range rather than an exact year, leave the district blank, and try spelling variants of the surname if nothing comes back.

What the free NSW search covers

The NSW Family History Search is free and needs no ID for:

• Births over 100 years ago
• Deaths over 30 years ago
• Marriages over 50 years ago

Civil registration in NSW began in 1856. For earlier events, from 1788 to 1855, the index draws on church records of baptisms, marriages and burials.

The limits roll forward each year. A birth from 1926 becomes searchable once it is more than 100 years old.

What we know before we search

Start with what you know, as you would for your own ancestor. Published biographies tell us Henry Lawson was born on 17 June 1867 on the Grenfell goldfields, son of Louisa (née Albury) and a Norwegian-born miner, Niels Hertzberg Larsen.

Most beginners would now search for “Henry Lawson, born 1867, Grenfell”. Here is why that can go wrong.

Trap 1: The surname at birth wasn’t the surname at marriage

Henry’s father arrived as Niels Larsen. The family surname was anglicised to Lawson when Henry’s birth was registered, and Niels became Peter Lawson.

If you were searching for Henry’s parents’ marriage in 1866, “Lawson” might find nothing at all. The marriage was recorded before the name change. You’d need Larsen, and probably a few spellings of it.

This happens constantly in Australian records, especially with Scandinavian, German and Irish families. Names were anglicised, simplified, misheard by clerks or changed for a fresh start.

The fix: when a search fails, list every way the surname could have been written or changed, and search each one.

Trap 2: Where they were born isn’t where it was registered

Henry was born near Grenfell, but his mother travelled to Forbes to register the birth at the courthouse there.

The NSW index records the registration district, not the exact place of birth. If you filter your search to Grenfell, you can filter out the very record you want.

The fix: leave the district blank on your first search. Only add it later to narrow a common name, and if you do, think about which courthouses were nearby.

Step-by-step: running the search

1. Go to the NSW BDM Family History Search and choose the Births search.
2. Enter the surname and given name. Start with just one given name; middle names are often missing or abbreviated in indexes.
3. Enter a date range rather than an exact date. Two or three years either side is a good start, because ages and years given by families are often slightly out.
4. Leave the district blank for now.
5. Run the search, then read every result, not just the first.

Reading the result

A birth entry in the index typically gives you:

• The child’s name
• The father’s and mother’s given names
• The registration district
• The year and registration number

The parents’ given names are the real prize. They confirm you have the right child, and they give you the names to search for the parents’ marriage, the next step back.

Here’s what a search for Henry Lawson, born 1866 to 1868 with the district left blank, actually returns:

One entry, and it confirms both traps. The parents are Peter and Louisa, under the new surname Lawson. And the district is Forbes, not Grenfell. Filter on Grenfell and this record disappears.

When the index isn’t enough

The index confirms the event. For full details, such as exact birthplace, parents’ ages and birthplaces, and witnesses, you need the certificate or a transcription. You can order a historical certificate copy from the Registry for a fee, or use a family history transcription agent, who can often supply the details more cheaply.

What to do if you still can’t find the record

• Try spelling variants and anglicised forms of the surname.
• Widen the date range to five years either side.
• Search the parents’ names alone, without the child’s given name, to see all their children.
• Remember the record may sit in another state. Families crossed borders often, and Victoria and Queensland have their own registries.
• Check Trove for a birth notice, which may confirm the date and the parents.

Next: How to find a WWII service record at the National Archives · How to read an old NSW death certificate · All Births, Deaths & Marriages guides

Sources: NSW Government: Family history search guide · NSW BDM Family History Search · Australian Dictionary of Biography: Henry Lawson · Forbes Shire Council: Henry Lawson