Related links
For teachers - Family history related teaching resources
Resources for year 3 and year 5
Letters received re Moreton Bay 1822-1860
Discover some of the earliest historical records for Moreton Bay and Queensland.
Search for information on a particular person (ancestor, convict or well-known historical personality), a specific subject or find out what was happening at a certain time.
Convict transportation registers database
Search for a convict on our British convict transportation registers 1787-1867 database.
You can find details for over 123 000 of the estimated 160 000 convicts transported to Australia in the 18th and 19th centuries - names, term of years, transport ships and more.
Information for family historians
Here you will find information about accessing the resources of the State Library of Queensland's Family History services and links to electronic resources and Internet sites that will help you with your genealogical research.
Before you begin, you may like to read our Info Guide 3.1: How to trace your family tree, available with other Family history Info Guides.
Check here for a list of frequently asked questions about family history.
The State Library collects a number of family and local history resources. Please check our One Search online catalogue for location and availability details.
View our Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander family history pages for more detailed help in tracing your indigenous family tree.
Table of contents
Major resources | Info Guides | Electronic resources | Visit us
Major resources held
- Births, deaths and marriage indexes for Australia, New Zealand, England and Wales
- Electoral rolls for Australia and New Zealand
- Immigration and shipping
- Convict and cemetery records
- Post office directories and almanacs
- Biographical collections
- Newspapers on microfilm
- Access to Ancestry databases
- British government records relating to the Australian Colonies (Australian Joint Copying Project - AJCP)
- Irish land records (Census substitutes) i.e. Tithe Applotment Books for Ireland
- Naturalisation indexes
- Victoria County History series
- Photograph collections and newspaper clippings files
What's new in family history
Latest resources available for family history research.
Info Guides to the collection
Check these guides for more information about our resources and tips for researching your family and local history. These Info Guides and more are available through the family history Info Guides page.
- How to trace your family tree
- Births, deaths and marriages
- Censuses and musters
- Directories, almanacs and gazetteers
- Electoral rolls
- Immigration and shipping: getting started
- Immigration and shipping : more than lists
- Convict information : getting started
- Convict information : finding out even more
- British Army in Colonial Australia
Electronic resources
A number of State Library print indexes are available online. Some of these can be found at Useful websites for family historians, a collection of quality websites selected by information professionals for family and local historians.
- Convict transportation registers database (1787-1867)
- Index to appointments and removals of Queensland railway employees (1890 - 1901)
- Index to appointments and removals of employees of the Southern and Western Railway, Traffic Branch, Queensland (1866 - 1876)
- Index of miners involved in Queensland mining accidents (1882 - 1900)
- Index to persons called before Queensland Government Committees - Part 1 (1860 - 1901)
- Index to persons called before Queensland Government Committees - Part 2 (1902 - 1920)
- Letters received re Moreton Bay 1822-1860
Databases which can be accessed at home
19th Century British Newspapers and Times Digital Archives (London Times newspaper 1785-1985) databases can be accessed on your home computer if you are an e-services member or a Queensland public library (QPL) account holder.
Internal databases
Useful family history databases and CD-ROMs are available for use within the State Library. You can also check the One Search online catalogue for specific titles.
View our guide to the family history CD-ROMs in the collection
Entire document [new window 
681 kb] or select one of the following sections:
- Australia [new window 112 kb]
- Queensland [new window 200 kb]
- New South Wales & ACT [new window 200 kb]
- Victoria & Tasmania [new window 147 kb]
- South Australia, Western Australia & NT [new window 147 kb]
- British Isles, England & Wales [new window 151 kb]
- Ireland & Scotland [new window 123 kb]
- New Zealand, Rest of Europe & Other Countries [new window 107 kb]
- Convicts, Military & Miscellaneous [new window 107 kb]
There are 4 CD-ROM computers in the family history area. A normal search session using a CD-ROM is a half hour time slot, although if no one has booked or is waiting patrons may stay longer.
See also
Materials relating to your family and/or local history may be found in other parts of the Library's collections such as:
- John Oxley Library - for images of Queensland - its people and places, past and present, plus locating finding aids to the original material collections use the One Search online catalogue.
- Information for Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people
- Maps
Visiting us
The State Library's family history service is located in the Micrographics area on Level 3 of the South Bank building. Visitors to the library can browse through the extensive family and local history reference collection and view indexes and newspapers on microfilm and microfiche.
Visitors who live outside Brisbane can reserve a microform machine, at least 24 hours in advance, for half a day (approximately 3 hours).
More information
If you have a family history enquiry, contact us in one of the following ways:
For general enquiries:
- Ask at your local Queensland public library
- Other libraries [new window]
If you are having difficulty downloading or viewing documents, please refer to our help page.
Last updated: 1st March 2012
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