A combined search of Archives Investigator and most of our online indexes.
Note: The Index to the Colonial Secretary's Papers, 1788-1825 is not included in the above search.
Tips for Searching
By name
A full name search such as:
- William Smith
will return results for SMITH, William; SMITH, Williamson; SMITH William Henry etc
Use the wildcard character %
The wildcard character - % - can represent any character in a keyword.
For example:
- Smith% will return all entries that start with "Smith", whereas
- %Smith% will return any entries that have "Smith" somewhere in the name (such as "Shoesmith")
The wildcard character is also very useful when searching for an entry by an option other than surname. For instance, a search of:
- %Windsor% in a locality or description field will find the word "Windsor" anywhere in that field
Connection speed
Performance is also influenced by the prevailing level of network traffic and the quality and speed of your connection to the Internet. If you are having problems check that your communications device (for example, modem) is operating at its optimum speed or try connecting at a time when network activity is expected to be lower.
Cross-reference entries
Some entries in the indexes are simply cross-references to other entries. This means that there are no records available to copy. These entries are identified by the words "CROSS-REFERENCE ONLY" in the search results. Simply follow the advice in the 'Remarks' field (usually to view another entry).
Having trouble searching?
If you are experiencing problems, we suggest you clear all the browser caches and try your search again. If you are using Internet Explorer simply select Tools -> Internet Options and clear the files in the 'Temporary Internet Files' option. Restart your web session from our homepage and navigate to 'Indexes Online' under 'State Archives' on the horizontal drop-down menu.
Order copies of the records
Copy services and secure online payments are available from several of our Indexes Online. If you find an entry in an index and a photocopy service is available you will see a 'Tick Box' option on the search results page. Simply 'tick' your selections, click on the 'Submit Order' button at the bottom of the page and follow the instructions.
You can order multiple photocopies from the one index. The simplest way to do this is to search a specific index and follow the instructions on the search page
Note: Some indexes do not have a copy order service. This may be because the records are fragile and are at further risk of damage if photocopied.
Sometimes the files are very large in size and in these cases copies can only be ordered in the reading room after viewing the records.
Feedback
You can leave feedback for any of our online indexes - we'd like to hear from you.