Browse the alphabetical list of research topics. This list includes guides, indexes and stories. Looking for the list of searchable indexes? Please visit the Online Indexes »
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Aboriginal People | We've listed resources to help you access archives relating to Aboriginal people.
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Access Directions | Follow this quick link to the Register of Access Directions - a listing of records that are open or closed to public access under the State Records Act 1998. |
Access to the Records | This covers a variety of topics including information on open and closed periods and where copies of our records are held. |
Accountants |
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Adoption | see Care Leavers |
Agriculture | see Soldier SettlementRecord Series List |
Anzacs | The NSW Anzac Centenary website highlights records from the State archives relating to key events and historical themes associated with NSW and World War I.
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Apprentices |
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Architects |
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Architecture and Design | Records from the Colonial (Government) Architect; photos of public buildings in NSW, hospital buildings records relating to the Sydney Harbour Bridge and Sydney Opera House. |
Archives in Brief | The online versions of Archives in Brief have been replaced by Research A-Z. |
Archives Resources Kit (ARK) | The ARK is held by 40 community access points across NSW and consists of microfilm copies of our most popular and heavily used colonial records. |
Assisted Immigrants | see Immigration and Shipping |
Asylums | Inmate records for the Infirm and Destitute Asylums and where to find them |
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Bankruptcy and Insolvency | Insolvency - inability to satisfy creditors or discharge liabilities. Bankruptcy - similar but also involves the sequestration of a person's assets when they are unable to meet the demands of creditors. |
BDMs | Please visit the NSW Registry of Births, Deaths and Marriages website for copies of birth, death and marriage certificates registered in NSW and NSW historical BDM indexes.
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Bench of Magistrates | see Courts |
Blue Books | Statistical returns of the Colony of New South Wales. |
Botanic Gardens | see Royal Botanic Gardens |
Botanic Gardens employees | see Professions and Occupations |
Bubonic Plague | A record of the Bubonic Plague that hit in Sydney of the early 20th century
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Buildings | see Architecture and DesignHouse and Property Research |
Bushrangers |
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Business and Company Records | Registers of Firms, 1903-1922 |
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Cabinet documents | Public release of NSW Cabinet Papers |
Cafes and Restaurants | As the rail system expanded across the State during the 19th century the provision and availability of refreshments became an essential part of travelling by train. |
Care Leavers | Records relating to orphans, foster care, adoption and other out-of-home care.
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Cemeteries and Burials | At the first establishment of the colony for a long time no piece of ground was set apart for a Burial place.
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Census and Musters | Population muster and census records, 1788-1901. |
Child Care and Protection | Records and indexes relating to child care and protection; child / youth migration from the UK; Randwick Asylum; Scheyville Training Farm.
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Child Welfare | see Child Care and ProtectionCare Leavers |
Citing and Publishing | Information on how to request permission to publish and how to cite records accurately. |
Citizenship | see Naturalization and Denization |
Coat of Arms | see Heraldry |
Colonial Secretary | The correspondence of the Colonial Secretary is one of the most valuable sources of information on all aspects of the history of the Colony and the State of NSW.
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Companies | see Business and Company Records |
Conditional Purchase | The Conditional Purchase scheme, also known as 'free selection before survey', ran from 1862 to 1951. |
Conservation and Preservation | Conservation treatments and tips, including caring for your family photos |
Convicts | How do you know if there was a convict in your family? Find out where to start your research |
Copies of Archives | see Access to the Records |
Copy Service | Most copy services are provided in-house. See the fees and guarantees on our copy services. |
Copyright | Find out how copyright affects your use of State archives |
Coronial Inquiries | see Inquests |
Councils | see Local Government |
Crew | In general there are few records relating to crew until 1854. Research into these records can often be difficult.
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Crown Land |
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Digital Galleries | We are migrating our online galleries to the new Magazine section. Those still to be migrated may be accessed at gallery.records.nsw.gov.au.
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Digital Shipping Lists | Browse through digital shipping lists from 1828-1896
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Divorce | Sources in our collection that relate to divorce and procedures for accessing Divorce Case Papers. |
Druggists | see Chemists and PharmacistsProfessions and Occupations |
Dutch Migration |
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Education | see Child Care and ProtectionSchools |
Employees | see Professions and Occupations |
Enquiry Service |
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Estrays | see Donating records |
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Family History | It is always easier to work from the present to the past when tracing your family history. Find out more in our Guide for Family Historians. |
Female Factory |
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Films | see Videos |
Firefighters |
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Fires and Fire Brigades | A brief overview of the major sources in our collection that relate to fires. |
Firms | see Business and Company Records |
Fortifications | see Defence Establishments and FortificationsMilitary and War |
Foster Care | see Care Leavers |
French Migration |
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German Migration |
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Getting Started | Find out where to start your online research using the NSW State archives and how to prepare for a visit to the reading room. |
Government Architect | see Architecture and Design |
Government Domains employees | see Professions and Occupations |
Government Gazettes | see Government Publications |
Greek Migration |
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Guarantees of Service | see Services |
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Handwriting | Tips for reading and interpreting handwritten archival documents.
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House and Property Research |
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Hyde Park Barracks | see Convicts |
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Immigration and Shipping | Find the key records and indexes for passengers 1788-1922. |
Indexes | Search for people and places across a variety of topics... |
Indian Migration |
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Indigenous Australians |
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Infirm and Destitute Asylums | see Asylums |
Innkeepers | see Publicans, Hoteliers, Innkeepers |
Inquests | Inquests are conducted by coroners and are held to investigate the manner and cause of death, fires. |
Insolvency | see Bankruptcy and Insolvency |
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K
King's Counsel | see Attorneys, Barristers and Solicitors |
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Liverpool State Hospital | see Asylums |
Local History | We have number of resources to help you trace the history of a place (rather than focusing on individuals). |
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Maps and Plans | Government Architect, Surveyors, Land Grants, Crown Land, Conditional Purchase. |
Mariners and Ships | see the marinersandships.com.au website
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Mental Health Records |
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Metropolitan Water Sewerage and Drainage | see Water BoardMaps and Plans |
Military and War |
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Mines | see Goldmining |
Musters | see Census and Musters |
N
Name Change | see Change of Name |
Naturalization and Denization | Naturalization records are a good source of information for tracing details of an immigrant's arrival and native place. Our guide lists the key records in our collection relating to naturalization, 1834-1903.
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New Zealand | A look at the relationship between New South Wales and New Zealand from the early 1800s to Federation. |
Norfolk Island |
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O
Observatory | see Sydney Observatory |
On This Day | What happened #OnThisDay in history? Browse through the history of New South Wales and the State archives day by day, month by month. |
Optometrists |
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Orphans | see Child Care and Protection |
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Passenger Lists | see Immigration and Shipping |
Patients |
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Pharmacists | see Chemists and Pharmacists |
Photos | Photographic highlights in the collection. |
Plague | see Bubonic Plague |
Police Gazettes | see Government Publications |
Polish Migration |
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Population Statistics | see Census and Musters |
Preorder Records |
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Preservation | see Conservation and Preservation |
Primary Applications |
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Prisons and Prisoners | see Gaols |
Probates and Wills | Records in a Probate packet include the last will and testament.
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Public Buildings | see Architecture and Design |
Public Halls | see Theatres and Public Halls |
Publishing State Archives | see Citing and Publishing |
Pupils | see School Students and PupilsSchools |
Q
Quarantine | see Bubonic Plague |
Queen's Counsel | see Attorneys, Barristers and Solicitors |
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Railways and Railway Workers | Access railway records, including employment, locomotives, photos, plans.
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Randwick Asylum |
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Reader's Ticket | A reader's ticket is required to view original (uncopied) records in the reading room. |
Reading Room | Your responsibilities when using our facilities and how to handle original (uncopied) State archives |
Record Series List | Follow this tag for item lists of selected record series.
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Regional Archives Centres | A network of Regional Archives Centres, located in host institutions in Armidale, Broken Hill, Newcastle, Wagga Wagga, Wingecarribee and Wollongong provide access to State archives of regional significance and to copies of key State archives.
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Roads | Photos from the Department of Main Roads: New South Wales, Norfolk Island aerodrome construction, the Northern Territory and Queensland. |
Royal Botanic Gardens | Listing records that document the activities and development of the Royal Botanic Gardens in Sydney from 1816 onwards |
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Schools | Education in NSW 1788-c.1979 plus the main records, indexes, photos, teachers. |
Shipping | see Immigration and Shipping |
Ships' Musters | Available at the Society of Australian Genealogists - this series (NRS 1289) lists both passengers and crew departing from Sydney.
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Shipwrecks |
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Short Guides | The online versions of Short Guides have been replaced by Research A-Z.
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Soldier Settlement |
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Special Bundles | Special Bundles contain correspondence and papers on particular matters or subjects which because of their significance or the quantity of correspondence generated were usually extracted from an agency's main correspondence series and treated separately.
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Squatters and Graziers |
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State Wards | see Care Leavers |
Stories | We are connecting related stories to our research guides. Read stories as you browse the guides and indexes or see all stories here. |
Supreme Court |
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Surveyor General |
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Surveyors | see Surveyor General |
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Taronga Zoo |
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Tasmania | See also the LINC Tasmania (formerly Archives Office of Tasmania) website for the Tasmanian Names Index. |
Tramways |
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Unemployment | Search the Index to Unemployed in Sydney, 1866. |
Utzon |
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Van Diemen's Land | see Tasmania |
Vessels Arriving | see Immigration and Shipping |
Vice Admiralty |
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Videos | Watch films from the collection, interviews with NSW State Archives staff, 'moving images' and more |
Visit | Opening hours, directions and information to get started with your research |
W
Water Board | Detail Sheets created by the Metropolitan Water Sewerage and Drainage Board (MWS&DB) c.1904-1945 and how to access them. |
Webinars | Our program of free webinars focuses on the wonderful resources of the State archives collection and how to access them |
Women in the records | Highlighting several areas, or 'gateways', for researching on women in the State archives. |
WWI |
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WWII |
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