Research Guides: Early Australian census records: New South Wales

Records of people

Listed below are pre-1901 New South Wales census resources available at State Library Victoria. Resources which include details about individuals are listed first, in date order. Resources for statistical information are listed at the bottom of this page.

An excellent summary of the censuses and musters collected in New South Wales can be found in the Museums of History New South Wales' Census and musters guide.

To locate copies of records relating to the process of taking the census from 1810-1825, search for the subject Musters in the online Index to the papers of the New South Wales Colonial Secretary 1788-1825.

Records relating to Aboriginal people may be inaccurate.

In 1882, a fire destroyed the New South Wales census records for 1846, 1851, 1856, 1861, 1871 and 1881, including the detailed household forms from 1861, 1871 and 1881.

The Burning of the Garden Palace, seen from the North Shore, [1882]. Watercolour painting by J.C.Hoyte. Courtesy of Mitchell Library, State Library of New South Wales

New South Wales and Tasmania, Australia, settler and convict lists, 1787-1834
Part of Ancestry Library Edition database, which can be accessed at the State Library of Victoria and many local libraries.

This database lists male and female convicts and settlers of New South Wales and Tasmania, Australia from 1787-1834. Information available on these lists includes: name of convict or settler, age, date of arrival, name of ship arrived in, trial/conviction date and place, sentence, and occupation.

This database indexes and reproduces records from theAustralian Joint Copying Project. This database indexes and reproduces records from Australian Joint Copying Project Home Office (HO) records HO 10/1-4, 10/6-18, 10/28-30. The entire Series HO 10 has been digitised and is available online.
New South Wales: Comissary Miller. List of all the persons upon the settlement, 17 November 1788
Australian Joint Copying Project. Treasury Board Papers (Series T1) - Nos 766-960, 1789 (File 668. AJCP Reel No: 3551)
Musters and lists, New South Wales and Norfolk Island, 1800-1802
This book contains a compilation of the earliest musters taken in Australia. In some cases these musters contain 'biographical information recorded on no other document'. Some lists include information about 'ships of arrival, occupations, relationships, land and residences'. The lists are not in alphabetic order by surname, so searching for individuals can take some time.
Settlers' muster book, 1800 by New South Wales Colonial Secretary's Office
Microfilm copy of original manuscripts. Includes:
Part I: Land and stock lists - including settlers apparently not military or official, details re: acquisition of land, stock and crops etc., grants to officers and other officials, a detailed census of landholders, current agricultural activity and previous history of ownership of grant.
Part II: Convict lists, arranged variously giving details of ship arrival, where resident, trade etc.
Part IV: Officers' servants - 'List of convicts allowed to Officers & c. who are supported by the Public ... June the 1st 1800' showing names of officers and numbers of convicts. Also, list of officers' servants, showing names of convicts and servants and whether convict or free.
[Guide author has not yet examined these records]
Musters of New South Wales and Norfolk Island, 1805-1806
This book contains the 1806 muster, the first complete general muster to have survived. It is organised by surname in rough alphabetic order. Includes a muster of females which lists their marital status and the 'number, sex and legitimacy of their children'. Also includes land and stock musters.
General musters of New South Wales, Norfolk Island and Van Diemen's Land 1811
This book is organised by surname, and includes information about peoples' "status" (whether they were free or a convict), ship of arrival, trial and sentence details (if applicable) and other remarks.
Also includes:
- an excellent history of how and why this census was collected
- population statistics for Hobart, New South Wales, Port Dalrymple and Norfolk Island
- statistics relating to convict's country of trail
- statistics relating to male and female given names
General muster of New South Wales, 1814
New South Wales and Tasmania, Australia convict musters, 1806-1849
Part of Ancestry Library Edition database, which can be accessed at the State Library of Victoria and many local libraries.

Musters and convict lists for New South Wales 1806, 1811, 1822-1825, 1837. Information listed in these records can include: name of convict, name of ship of arrival, date of arrival, where tried, date of trial, and sentence.

This database indexes and reproduces records from Australian Joint Copying Project HO10/5, 19-20, 32-51. For references to relevant AJCP reels see Checklist of nineteenth century Australian colonial statistical sources: censuses, blue books and statistical registers
New South Wales, census and population books, 1811-1825
Part of Ancestry Library Edition database, which can be accessed at the State Library of Victoria and many local libraries.

Details included in these records vary, but you may find the following:
- name
- conviction details
- on or off stores (state provisions)
- children (ages, born in colony or not)
- ship of arrival
- master of ship
- free or convict
- employment/employer

Land and stock books may provide background on your ancestor’s living circumstances, including some of the following details:
- name
- proprietor or resident (after 1821)
- land held (acres)
- land occupied by grant, lease, or purchase (after 1821)
- land cleared
- acres planted (crops)
- cattle (number, type)
Criminal: Convicts, New South Wales and Tasmania [HO 10]
Handwritten musters reproduced on microfilm as part of the Australian Joint Copying Project are now digitised.

There are four main groups of returns: New South Wales; returns, musters, censuses, etc. of convicts in the Colony, 1788-1837 (includes some free men); Tasmania - lists of returns of convicts, 1808-1849; New South Wales - Pardons, 1834-1859; Tasmania - Pardons, 1834-1837, 1841-1859.

To access the digitised records, go to: Series HO 10. Convicts, New South Wales and Tasmania, 1787 - 1859, scroll down the list on the right to find the subset you wish to view, and then click on the thumbnail image to view the digitised records.

Also available in the Library on microfilm.
General muster and land and stock muster of New South Wales 1822
General muster list of New South Wales 1823, 1824, 1825
This book is arranged alphabetically by surname. It includes:
- status (free, convict, born in colony etc)
- ship
- year of arrival
- sentence
- occupation
- employer
- remarks
Includes some people who died before 1823, and up to 1832.
Includes an index of occupations, and an index of employers.
Census of New South Wales, November 1828
The first full census of the colony of New South Wales. You can browse the digitised handwritten records of the 1828 NSW census by surname on the Museums of History New South Wales website.
It is also available to browse and/or search on the Ancestry Library Edition database at the State Library of Victoria and some local libraries, and is available as a book, and on CD-ROM (which contains some additional information extracted from other records), and on microfilm.

Organised alphabetically by surname. Includes names, ages, ships of arrival, year of arrival, sentences, religions, occupations, employers, abodes, workplaces and information about whether people were convicts, had been pardoned, assigned to an employer, emancipated etc. Use Common abbreviations used in musters and censuses to help decipher these records.

Note: According to the Ancestry Library Edition database, 'Two copies of this census were created. One copy remained in New South Wales [State Archives], the other was sent to the Public Record Office [The National Archives] in England...there are some slight differences between the two copies'. Both the State Archives and TNA copies are available on the database.
General return of convicts in New South Wales, 1837
Index to 1841 census
This website indexes names of heads of households recorded on the 1841 census. Includes areas which are now part of Victoria and Queensland. Once a reference has been found, the microfilm 1841 census householders' returns can be accessed for more information.
1841 census householders' returns
Microfilmed copies of census returns (complete census records of individuals). In addition to areas of New South Wales, includes areas which are now part of Victoria and Queensland. Microfilmed copies of census returns (complete census records of individuals). In addition to areas of New South Wales, includes areas which are now part of Victoria and Queensland. Use with Index to 1841 census (listed above).
Indexed, complete copy of census also available electronically at the State Library of Victoria and some local libraries via the Ancestry Library Edition database (online copy varies slightly from the microfilm copy).
Illawarra census records are available to browse online through FamilySearch database (Note: FamilySearch is free but does require you to create an account.)
This census includes both information about individuals and collated statistics about age and gender, marital status and gender, civil condition (if "free" or not) and gender, religion, and occupation.
The Gerringong indexes, 1885-1891
This book relates only to the Gerrigong district of New South Wales. It indexes Parliamentary Return of Landholders 1885, New South Wales electoral rolls 1885-86 and 1890-91, and the Collector’s Book for the Gerringong sub-district from the 1891 census.
1891 New South Wales, Australia, census [collectors' books]
The only original records that have survived for the 1891 census are the census collectors' books. Only the head of the household is named in these records.
Available to browse or keyword search on the FamilySearch database. (Note: FamilySearch is free but does require you to create an account.)
Also accessible through the Ancestry Library Edition database, which is available at State Library Victoria and many local libraries.

According to Ancestry, the records are 'organised alphabetically by district'. 'Record[s] the locality (including names of the street, road, gully or other variations), occasionally the number of the house, the name of the householder and the total number of persons in the household (divided into male and female). The books also list separately how many of the residents are Chinese or Aboriginal. Additional information may include the type of dwelling.'
1891 census [index to districts] by Museums of History New South Wales
This website helps you identify useful records by location - it does not include a name index.
You can access the 1891 census records using the FamilySearch database.(Note: FamilySearch is free but does require you to create an account.)
You can also search them on the Ancestry Library Edition database (see above), which is available at the State Library and many local libraries. They are also on microfiche at the Western Sydney Records Centre.
1901 New South Wales, Australia census [collectors' books]
The only original records that have survived for the 1901 census are the census collectors' books. Only the head of the household is named in these records.
Available to browse or keyword search on the FamilySearch database. (Note: FamilySearch is free but does require you to create an account.)
Also accessible through the Ancestry Library Edition database, which is available at State Library Victoria and many local libraries.

According to Ancestry, the records are 'organised alphabetically by district'. 'Record[s] the locality (including names of the street, road, gully or other variations), occasionally the number of the house, the name of the householder and the total number of persons in the household (divided into male and female). The books also list separately how many of the residents are Chinese or Aboriginal. Additional information may include the type of dwelling.'

Statistics

An excellent summary of the censuses and musters collected in New South Wales can be found in the Museums of History New South Wales' Census and musters guide.

Statistics relating to Aboriginal people may be inaccurate.

Australian historical population statistics
This website contains basic demographic data in Excel spreadsheet format, going back in some cases to 1788. Statistics include population size and growth, population distribution, population age-sex structure, births, deaths, migration, marriages and divorces. These are given for Australia and for each colony where available.
Colonial statistics: catalogue of Australian statistical publications, 1804-1901
Download in PDF format. This catalogue provides references to useful statistics, which are available:
- online on the Historical census and colonial data archive (census reports only)
- on microfiche in the Family History & Newspapers Room at LTMF 53

Included in this set of microfiche are short reports on the censuses of 1833, 1836, 1841, 1846 and 1851, and detailed statistics from the censuses of 1856, 1861, 1871, 1881, 1891 and 1901. See New South wales census, 1833-1901 listing below for further details.
General musters of New South Wales, Norfolk Island and Van Diemen's Land 1811
This book includes:
- an excellent history of how and why this census was collected
- population statistics for Hobart, New South Wales, Port Dalrymple and Norfolk Island
- statistics relating to convict's country of trail
- statistics relating to male and female given names
Records of 19th Century blanket lists and returns of Aboriginal people
Website. There were two phases of annual blanket distribution:

1826 to 1844
Localities (or stations), where blankets were distributed and/or census data collected, are listed alphabetically. Each is identified by region and county, and provides the numbers of blankets known to have been despatched there each year and the archival location of blanket distribution or census documents.

1847/8 to 1962
On the whole, distribution agents were left to maintain their own records of annual distributions of blankets with only a few submitting blanket lists on occasions to the government.
1841 census householders' returns
Microfilmed copies of census returns (complete census records of individuals). In addition to areas of New South Wales, includes areas which are now part of Victoria and Queensland. Use with Index to 1841 census (listed above).
Indexed, complete copy of census also available electronically at the State Library of Victoria and some local libraries, from the Ancestry Library Edition database (online copy varies slightly from the microfilm copy).
Illawarra census records are available to browse online through FamilySearch database (Note: FamilySearch is free but does require you to create an account.)
This census includes both information about individuals and collated statistics about age and gender, marital status and gender, civil condition (if "free" or not) and gender, religion, and occupation.
Selected social statistics of New South Wales, 1861-1976
This book includes statistical tables relating to age, sex, marital status, occupation, employment status, birthplace and religion. It also includes a history of census and statistical collection in New South Wales, and an excellent bibliography indicating further statistical sources and resources to help understand the process of demographic analysis.
New South Wales census, 1833-1901
Available online at the Historical census and colonial data archive. The easiest way to view the data is to download the .xhtml files and open them with your preferred web browser.

Also available on microfiche as sets of short reports on the censuses of 1833, 1836, 1841, 1846 and 1851, and detailed statistics from the censuses of 1856, 1861, 1871, 1881, 1891 and 1901.
These statistics are available on microfiche in the Family History & Newspapers Room at LTMF 53.

This set of microfiche includes:
- 1833; 1836; 1841; 1846; 1851 - abstract only.
- Analytical view of the census of New South Wales for the year 1846 : with tables showing the progress of the population during the previous twenty-five years, and an appendix (also digitised on the Library's website).
- Census of the Colony of New South Wales, taken on the 1st March 1856
- Census of the Colony of New South Wales, taken on the 5th April 1861
- Census of 1871, consisting of report, summary tables, and appendix and detailed tables...
- Census of 1881, compiled by John Byron; consisting of report, summary tables, appendices, and conspectus tables
- Results of a census of New South Wales, taken for the night of the 5th April, 1891...in nine parts
- General report on the eleventh census of New South Wales, taken by T.A. Coghlan
- Results of a census of New South Wales taken for the night of the 31st March 1901, in eight parts
Results of a census of New South Wales taken for the night of the 31st March, 1901
This book includes tables of statistics collected in the 1901 NSW census. Also published as part of Colonial statistics: catalogue of Australian statistical publications, 1804-1901, available on microfiche in the Family History & Newspapers Room at LTMF 53.
Checklist of nineteenth century Australian colonial statistical sources: censuses, blue books and statistical registers
Includes information about electoral boundaries

Census dates

Musters took place in:
1800 (settlers)
1806 (first complete muster that has survived)
1811 (convicts, including those given tickets of leave, pardons etc)
1814
1816 (convicts)
1817 (convicts)
1818 (convicts)
1819 (convicts)
1820 (convicts)
1821 (convicts)
1822
1823 (military not included)
1824 (military not included)
1825 (military not included)

Censuses took place in:
1828 (military not included)
1833 (military not included)
1836 (military not included)
1837 (convicts, including Norfolk Island)
1841
1846
1851
1856, 1 March
1861, 5 April*
1871*
1881, 3 April*
1891, 5 April
1901, 31 March

*Household forms (detailed forms giving information about individuals) collected in these censuses were destroyed in a fire in 1882

Detail from news article: 'Garden palace destroyed by fire', Moruya Examiner, 30 September 1882, p 2

Original records

The books and online resources on this page contain information extracted from original records. Many of the earlier original records have been copied and are now available online as part of the Australian Joint Copying Project (AJCP). These include records relating to New South Wales from 1787 to 1837.

A more complete listing of the available records - with references to their location on the original AJCP micofilms - can be found in the Australian Joint Copying Project handbook: part 3: Home Office, pages 16-17.

Physical copies of the AJCP handbooks and a set of microfilm are also available at the Library.

The book Checklist of nineteenth century Australian colonial statistical sources: censuses, blue books and statistical registers also includes well organised references to the relevant AJCP reels, and often gives information about what kinds of details you are likely to find in these records.

North view of Sidney, [i.e. Sydney] New South Wales, 1825. Engraving by Joseph Lycett; 30328102131561/3

1841 census index data

SRNSW index harvester (GitHub)

Code to harvest and save data (csv format) from the 1841 NSW census index published online by State Records NSW. Also includes pre-harvested data (csv) from the 1841 NSW census index. Code and data harvest by Tim Sherratt.