Skip to Content

Great Britain, Ireland & World - Collections

Great Britain

The State Library holds United Kingdom General Register Office (formerly known as St Catherine's House) microfilm indexes to births, deaths, and marriages registered in England and Wales for the period 1 July 1837 to 31 December 1970. The Family History WA (Western Australian Genealogical Society) holds the indexes up to 2003 on microfiche. These indexes are arranged by quarter of the year and then alphabetically by surname. Ray Wiggins’ Registration districts: an alphabetical list of over 650 districts, with details of counties, sub-districts and adjacent districts may prove useful in identifying area. Using the information obtained from these indexes it is possible to apply for copies of certificates.

Alternatively, these can be searched for 1837-2005 on the Ancestry Library Edition database which is freely available on any computer in the State Library. When entering our website , simply follow the sequence: How do I find, Electronic resources, databases by category, Family History, Ancestry Library Edition. Some searches can be carried out by surname, the rest by date range.

Also available for use are the British Isles Census Directories Project microfiche of various post office and commercial directories for different counties of England, Scotland, and Ireland for different years in the nineteenth century. These list people in alphabetical order by surname on a town by town, city by city and profession by profession basis.

The British census records are also available online through ancestry.com.au, along with various other useful resources (this is a subscription database). They can also be found on the Ancestry Library Edition database, which is freely available on any computer in the State Library. When entering our website, simply follow the sequence: How do I find, Electronic resources, databases by category, Family History, Ancestry Library Edition.

The publication A guide to the genealogical collection of the State Reference Library of Western Australia (1987) lists many of the older sequences of records relating to the United Kingdom such as military, clergy and gentry lists; further post office directories; and vital sources including Texts and Calendars. A range of books and guides to conducting research are available for use.

Ireland

In 1988, the year of Australia's bicentenary, the Irish government presented to all Australian states a database of Irish convicts transported to Australia. Called Archives relating to the transportation of convicts from Ireland to Australia , the database consists of a computer index and 105 microfilm reels. It provides access to the records held in the Irish National Archives relating to the transportation of convicts from Ireland to Australia in the period 1788-1868 (includes those Fenian convicts transported to Western Australia 1850-1868). Researchers can search for individuals and view records relating to a particular person.

Some Post Office Directories on microfiche are held for a variety of Irish localities. The largest sequence of Irish Post Office Directory material is Thoms official directory of the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Ireland which are held for the period 1884-1933. These volumes include a variety of information including a Dublin street directory listing residents.

Worldwide

The first floor collection also includes resources of use to genealogists researching their ancestors throughout the world. Items are always being added to the collection. The staff of the State Library and the Genealogy Centre will be pleased to offer assistance to researchers who visit the library to use the records.