My Miscellaneous Australian Certificates Index ('Unrelated Certificates Index'), established in the early 1980s, was the first of its kind in this country.  It provided a single nation-wide collection point for unwanted Australian certificates.  Unlike more recent collections, this one indexes EVERY name on a certificate, and a one-letter code indicates whether the person was the bride, groom, person born or baptised, or the deceased - or someone else (a relative, witness, undertaker, minister of religion, doctor, midwife, district registrar etc.)  Over 990 certificates have already been indexed, producing a list of approximately 10,000 names.  This is a an on-going project, and the index will be added to my Web site in stages.  Part 1 is available now (scroll down to the link).

The collection to date is Australia-wide, but I now only accept unwanted Queensland and New South Wales certificates.  Send them by ordinary post (not email) to Judy Webster, PO Box 5043, Algester, QLD 4115.  Write your name on the back of the certificates, and include your email address if you want me to acknowledge their arrival.

Use the Miscellaneous Australian Certificates Index to:

• Save money:   Obtain details without buying a certificate (conditions and copyright restrictions apply).

• Find 'missing' people:   Because ALL legible names are indexed, the list includes the principal person(s) (the deceased, bride, groom, or person born or baptised) plus relatives, witnesses, informants, undertakers, ministers of religion, doctors, midwives, registrars.  All women are indexed under married, maiden and previous surnames if these are stated or implied.  This index may therefore help to locate people who 'disappeared'.  Example (1): Your 'missing person' may be listed in this index as a witness to a marriage, burial or baptism.  The certificate will prove that he/she was in a certain place on a certain date.  Example (2): If you can't find a marriage, perhaps it was registered under a different name or spelling.  Search this index for the maiden name of the subject's mother.

• Find details not available in the country of origin:   If records in the country of origin do not tell you what you need to know, ask yourself  'could a member of that family have married or died in Australia?'  Any such records could provide vital clues, because most Australian marriage and death certificates give age, place of birth, father's name and occupation, and mother's maiden name.  Researching a relative who emigrated to Australia is often the best way for British researchers (and others) to overcome dead ends.

• Contact others researching the same family:   In some cases I know the name and address of a person who is researching a family listed in the index.

• Gather information for a Local History project:   From the certificates I have compiled a list of Australian towns where the primary events occurred.  I can search for all certificates for a particular town and provide information from those certificates (certain conditions and copyright restrictions apply).

Indexes available and in progress

This is a an on-going project, and the index will be placed on my Web site in stages.

• Part 1:  available now  (about 1,600 names from 162 certificates)
• Parts 2 - 6:  to be added later  (about 8,400 names from over 830 certificates)
• Part 7:  keep donating those unwanted QLD & NSW certificates!

To find out when Parts 2-7 of the index are available, watch for announcements in my Newsletter.

Tips on obtaining Qld certificates

What details are on Qld certificates?