Victoria, Australia, Marriage Index, 1837-1961

Source Information

Ancestry.com. Victoria, Australia, Marriage Index, 1837-1961 [database on-line]. Lehi, UT, USA: Ancestry.com Operations, Inc., 2018.
Original data: Victoria, Australia, Marriage Index, 1837-1961. The Victorian Registry of Births, Deaths, and Marriages, Melbourne, Victoria, Australia.

About Victoria, Australia, Marriage Index, 1837-1961

About the Victoria, Australia, Marriage Index, 1837-1961

General collection information

This collection contains an index of marriage records from the state of Victoria, Australia between 1837 and 1961. Primary source records originally came from both church and civil services. Per Australian law, marriage records are available to the public 60 years after the wedding date.

Using this collection

Records in this collection may include the following information:

  • Name of bride
  • Name of groom
  • Registration year
  • Registration number
  • Registration place

    • Each record contains a link to the original document which may contain more information.

    If you can't find a record and your ancestors were recent immigrants to Australia, you may also wish to check newspapers from your ancestor's homelands for clues. Announcements would often be published both by Australian newspapers and local newspapers in the subject's original hometown to help keep separated families connected. You may also try searching the registries of ships inbound to Victoria. The records of couples who were married at sea by a ship's captain won't appear in this collection.

    If you need to order an official marriage record, you may purchase one from the Victoria Registry of Births, Deaths, and Marriages.

    Collection in context

    Victoria, Australia was originally part of the colony of New South Wales. In 1850, the Australian Colonies Government Act allowed for the Port Phillip District to separate and form its own state, to be named for the reigning British queen. Civil registration began in Victoria, Australia in July 1853. Prior to civil registration, most vital records were kept by churches.

    Bibliography

    Births, Deaths, and Marriages Victoria. "Search Your Family History." Last Modified November 22, 2022. https://www.bdm.vic.gov.au/research-and-family-history/search-your-family-history.

    National Library of Australia. "Victoria." Last Modified August 1, 2022. https://www.nla.gov.au/research-guides/australian-birth-death-and-marriage-records/victoria.

    Travel Victoria. "History Timeline." Last Modified May 7, 2021. https://www.travelvictoria.com.au/victoria/history/.