Following advice from Listers I found that our local library had the Archives Resources Kit, which includes the NSW Register of baptisms, burials and marriages 1787-1856. Short Guide 4 lists the range of Reels for records from various church denominations. C of E baptisms are Reels 5001-5016 and Presyterian baptisms are Reels 5001 -5019. I went to the library and was pleased to see that the photo copies of the original parish entries are mostly good. I would like to see the records of some marriages and baptisms in a particular Hunter Parish. I know the dates, but don't know all the denominations. I looked at several reels but found the arrangement of the records on each was almost random. It would be a very large task to find even one particular record from 19 reels. I suppose that when the reels were compiled a record was made of what was in each, so presumably there is a detailed index somewhere. Can someone please tell me how to find it ? Ken Thompson

Ken, Go into the NSW BDM site and find the pre-1856 entry, it will have the V prefix. There is/was also a link on the site for the church codes. I think the film reel nos. for 1788-1856 are in the AO 5000 series which defies the page entry details. To find the actual page entry... eg V1845***+++ or V1845****++ and possibly a church code after the entry - this church code will be the parish church or specific church where your entry was recorded. this equates to year 1845 the *** is the number on the film a digit between 1 and up to thousands, the +++ is the actual film roll nos. between 1 and 123 from memory. eg year 1846 entry no. 586 film no. 95 keeping in mind the title bearing the right church name on top of the page as you scroll through. The films in the ARK kit are found at most council head libraries in NSW. Hope this explanation is of help, Jenny

Hi Ken It is very important to read the Short Guide No.4 fully Short Guide 4 - Attorney General and Justice: Registers of births, deaths and marriages Historical background of early records Registrar General Pre-1856 Registers and Supplementary Records Arrangement of registers Listing of registers by ceremony Indexes to the registers Detailed list of registers About this guide Restriction on photocopying Microfilming of records This guide covers all the details of the registers, the missing record information and very importantly the RESTRICTIONS ON PHOTOCOPYING Most important you must have the Register No from the indexes example V1840 262 44 means V1840 (Year) 262 (Record No) 44 (Volume) The NSW Births, Deaths and Marriages website has been updated with births now up to 1910, deaths to 1980 and Marriages to 1960 Regards Shirley