Collections

Knowing where to start researching your family history can be daunting, so we've compiled this starter guide to get you on your way to discovering your past.

This research guide has been developed to assist Australian Aboriginal people wanting to trace members of their family, within the collections of the State Library.

Search vital records online or find where they are held. The Library has records from major churches and some undertakers and solicitors. 

The State Library holds extensive church records for South Australia as well as histories and photographs of churches.

Want to find out the history of house residents? This guide will get you started.

Check our resources for passenger arrivals and shipping movements in and out of South Australia, as well as our extensive collections focusing on life at sea.

A selection of unique interviews by South Australians are available on the Digital Collections website. You can find more oral histories via the Catalogue, which are available when you visit us.

Read reports of the deaths of South Australians in the First World War or learn about your ancestor’s involvement in major conflicts.

Originally compiled by Gerald Savill and being added to continually by State Library volunteers and staff is the Savill Index of The Advertiser Funeral Notices website, which covers funeral notices from 1971 onwards.