• Biographical Database of Australia

More than 2.2 million names in the database so far.

Biographical Database of Australia

  • BDA is a new research tool for historians and genealogists comprising transcripts & indexes of original records and published biographies of deceased individuals who arrived, or were born in, Australia. Advanced search function now available.
  • New in 2022: Indents for convicts sent to NSW from India, Ceylon (SriLanka), South Africa, Mauritius & Burma (Myanmar) 1823-1826; list of landholders in NSW 1813, including a guide to land districts in relation to modern Greater Sydney suburbs; First Fleet 1788 victualling list: effectively the first census of colonists arriving in Australia from Europe; Catholic baptisms 1832-1837 Sydney, Yass, Goulburn, Bungonia, Wollongong, Blue Mountains & Maitland; marriages & burials 1838-1867 St Lawrence C of E Sydney, more records of absconding convicts NSW 1832-1838.
  • BDA now has extensive NSW Court records, immigrants to NSW/Vic assisted/bounty 1832-1851, most convicts to NSW/Qld/Vic 1788-1840s, most Tasmanian colonists 1803-c1827, the only full online transcript of UNESCO nominated NSW 1828 census, NSW muster/BDM records 1788-1830s+, most soldiers stationed in Australia 1788-1840, Norfolk Is records 1788-1855, 160,000 Colonial Secretary records + 31,000 full text biographies, 10,000 Sydney burials & inscriptions 1819-1901.
  • View a sample biography to see an accurate level of detail for each.

View a sample biography to see an accurate level of detail for each.

BDA : A non-profit project.

  • March 2023 : Latest updates:
    Total now online 2.4 million.
    16 NEW datasets: new records going online in April 2023 include Randwick NSW Asylum for Destitute Children 1852-1915, extensive new records from the NSW convict system 1825-1841 & parish registers from Sydney & Bathurst NSW
    See Previous Release Details
    More datasets in the pipeline.
  • BDA links records of life events to create a Biographical Report. From one report, subscribers can hyperlink to another biography, to spouses, parents, children, witnesses, employers, employees and so on, through the entire database. See Sample.
  • Future stages of BDA will add more data from all states and territories, expanding from early records towards the present, including Aboriginal people, convicts and immigrants of all nations. Coming soon: User contributions and corrections function.
  • Cultural advice: BDA contains text quoted from historical published and manuscript sources which may contain terms or reflect views that were acceptable in some Australian or colonial cultural contexts at the time they were written down, but may no longer be considered appropriate and do not reflect the views of the Biographical Database of Australia.
    BDA is committed to acknowledgement of and reconciliation with the First Peoples of Australia.