Find your ancestors in Queensland marriages 1829-1939

What can these records tell me?

You may be able to learn the following details regarding your ancestor’s marriage:

  • Full name
  • Registration year
  • Marriage date
  • Spouse’s full name
  • State
  • Registration number

With the registration number, you can order your ancestor’s marriage certificate from the Queensland Registry of Births, Deaths, and Marriages. By following the link provided in the Useful Links & Resources section, you can place an order for a certificate, which will often include additional information: occupation, residence, birth date and place, and parents’ names. Note that there will be a fee associated with this order.

Discover more about these records

There are over 700,000 transcripts in this record set.

Queensland’s first European explorer came in 1606 and the first British settlement in Queensland, a penal outpost at Redcliffe Point, was established in 1824. Relations between the settlement and the Aboriginal people deteriorated quickly and race relations continued to sour during the mid- to late 1800s. After James Nash discovered gold in 1867, Queensland had its own gold rush, which impacted both its economy and population. The gold rush brought many foreigners to the area, including large numbers from China. A second gold rush at Palmer River in 1873 ramped up the anti-Chinese atmosphere that had been building and which peaked in the late 1800s.

The Pacific Islander population had increased in Queensland due to the trading of Melanesian labour for the purpose of working on the sugar cane fields. The practice was not ended until 1904. With the rolling out of the White Australia Policy, shortly after the Federation of Australia in 1901, Melanesians were deported in huge numbers. The White Australia Policy, which was aimed at developing Australia’s economy and culture in an exclusively Western direction, was eventually dismantled over a number of years between 1949 and 1973.

Compulsory registration for marriages and other life events started in March 1856 in Australia. Since Queensland did not gain independence from New South Wales until 1859, some events may have been registered in New South Wales instead of Queensland.