Clergy and Ministers of Religion

Clergy and ministers of religion may have studied at a university. See University Records.

Also see Churches, Synagogues and Religious Records.

Until 1870 the state funded the salaries of clergy and ministers of religion so records of these payments may be found in government records; it should be noted that not all religions were accepting of state aid.

REGISTRATION

In 1898 ministers of religion were required to be registered in order to celebrate marriages in Victoria. Unregistered minsters of religion were prevented from celebrating marriages from this time. Upon registration the name of the minister of religion was to be published in the Victorian Government Gazette. A register of registered ministers of religion was to appear in the Victorian Government Gazette at least once every two years. If a minister of religion was prohibited from celebrating marriages a notice was published in the Victorian Government Gazette. See Victorian Government Gazettes.

AUSTRALIAN GOVERNMENT ATTORNEY GENERAL'S DEPARTMENT - LIST OF COMMONWEALTH REGISTERED CELEBRANTS

This includes marriage celebrants who perform religious ceremonies for independent religious organizations as well as marriage celebrants who perform civil ceremonies.

https://www.ag.gov.au/FamiliesAndMarriage/Marriage/Pages/find-a-marriage-celebrant.aspx

DIRECTORIES AND INDEXES

GENEALOGICAL SOCIETY OF VICTORIA GENEALOGICAL INDEX OF NAMES - PORT PHILLIP CLERGY BY IAN ALEXANDER HUGHES

This includes short biographies of the ministers of religion that served in the Port Phillip District of New South Wales (now Victoria).

https://www.gsv.org.au/article/our-collection

AUSTRALIAN CHRISTIAN CHURCH HISTORIES

A portal for historical information on Australian Christian Churches. This site contains a contemporary collection of over 2,000 Australian Christian churches and over 16,000 clergy names. There is a searchable database which includes (where available) the date the church was built, identification of the architect and builders, a list of clergy, the dates they served and details pertaining to certain specific fixtures.

http://www.churchhistories.net.au/

STATE LIBRARY OF VICTORIA - RESEARCHING YOUR ANCESTORS' OCCUPATIONS: CLERGY

This lists resources held by the state library relating to clergy. It includes registers of missionaries that may be accessed onsite and from home by registered Victorian users.

https://guides.slv.vic.gov.au/c.php?g=435343&p=2968010

ANGLICAN CHURCH

FAMILYSEARCH - CROCKFORD'S CLERICAL DIRECTORY: A DIRECTORY OF THE CLERGY OF THE CHURCH OF ENGLAND, THE CHURCH IN WALES, THE SCOTTISH EPISCOPAL CHURCH AND THE CHURCH OF IRELAND 1858-1976

The directory contains biographies of Anglican clergy in the UK. It also includes Anglican clergymen in Australia.

https://www.familysearch.org/search/catalog/38960?availability=Family%20History%20Library

ANCESTRY - UK, CROCKFORD'S CLERICAL DIRECTORIES

The directory contains biographies of Anglican clergy in the UK. It also includes Anglican clergymen in Australia. The years covered include 1868, 1874, 1885, 1898, 1908 and 1932.

https://www.ancestry.com.au/search/collections/ukcrockford/

CABLE CLERICAL INDEX TO AUSTRALIAN ANGLICAN CLERGY 1788-1961

The Cable Clerical Index is an index of more than 6570 Australian Anglican clergy. Only names and dates of ordination are published for those born after 1 January 1916.

http://anglicanhistory.org/aus/cci/

MISSIONARIES

STATE LIBRARY OF VICTORIA - REGISTER OF MISSIONARIES (CLERICAL, LAY AND FEMALE) AND NATIVE CLERGY FROM 1804 TO 1904: IN TWO PARTS - CHURCH MISSIONARY SOCIETY 1905?

This includes missionaries who were based in Australia. State Library of Victoria access onsite and from home to registered Victorian users.

https://find.slv.vic.gov.au/discovery/search?query=any,contains,REGISTER%20OF%20MISSIONARIES%20(CLERICAL,%20LAY%20AND%20FEMALE)%20AND%20NATIVE%20CLERGY%20FROM%201804%20TO%201894%20-%20CHURCH%20MISSIONARY%20SOCIETY%201896&vid=61SLV_INST:SLV&search_scope=slv_local&tab=searchProfile

CATHOLIC CHURCH

NUNS AND SISTERS OF THE CATHOLIC CHURCH IN AUSTRALIA 1838-1918 (INTERNET ARCHIVE WAYBACK MACHINE)

For the purposes of historical research or family history an alphabetical index of women who either became nuns in Australia, or who arrived in Australia as nuns has been compiled. The index consists of approximately 14,000 entries and is the result of contributions from more than fifty Religious Orders or Congregations. This snapshot is dated 19 March 2019.

https://web.archive.org/web/20190319003033/http://web.stbedes.catholic.edu.au:80/other/nuns/index.html