Find your ancestors in New South Wales 1891 census

What can these records tell me?

Each result will provide you with a transcript and image of the original collector’s books from the 1891 census. The transcripts may include the following information:

  • First name(s)
  • Last name
  • Sex
  • Year
  • Location
  • District
  • Sub-district
  • County
  • State
  • Country
  • Series
  • Film number

The original images may provide you with additional details, such as the number of individuals living in the same household or the number of residents who were Aboriginal or Chinese.

By using the previous and next buttons in the image viewer, you can flip through all the images from the original collector’s books. This includes summary pages, which provide statistical breakdowns of sub-districts.

Discover more about these records

These records are from the State Records Authority of New South Wales series NRS 683, film numbers 2510-2545.

The 1891 census was conducted on 5 April 1891. The collectors’ books are the only surviving documents from the 1891 census. While they provide less detail than a full census would, these collectors’ books can still be a useful aid to historians and genealogists alike in placing people at a specific moment in time.

Collectors were assigned by district. Printed forms were filled out by hand and magistrates then checked the returns. Afterwards, the returns were sent to the Colonial Secretary’s Office.

Only records from the 1841, 1891, and 1901 censuses survive today. You can view our 1901 census records by following the link to New South Wales 1901 census in the Useful links and resources section.