Census, muster and electoral rolls
Introduction
Musters, census records and electoral rolls can help you piece together information on individuals, including where they lived or were based at a certain point, who they lived with, and their age, occupation and religion.
What is online?
Using the Tasmanian Names Index you can search and view census records that include records from 1826-1828 on children in the colony, and census returns of individual households for some years between 1837-1857 (a selection only, as most individual household returns have not survived).
You can also search for digitised household census returns arranged by parish in Householders’ Census Returns for Various Districts, Arranged by Parishes 1/1/1842-31/12/1857 (CEN1).
What else is available?
Notes
- Census records were digitised from microfilm and sometimes they are difficult to read.
- Census records are listed under the householder’s name for many of the years between 1837 and 1857 (not a complete set; most individual returns have not survived). They are more detailed from 1842, indicating address, construction type of a building – stone, brick or wood, and give details on the make-up of the household, for example name of householder, number of people generally residing there and number who were free. The return also has information on the ages, sex, religion, occupation and trade or calling of the persons residing in the house.
- Censuses after 1901 do not have personal details until 2001, where people could opt to have their details kept.
- A muster was like a census, but for convicts and military personnel.
- The earliest electoral roll is from 1856. It only includes men. Women are included from 1903, when they were given the right to vote. The Australian government introduced compulsory voting in 1924 so you may not find names on the rolls before then.
Related Family History guides
What is available from other organisations?