Census

There are very few census records available to help you trace your ancestors. Censuses were taken, mostly on a regional basis with the earliest comprehensive census taken in 1870/71, but no "as enumerated" data survives. Statistical reports of censuses are available and have been digitised by a consortium of Australian Universities [1]

The only known exceptions are as follows:

• 1851 Bombay Presidency Mofussil Districts- European Residents only. The data from this census is accessible through FIBIS Search. This information was originally on, and is still on the website British India Family History - Census Information and further details are available there.

• 1840 Serampore (just north of Calcutta) - this was then Danish Territory and a complete census was taken of the population, including natives. The records have been microfilmed by the LDS (Mormons). A researcher in Sydney has a list of extracted names of the European & Indo-European/community at the time - most were connected with the Baptist Mission; but there were also about 180 persons described as Indo-Portuguese; on a religion basis there were 171 Protestants, 209 Roman Catholics and 1 Armenian.

• 1834 Tranquebar - Madras Presidency - again this was Danish Territory at the time and the Danish 'as enumerated' data has been preserved and has been filmed by the LDS.