Please contact the State Library of Western Australia:
Postal address: 25 Francis Street, Perth WA 6000
Phone: (08) 9427 3111
Email:info@slwa.wa.gov.au
Website: http://www.slwa.wa.gov.au
Quote this number to access your records: State Library of Western Australia Call Number, MN 659
These records are held by State Library of Western Australia (c. 1889 - current).
Uniting Church [Private Archives] is a collection of records held in the Battye Library’s Private Archives Collection at the State Library of Western Australia. The collection contains a range of records, some which are restricted to protect people’s privacy. The items in this collection include baptismal certificates and may include other personal information. The collection was the basis for the Uniting Church of Western Australia’s Children’s Homes database, which lists the names of many children who were ‘in care’ at Methodist, Presbyterian and Uniting Church Homes.
The Battye Library’s Private Archives Collection contains records of the Western Australian Uniting Church. This collection is identified by the manuscript number MN 659. The Uniting Church collection contains records from individual parishes or circuits, and from various organisations or groups (including children’s homes and other institutions) and some travelling ministers within the Uniting Church.
The Battye Library has created finding aids (known as Manuscript Notes or MNs) to assist people to access information in this collection. The finding aid consists of two lists. One list relates to the records from individual parishes, and is arranged by location. The other list contains records from organisations or groups and is arranged by name.
The listing for individual parishes could contain helpful information for people looking for baptismal certificates. The listing for organisations and groups contains details of records relating to Children’s Homes and practices relating to out of home care.
The Uniting Church collection at the Battye Library was the basis for the Uniting Church of Western Australia’s Children’s Homes database, which lists the names of many children who were ‘in care’ at Methodist, Presbyterian and Uniting Church Homes.
Many of the records relating to people who have been in out of home care are restricted to protect the privacy of individuals, but there are also many items of interest which are open to the public.