St. John’s Online is—and will remain—a non-commercial, open access database covering the parish of historic St. John’s, Parramatta, including St. John’s Cemetery: Australia’s oldest surviving European cemetery (1790).

Constructing this website has been a true labour of love for a heritage site with a deep personal connection, as many of my ancestors are buried at St John’s. When I first started writing about the cemetery in 2013 I could not believe this highly significant heritage site was largely unknown and unappreciated, and I was compelled to use my professional skills as an historian to advocate for the cemetery.

The transcriptions of the St. John’s parish register contained within this database were completed voluntarily by me, Dr. Michaela Ann Cameron, from 2015 to the present, with the intention that these transcriptions would be freely accessible to the public but also, when possible, would generate donations to support the conservation work of the local community group, the Friends of St. John’s Cemetery, Parramatta. Such work includes urgent repair work on the cemetery’s valuable convict-built wall, regular general maintenance with the assistance of New South Wales Corrective Services, hosting events, raising awareness of the cemetery, plaque installations, and ultimately running a campaign to upgrade the cemetery’s current “state” heritage listing to “national” heritage listing.

St. John’s Online’s previous fundraising campaign on mycause

From mid-2022, with the release of the open access burial registrations database, this website raised over $700 in donations for the Friends of St. John’s Cemetery, Parramatta, through a campaign run via the mycause website here: https://www.mycause.com.au/p/285353/friends-of-st-johns-cemetery-parramatta. Thank you to the very generous donors who supported the campaign.

While that specific fundraising campaign expired, you can still donate to support the Friends’ efforts via their Donation page. See details below.

How you can donate now

If you have found this website useful and are in a position to do so, please consider making a donation to help support the conservation efforts of the Friends of St. John’s Cemetery, Parramatta. No donation is too small. Click the button below (Opens a new window to the Friends of St. John’s Cemetery ‘Donation’ page)

100% of funds raised go directly to the Friends of St. John’s Cemetery, Parramatta.

Sincerely,

Dr. Michaela Ann Cameron, July 2022.

Founder and Director of St. John’s Online (est. 2015)

General Committee Member of the Friends of St. John’s Cemetery, Parramatta (2016–present)