New Zealand Military research

As Anzac Day approaches, Ancestry has released new databases for your New Zealand military research. These databases include:
New Zealand Army WWI Nominal Rolls, 1914-1918
New Zealand Army WWI Reserve Rolls, 1916-1917
New Zealand Army WWII Nominal Rolls, 1939-1948
New Zealand Army WWI Casualty Lists, 1914-1919
New Zealand Army WWI Roll of Honour, 1914-1919
New Zealand Army Medal Rolls, 1860-1919
New Zealand WWI Military Defaulters, 1919-1921
Chronicles of the N.Z.E.F., 1916-1919
The Defenders of New Zealand
As with all Ancestry databases be sure to read the “About” section and what records are contained.
Ancestry Library Edition provides unprecedented access to family history records through more than 7,000 collections that help individuals from North America, U.K., Europe, Australia, and beyond trace their lineage.
Ancestry Library Edition has just launched its new search interface, with a clean and crisp design that improves the overall user experience. Features of the new interface include:

. Improved look and feel for a more intuitive user experience
. Map and location filters on the home page
. Name filters with Soundex
. Type ahead features
. Improved country and state pages
Ancestry Library Edition can be accessed on any PC in any branch Library during library opening hours via the library website.

New Zealand records on Ancestry

Ancestry now has New Zealand records added to its database. Seven databases have been added in celebration of Waitangi Day February 6.

The records cover 140 years of New Zealand's history from 1842-1981 from the six major historical collections - the New Zealand Electoral Rolls 1853-1981, Canterbury Provincial Rolls 1868-1874, Jury Lists 1842-1862, Maori Voter and Electoral Rolls 1908 and 1919, Maori Land Claims 1858-1980 and New Zealand Naturalisations 1843-1981.

Ancestry can be accessed via the library website on any PC in any Library during opening hours.

Researching your family history in New Zealand

Every year on 6 February, New Zealand marks the signing of the Treaty of Waitangi in 1840. In that year, representatives of the British Crown and over 500 Maori chiefs signed what is New Zealand’s founding document. The day was first officially commemorated in 1934, and it has been a public holiday since 1974.

Before I personally started researching my family history I did not know of any NZ connections, but I soon found that I did. My two sources initially were Photos in my Grandmother’s photo album and their inscriptions and conversations with elderly relatives (since passed).

Many people actually migrated from Australia to NZ

In December 1863, the following advertisement appeared in the Sydney newspapers;

"Fifty Acres of Land Free - Military Settlers in New Zealand. A number of Married Men with their families are required to proceed to Auckland (passages free); also, a limited number of Single Men to complete a settlement. None need apply who cannot produce testimonials of industry and sobriety. Lieutenant Steele will, on and after Monday, 18 January, be in attendance to make the engagements and give any information that may be required. For the present apply to Soper and Steele, Market Wharf."

YPRL have very limited resources on NZ. However we are a very good starting place for your research but you will find that you will need to also visit other resource centres such as the The State Library of Victoria Genealogy Centre which have a very good collection of NZ material.

You might also like to get yourself a detailed map or touring guide of New Zealand and familiarise yourself with the local geography of the region you are interested in.

In New Zealand, official interest in births, deaths and marriages, dates back to 1847when compulsory civil registration was introduced. Prior to this, the registers kept by the churches are the primary record. Indexes can now be searched online.

I have compiled a list : “Researching your Family History in New Zealand” which provides some resources to explore.

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Did your Victorian gold miner go to NZ?

In May 2011 Otago will be celebrating the 150th anniversary of the discovery of gold at Gabriels Gully. To celebrate the occasion the Dunedin (NZ) Family History Group is publishing a book on the lives of gold miners and their families as told by their descendants. The book is titled "Pick and Shovel, Cradle and Pan - 150 years of gold discovery in Otago, Southland and on the West Coast".

The book covers the period 1861 to the present day and will involve any gold miner prospecting in Otago, Southland and on the West Coast of the South Island. We are not just interested in the gold miners themselves but also the wives and children who either travelled and endured hardships with their husbands or who stayed behind and coped while their husbands were away prospecting.

Many of the early gold miners to Otago came directly from the Victorian gold fields so there may be many Australian readers who have ancestors associated with the Otago gold fields.

All essays must be received no later than 31 December 2010. For further details on how you can submit an essay to this publication contact dfhg@xtra.co.nz or write to The Dunedin Family History Group, 28 Milburn Street, Corstorphine, Dunedin 9012, New Zealand.

Papers added to Papers Past

Additional newspapers have been added to New Zealand's Papers Past website.
Papers Past is a collection of digitised historic New Zealand newspapers which offers browsing and full text searching.

The titles and issues now available are:
Ashburton Guardian (1890-1895, 1897, 1899-1909, 1911-1920)

Manawatu Standard (1883-1886)

Manawatu Times (1877-1881, 1883-1884)

Ohinemuri Gazette (1891-1892, 1896-1921)

Thames Star (1874-1900)

Waiapu Church Times (1907-1908)

Waiapu Church Gazette (1910-1920)

More are to be added in late June, including the addition of the first 10 years of the Lyttelton Times, the first ~40 years of the Otago Daily Times, and the extension of the Evening Post through 1945, the first paper in Papers Past to cover World War II!

Here's a complete list of what will be added in June:

Poverty Bay Herald (gap: 1902)

Lyttelton Times (1851-1862)

Evening Post (July-Dec 1871, 1916-1945)

Thames Star (1901-1920)

Albertland Gazette (1862-1864)

The Colonist (1857-1889)

Otago Daily Times (1861-1900)

Waiapu Church Gazette (1921-1945)

Digitised New Zealand card index

New online resources for New Zealand researchers via the Auckland City Libraries. They have recently digitised and made available online their New Zealand Car Index and Auckland Index. Read more about it and find the links on their Kintalk blog

New immigration records at FamilySearch

Family Search Record Search has added new records including New Zealand immigration passenger lists, 1871 - 1915

As well as N.S.W. Index to Bounty Immigrants Arrivals, 1828–1842

New Zealand to Australia Stories

You are invited to participate as a subject in the research project ‘New Zealand Immigration to Australia: late 1960s to early 1990s’.

The aim of this project is to investigate the personal experiences of New Zealanders who migrated to Australia from the late 1960s to early 1990s. Areas of particular interest are the reasons for migration, preparations for the trip, the participants’ trans-Tasman connections both before and after migration, the experience of settling in to Australia, possible return migration to New Zealand and the role of hindsight in evaluating memories of migration.

The project is being carried out a requirement for a PhD by Rosemary Baird under the supervision, University of Canterbury, New Zealand
Please email: Rosemary Baird kiwisinaustralia@gmail.com

New Zealand BDMS online

Well I hope that this caught your attention, because it did mine. The new Birth, Death and Marriage Historical Records website, is now available where you can search New Zealand Government records for births, deaths and marriages (BDM).

To achieve the best search result have an idea of the date range you are looking at.

If you have a brick wall and cannot find a death for a Victorian ancestor consider that they went to New Zealand - some of mine did!

A certificate can be purchased from the same site.

New Zealand websites for your genealogy research

Introduction to research in New Zealand
Department of Internal Affairs

Civil Registrations in NZ (explained)
New Zealand Society of Genealogists Members interests

NZSG Gen Guides

Cyndi’s List – New Zealand

Australasia Births, deaths and marriages exchange


Te Ara Encyclopedia of New Zealand
New Zealand Genealogy links – over 550 links

Archway Online index of Archives New Zealand

Cemeteries (and more) ;Auckland City Libraries
New Zealand Electronic Text Centre
Bibliography of Published New Zealand Family Histories (collection)

Papers Past
NZ Mailing list Archives

RootsWeb Mailing lists

Index to Outward Passengers to Interstate, UK and Foreign Ports 1852-1876 (PROV)

Immigrant Ships to New Zealand 1835 to 1910Obtain port and arrival date for your ship then look up Papers Past

Our StuffIncludes passenger lists, newspaper extracts and more.

AncestorsonboardPay for view site, still worth looking in the free index. Updated regularly

NZSG Shipping Database

New Zealand Yesteryears
Various online indexes

New Zealand obituaries
For more recent obituaries

NZ Marriage witness index

Online New Zealand Names Directory
Archives New Zealand

NZ Genealogy Database
Google Books

New Zealand History online

New Zealand History Wiki

PictureAustralia
Directory of New Zealand Libraries

Pearl's Pad

Helen's page of New Zealand History

New Zealand GenWeb

Presbyterrian Church of Aotearoa New Zealand Archives

International Geenalogical Index
Choose Southwest Pacific for region

Historical Newspapers online for NZ

Papers Past contains more than one million pages of digitised New Zealand newspapers and periodicals. The collection covers the years 1840 to 1915 and includes publications from all regions of New Zealand. This site has been online for sometime but has recently added a search facility to its website which is a great feature - especially for those rellies "gone to NZ" but you don't know where!