Wednesday, September 9, 2009
Back after a three week holiday in California. Not much news. Records of the four Invercargill and Bluff cemeteries plus the Southland Crematorium are now online - a total of more than 50,000 records. Link here
Monday, August 10, 2009
A short history of immigration to New Zealand
New Zealand, unlike the various British colonies in Australia, was never a place of convict settlement and so migrants to the country from the UK arrived as free settlers. While the two main islands making up New Zealand – North Island and South Island – had first been charted by Europeans in the 17th century, it was not until the late 18th century that European settlement took place there. It is estimated there were only 50 Europeans resident there in 1800 compared to between 100,000 and 200,000 Maoris.
The growth of the British colony in New South Wales, Australia, saw a rise in trade with Maoris for items such as flax and timber, but it was not until 1826 that the first attempt at colonisation of New Zealand from here took place, when two shiploads of immigrants arrived. However, many found conditions in the new country too harsh and resettled in New South Wales, leaving only a few hardy types behind. In 1840, British sovereignty was declared following the Treaty of Waitangi, whereby Maori chiefs ceded overlordship to Queen Victoria in return for protection of their lands and rights.
At this time, there were about 1,200 European settlers in the North Island and around 200 in the South Island and these numbers steadily grew over the next 20 years or so. However, the main era of immigration came in the late 1850s and early 1860s following the discovery of gold in the islands. In one month in 1861, more than 14,000 people arrived at the port of Dunedin and by 1867, there were over 217,000 Europeans in the colony.
Free settlers and assisted immigrants continued to flood into the country and by the end of the 18th century, European numbers had reached nearly 750,000. In contrast, the Maori population had declined due to diseases brought by the Europeans and also the effects of the Maori Wars (1844-1872).
By the end of the 18th century, there were just over 42,000 Maoris in the islands. Migration continued in the 20th century and, like Australia, New Zealand saw an upsurge in the numbers arriving from the UK in the period after the Second World War.
Many settlers travelled directly from Britain, but there was also a large amount of traffic with New South Wales and so often the New Zealand colonists of the 19th century may have travelled via Australia, where they may have lived for months or years. Many white New Zealanders of European descent, or “Pakeha”, will probably have no more than five or six generations of ancestors, given the fairly recent nature of the main migrations.
The majority of British immigrants came from England simply due to the larger home population but Ireland and Scotland also contributed a large percentage of people.
The growth of the British colony in New South Wales, Australia, saw a rise in trade with Maoris for items such as flax and timber, but it was not until 1826 that the first attempt at colonisation of New Zealand from here took place, when two shiploads of immigrants arrived. However, many found conditions in the new country too harsh and resettled in New South Wales, leaving only a few hardy types behind. In 1840, British sovereignty was declared following the Treaty of Waitangi, whereby Maori chiefs ceded overlordship to Queen Victoria in return for protection of their lands and rights.
At this time, there were about 1,200 European settlers in the North Island and around 200 in the South Island and these numbers steadily grew over the next 20 years or so. However, the main era of immigration came in the late 1850s and early 1860s following the discovery of gold in the islands. In one month in 1861, more than 14,000 people arrived at the port of Dunedin and by 1867, there were over 217,000 Europeans in the colony.
Free settlers and assisted immigrants continued to flood into the country and by the end of the 18th century, European numbers had reached nearly 750,000. In contrast, the Maori population had declined due to diseases brought by the Europeans and also the effects of the Maori Wars (1844-1872).
By the end of the 18th century, there were just over 42,000 Maoris in the islands. Migration continued in the 20th century and, like Australia, New Zealand saw an upsurge in the numbers arriving from the UK in the period after the Second World War.
Many settlers travelled directly from Britain, but there was also a large amount of traffic with New South Wales and so often the New Zealand colonists of the 19th century may have travelled via Australia, where they may have lived for months or years. Many white New Zealanders of European descent, or “Pakeha”, will probably have no more than five or six generations of ancestors, given the fairly recent nature of the main migrations.
The majority of British immigrants came from England simply due to the larger home population but Ireland and Scotland also contributed a large percentage of people.
Scottish Clan Societies in New Zealand
I happen to do genealogy for the Clan Fraser Society in New Zealand, and I bet some of the other Clan Societies and Associations offer genealogy help also. Information on Clan societies in New Zealand:
Clan Fraser
Clan MacLeod
Clan MacLachlan Society of New Zealand
Clan MacMillan Society of New Zealand
The Clan MacRae Society of Australia & New Zealand
Clan Forsyth Society New Zealand
Jardine Clan Society of New Zealand
Clan Keith Society of Australia & New Zealand
Clan MacNicol Society New Zealand
Clan Ross Association New Zealand
Waipu Caledonian Society & Highland Games
Clan Donald, Auckland and Districts Society
Scottish Clans Association Auckland District
Clan Cameron Association of New Zealand
Clan Stewart of New Zealand
Clan Gunn in Christchurch NZ
Canterbury Caledonian Society
Turakina Caledonian Society Inc.- New Zealand's
House of Gordon New Zealand
Clan Fraser
Clan MacLeod
Clan MacLachlan Society of New Zealand
Clan MacMillan Society of New Zealand
The Clan MacRae Society of Australia & New Zealand
Clan Forsyth Society New Zealand
Jardine Clan Society of New Zealand
Clan Keith Society of Australia & New Zealand
Clan MacNicol Society New Zealand
Clan Ross Association New Zealand
Waipu Caledonian Society & Highland Games
Clan Donald, Auckland and Districts Society
Scottish Clans Association Auckland District
Clan Cameron Association of New Zealand
Clan Stewart of New Zealand
Clan Gunn in Christchurch NZ
Canterbury Caledonian Society
Turakina Caledonian Society Inc.- New Zealand's
House of Gordon New Zealand
Those Irish Roots
I find researching those in my tree from Ireland a little too much of a challenge, but here's a couple of links worth a try:
Irish Genealogy at http://www.irishgenealogy.ie/
Belfast's Clifton Street cemetery records online
For the Ulster area try the Ulster Historical Foundation site
Irish Family History Foundation Online Genealogy Databases for Ireland
The University of Glasgow Story at http://www.universitystory.gla.ac.uk/ provides access to the details of the 13,000 people who graduated from the University of Glasgow from its foundation in 1451 until 1896.
Ireland's 1911 census website. Returns for Cork, Donegal, Wexford, King's County and Galway can now be searched at http://www.census.nationalarchives.ie/search/
Things should improve for Irish genelaogy in 2011 when the Northern Ireland BDM records go online at the General Register Office for Northern Ireland
Irish Genealogy at http://www.irishgenealogy.ie/
Belfast's Clifton Street cemetery records online
For the Ulster area try the Ulster Historical Foundation site
Irish Family History Foundation Online Genealogy Databases for Ireland
The University of Glasgow Story at http://www.universitystory.gla.ac.uk/ provides access to the details of the 13,000 people who graduated from the University of Glasgow from its foundation in 1451 until 1896.
Ireland's 1911 census website. Returns for Cork, Donegal, Wexford, King's County and Galway can now be searched at http://www.census.nationalarchives.ie/search/
Things should improve for Irish genelaogy in 2011 when the Northern Ireland BDM records go online at the General Register Office for Northern Ireland
Saturday, August 1, 2009
NZ Shipping database
The New Zealand Society of Genealogists continues work on their shipping database. You can search it (no membership required) at http://www.genealogy.org.nz/Shipping_Database_362.aspx
Friday, July 31, 2009
Canadian Naturalization Database 1915-1932
Ottawa, July 22, 2009 - Library and Archives Canada (LAC) is pleased to announce the release of a new version of the Canadian Naturalization 1915-1932 online database. It now includes the names of 206,731 individuals who applied for and received status as naturalized Canadians from 1915 to 1932. This database is one of the few Canadian genealogical resources specifically designed to benefit those researchers with roots outside of the British Commonwealth. References located in the database can be used to request copies of the actual naturalization records, which are held by Citizenship and Immigration Canada.
The database is available at: www.collectionscanada.gc.ca/databases/naturalization-1915-1932/index-e.html.
The database is available at: www.collectionscanada.gc.ca/databases/naturalization-1915-1932/index-e.html.
New Zealand Obits at Ancestry
Ancestry.com just updated their obituary collections for Australia and New Zealand, Canada, Caribbean, UK and Ireland and the US.
About Australia and New Zealand Obituary Collection
The collection contains recent obituaries from hundreds of newspapers. We scour the Internet daily to find new obituaries and extract the facts into our database. We also provide source information and links to the full obituary text. If you're searching...
For more information about this database, click here.
The collection contains recent obituaries from hundreds of newspapers. We scour the Internet daily to find new obituaries and extract the facts into our database. We also provide source information and links to the full obituary text. If you're searching for a recently deceased ancestor, a living relative who might be mentioned in an obituary, or former classmates or neighbors then this is a great place to start.
The wealth of genealogical and biographical information to be found in an informative obituary certainly makes the effort of searching for one worthwhile. For many of our ancestors (and relatives), the obituary is the only "biographical sketch" that was ever devoted to that individual. In addition to names, dates, and places of birth, marriage, and death, the obituary often identifies relationships of the deceased as child, sibling, parent, grandparent, etc., to numerous other individuals. Obituaries may even suggest other documentation of an individual's death - a death certificate in another county because the hospital was located there; church or cemetery records (by identifying the place of burial or the officiating minister); or records of a coroner's inquest because the death was sudden or unexpected. And, of course, the wealth of detail in an informative obituary may open up many research avenues.
In an obituary search, it is necessary to investigate the files of all likely newspapers. It is impossible to know beforehand which, if any, paper is going to have the best or fullest obituary. Many cities have more than one paper and an obituary for a specific individual could appear in more than one place. Also, when considering possible obituary sources don't just check in the community where the individual died - also check the community (or communities) where the individual lived. Many people in their later years go to live with children and often die far from where they spent most of their adult lives. But, if they still had connections with the home community, there is a good chance that an obituary will appear there, perhaps a more detailed one than will be found in the community of death, where that person was just a new or temporary resident. However, the opposite may also be true.
To search thoroughly for obituaries from past newspaper editions, the best approach is to use a variety of tools including Ancestry's Obituary Collection, Ancestry's Historical Newspapers collection, and offline research through local libraries and newspaper offices.
About Australia and New Zealand Obituary Collection
The collection contains recent obituaries from hundreds of newspapers. We scour the Internet daily to find new obituaries and extract the facts into our database. We also provide source information and links to the full obituary text. If you're searching...
For more information about this database, click here.
The collection contains recent obituaries from hundreds of newspapers. We scour the Internet daily to find new obituaries and extract the facts into our database. We also provide source information and links to the full obituary text. If you're searching for a recently deceased ancestor, a living relative who might be mentioned in an obituary, or former classmates or neighbors then this is a great place to start.
The wealth of genealogical and biographical information to be found in an informative obituary certainly makes the effort of searching for one worthwhile. For many of our ancestors (and relatives), the obituary is the only "biographical sketch" that was ever devoted to that individual. In addition to names, dates, and places of birth, marriage, and death, the obituary often identifies relationships of the deceased as child, sibling, parent, grandparent, etc., to numerous other individuals. Obituaries may even suggest other documentation of an individual's death - a death certificate in another county because the hospital was located there; church or cemetery records (by identifying the place of burial or the officiating minister); or records of a coroner's inquest because the death was sudden or unexpected. And, of course, the wealth of detail in an informative obituary may open up many research avenues.
In an obituary search, it is necessary to investigate the files of all likely newspapers. It is impossible to know beforehand which, if any, paper is going to have the best or fullest obituary. Many cities have more than one paper and an obituary for a specific individual could appear in more than one place. Also, when considering possible obituary sources don't just check in the community where the individual died - also check the community (or communities) where the individual lived. Many people in their later years go to live with children and often die far from where they spent most of their adult lives. But, if they still had connections with the home community, there is a good chance that an obituary will appear there, perhaps a more detailed one than will be found in the community of death, where that person was just a new or temporary resident. However, the opposite may also be true.
To search thoroughly for obituaries from past newspaper editions, the best approach is to use a variety of tools including Ancestry's Obituary Collection, Ancestry's Historical Newspapers collection, and offline research through local libraries and newspaper offices.
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