NEW ZEALAND
EMIGRATION
by Jessie Evans, OPC for St Dennis
Return to New Zealand Emigration Page
Most immigrant ships with Cornish passengers departed from Plymouth, although some Cornish departed from Bristol and Liverpool. While some ships did stop at Falmouth, if there were a substantial number of passengers embarking there, they were in the distinct minority.
Many emigrants first went to Australia, then on to New Zealand, especially during the 1850's Gold Rush. South Island ports of Cornish arrivals 1860-1880s include Port Charmers (Otago,) Lyttleton for Christchurch (Canterbury) Hokitika (West Coast) and Nelson. The main ports for the North Island were Wellington, New Plymouth (Taranaki), Napier (East Coast), Auckland, with a few ships landing passengers at Thames (Waikato) and Hokianga in the North.
Warnings about Shipping Lists:- Because of restrictions on aid given for emigration, ages given were not always accurate; many put their age up, or lowered their age in some cases, to fit the restrictions of '15 to 30'. Occupations may not be the same as in Cornwall as the authorities were seeking certain skills. To qualify for assistance, men and women claimed to have worked as farm labourer’s, etc - whatever their actual skills might have been. (Two examples of restrictions on voyages to Australia, plus an advertisement for New Zealand, are given here). It should be remembered that not all immigrants are recorded as passengers although they may have been on the same ship as the assisted passengers. Normally only assisted passengers are on these lists. Sometimes all passengers are named in the newspapers of the place of arrival.
Generally, Auckland Archives have records for Gisborne to the top of the North Island, while Wellington hold those for the lower half and Christchurch hold those for Nelson to Canterbury, including the West Coast. The lower part of the South Island will be at Dunedin. Only Government records are usually held by Archives N.Z.
REGISTRAR GENERAL OFFICE, Wellington, has Birth, Marriage and Death certificates. There are microfiche indexes for the entire of New Zealand indexed by quarters, Surname, Christian name/s and reference numbers. These numbers can be checked against a book, which has the district of registration.
BIRTH: Registration not compulsory for the period 1840-1855; 25%-30% has surname only. Child is shown as M or F. 1859-1861 includes Christian names for 83% of the registrations. Information on the certificate has: When born, Where born, name, sex, name and surname of father, his occupation, name and surname of mother, and her maiden name. From 1876 the parents' ages and place of birth are added.MARRIAGES: Giving notice of intention to marry and registration of marriages became compulsory in 1855, although marriages were recorded before that date. Females had to be aged twelve and over while males fourteen years and over could marry. Parental consent was necessary for males and females under 21. There is an index to marriages from 1840-1854. After 1855 names are indexed by year, first by grooms and followed by the brides. The folio number can be checked against each name to ensure the correct certificate. The district key book should be helpful identifying in which province the marriage took place. Information on the certified copy of the certificate will be: When and where married, name and surname, ages, conjugal status of bride and groom and groom’s occupation. From 1880 the information was extended to include the birthplaces and usual residence of bride and groom, their parents full names including mothers’ maiden names and their fathers’ occupation.
DEATH: Registration commenced 1848 but was not compulsory until 1855. Indexed similar to births. No ages on the index. Information will include: When died, where died, usual place of residence, name and surname, occupation, sex and age, cause of death. After 1876 the information was extended to include the name of the medical attendant who certified the death and the date the attendant last saw the deceased alive, full names of parents, including mother’s maiden name, father’s occupation, when and where buried, where born, how long in New Zealand, if deceased was married, where married, at what age married, to whom married, age of widow, ages and sex of living issue.
Certificates can sometimes be ordered from District Registry Offices. Often there is other information, such as signatures, which are not recorded on the Registrar General’s national index transcribed copies.
LOCAL LIBRARIES
Many libraries have a Genealogy section. Some also have name indexes that staff
and/or volunteers have compiled. If the area of the family you seek is known,
a letter to the Librarian could uncover a mine of information. Often the
index refers to Obituary notices and other newspaper articles, some church
registers with birth, death, marriage transcripts, Undertakers indexes, Monumental
Inscriptions (full transcripts), early photographs, shipping etc. Almost
all will have the N.Z. Register General’s index on microfiche. Some
have Electoral Rolls, Wises Post Office indexes, Gazetteers and Trade Indexes.
Many larger libraries have a web-site and a list of material they hold.
WISES POST OFFICE and STONES DIRECTORY. They were first published 1872 and every two years until 1900 with a few publications to 1940. They contain householders listed alphabetically by surname for the whole country. They also list Cities, towns and streets for larger cities but rural areas are also covered. Names address and occupation are included.
CYCLOPEDIA of NEW ZEALAND (1908) This is a set of books by province. The information can include the date and ship of arrival, birth country, education, occupation and achievements, places they have lived and often a photograph. Most of those listed are businessmen. Larger libraries probably have a copy of these books.