Updated July 2008

Church Records can often tell you more than just names and dates. For a case study of how surviving Church records were pieced together to tell the story of one early family please read the 'Family History' section of the latest (July 2008) issue of "Archives Snippets" [link in left hand menu bar], including the accompanying article "Conversing with your Past - How to get the most from Church Archives".

The Presbyterian Church Archives Research Centre holds a large quantity of material pertinent to genealogy studies. Many Parish records are however still held in regional Repositories. For a current location list of all Parish records in New Zealand (only those which we are aware of) including contact information, please click HERE. The list will open in a new window. Should a Church or Parish not be listed, it can generally be assumed that the records are still held by the Parish concerned. We can provide contact details for these Parishes if required. Our list of "Lost Archives" (link at left) may prove useful in ascertaining early records which are no longer extant. Most Parish appointed Archivists are acting in a voluntary capacity and a donation in aid of Parish funds is appreciated.

Research Enquiries :

We welcome enquiries by mail, email, phone or by personal visit. Should you be intending visiting the Archives Research Centre, please telephone or email us first to make an appointment to ensure that our Research Archivist is available to assist you. Research fees apply, please refer to "Hours & Charges" at left for our current fees and opening hours. Please note that our research service extends only to our own holdings. For extended research (which will include our own resources) please see 'Extended Research' immediately below.

Extended Research :

Is your enquiry of a comprehensive nature and / or likely to extend beyond the holdings of the Archives Research Centre? We recommend the services of Research Write NZ who provide an independent and professional research service by undertaking an integrated search of all identifiable sources of regional Otago /Southland history. Click on the banner below for options and helpful examples :

Please Note :

Due to the amount of work involved in casual enquiries we regret that we are unable to supply any additional information from certificates or rolls without payment of either the standard charge to obtain a copy or transcript of the actual entry or payment of our minimum research fee.

What Information Can I Find and Where ? :

While marriage, baptism and communicant details are relatively easily found, our records can often additionally show a person's wider involvement within the various courts of the Church including more social based Church activities which were of interest to them. Thus you can gain a greater understanding not only of their spiritual beliefs but also of their general character and interests. We will assist you to make the best use of our records.

Presbyterian Marriages from 1848 to 1920 : Registers prior to 1880 when "The Marriage Act 1880" was passed record only the details of the bride and groom including the witnesses and place of marriage. Registers after about September 1880 record details for Parent's including the Father's profession, and the Mother's maiden name. Refer to "Marriage Indexes" link at left for a database of Otago & Southland Presbyterian marriages from 1848 to 1920 and a growing number of marriages for other regions. Marriages will now extend to 1930 for new Parish entries.

Presbyterian Marriages from 1920 onwards Not Listed On-line : Due to ever increasing privacy regulations, we are unable to place post 1930 entries on-line however we now hold a computer searchable database of many post 1920 marriages. We are happy to undertake a search of this database upon request. Please note that many Parish records, including Marriage Registers, are still held in regional repositories.

Communion Rolls & Registers : Dates held vary. A formal directive was issued in the 1890's for Parishes to keep proper Communion Rolls. Our "Lost Archives" page will often indicate if early Communion Rolls were not kept. The names and date of entry into the Church are usually recorded, occasionally including the name of a previous Parish, along with attendance dates and occasionally also departure dates, new Parish or date of death, if applicable. Should early Communion Rolls not exist, the name (only) may however have been recorded in the Session Minute Book upon becoming a full member of the congregation. Please note that some Church members may have been "Adherents" rather than full Communicant members. Adherents could not take Communion and would have had no voting rights or the right to sit on a Church Committee. "Adherent" Rolls were never kept.

Baptism Registers : The child's names are recorded along with the date of baptism. The parent's names and their occupations are normally noted. Baptism Registers are now slowly being indexed by volunteers into a searchable database. However, until this project is completed it will greatly assist us to know where someone was born in order to manually search through Parish Baptism registers or refer you to the appropriate regional archives repository..

Session Minute Books : Members present at meetings are noted. New Communicant members are often listed and discipline of Church members recorded. Permission for baptism had to be sought from Session if the parents were not Communicant members. Minutes moved and seconded by Session members during meetings are noted. A Minute of Appreciation or Memorial Minute will be noted for departing or deceased members, including the Minister.

Deacon's Court / Management Committee Minute Books : Members present at meetings are noted. Minutes moved and seconded by Deacon's Court / Committee members during meetings are noted. A Minute of Appreciation or Memorial Minute will be noted for departing or deceased members.

Women's Groups : The main Women's groups were the Presbyterian Women's Missionary Union (PWMU), Women's Fellowship, and Temperance (anti-drink) groups. Members present at meetings are noted. Minutes moved and seconded by Committee members during meetings are noted. A Minute of Appreciation or Memorial Minute will be noted for departing or deceased members.

Parish Histories : These can often provide a wealth of information. Session members (Elders) and Deacon's Court or Management Committee members including Presidents of Women's groups are usually named. Histories provide useful background information concerning Ministers, Church affairs, Church life, and activities as well as historical recollections from elderly or past members. Many histories contain printed photographs and images of Ministers, Church office bearers and past members.

Sunday School, Bible Class, Christian Endeavour, Girl's Auxiliary : The registers list names, attendance and occasionally any activity that the child or young adult undertook. Quite a few BIble Class Minute Books survive.

Band of Hope, Literary Clubs, Girls & Boys Clubs : These groups were less Church orientated and may include names of non-Church members.

Sustentation Fund Rolls : The Sustentation Fund was a general collection towards the upkeep of a Parish and Minister, particularly in rural Parishes. The collection books, if they survive, may record names of people who had little or no connection with the Church and can therefore often prove very useful. Obviously, the task of Parish Sustentation Roll collector was a somewhat onerous duty!

Photographs : The Archives holds a unique collection of over 80,000 photographic images, covering Parish activities throughout New Zealand, overseas and Maori Missionary activity, women's work, youth work and ordained Ministers and Deaconesses. Many of the earlier collections and most Parish collections (over 20,000 images) have now been described and the information input onto a fully searchable computer database. Please refer to our 'Photo Archives" at left for further details including a text -based search facility.

Lease Agreements (Dunedin / Taieri only) : Many suburban areas, including Caversham, North East Valley, Anderson's Bay, Kaikorai, as well as East Taieri, Mosgiel and the Taieri Plain contained large amounts of leasehold land owned by the Otago Presbyterian Church Board of Property. Lease agreements are held for these properties, some dating back to 1847.

Marriage entries from 1848 to 1920, including Communion and Baptism Rolls for the First Church of Otago in Dunedin may be accessed by clicking on the icon below.

Do You Require Advice on Genealogy Research ?

We recommend the New Zealand Society of Genealogists who have local branches throughout New Zealand, provide a wide range genealogy resources and advice on research, and promote the preservation and accessibility of information of interest to genealogists. Please note that they do not undertake research on your behalf.