Welcome to the South Canterbury
NewZealandGenWeb Project
South Canterbury, New Zealand lies in the centre of the South Island bounded by the Rangitata River to the north and Waitaki River to the south and stretching from the east coast to the Southern Alps where Mount Cook dominates the range. The 5,276 square miles or 3,504,640 acres of land changes from plain to downland to foothills and mountains. The Mackenzie Basin has three large lakes Ohau, Pukaki and Tekapo that are all part of the Waitaki River catchment and contributes to the supply of water which provides electric power for the South Island. Industries include grain growing and sheep. The port of Timaru is a central multipurpose bulk handling facility. The foothills - Four Peaks, Hunter Hills, the hills behind Fairlie and the Two Thumb Range are often dusted with snow. Refresh page to view the images above - four of the photos are views on the opposite side of Four Peaks, the Fairlie Basin, looking back towards Four Peaks from Middle Rd, Sherwood Downs and a painting of the run "Ribbonwood" on the Two Thumb Range, Sherwood Downs, Fairlie. I am looking for three more photos on South Canterbury scenes, buildings, events etc. with similar dimensions. Images welcomed.
Maoris first
settled the area and there is only one Maori community
left in the region and that is at Arowhenua, which is located 1 km south of
Temuka. Timaru, which means "Place of Shelter" for Maori travellers canoeing
along the coastline was a whaling station in the 1830s. The Rhodes brothers
from Yorkshire, England established the Levels sheep run in 1850, the
Hornbrook brothers
took up Arowhenua in 1853,
Michael Studholme in
1854 established in the Waimate area.
John Acland and
Charles Tripp
established Mt Peel in
1856.
Cemetery databases online
- Waimate Cemeteries cemetery map online old database pdf March 2007
- Mackenzie District Council cemeteries database is online: Albury, Burkes Pass, Fairlie and Twizel
- Timaru District Council has made available online its database of burial records for the Arundel, Geraldine, Pareora West, Pleasant Point, Temuka and Timaru cemeteries. The information is updated weekly. Note some of DOD have been transposed. Month first.
Hint:
Construct your entry off line, do spell check, then cut and paste.
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Strathallan Anniversary Project 2009
As part of the 150th anniversary of the Strathallan's arrival in Timaru, New Zealand, in January 1859 it is hoped to bring together biographies for each of the passengers who disembarked at Timaru. There were about 100 passengers made up of about 27 married couples/families and 18 single persons so in researching this number I am very reliant on using others research, which of course would be acknowledged. I would be interested in family history for any of the Timaru passengers or passengers who landed at Lyttelton but came to the Timaru area and the runaway sailor who deserted in Lyttelton but also came to Timaru! Also interested in any family anecdotes, photos, documents, etc that could be used. The collected biographies will be published and be generally available, although the final form is yet to be decided. Contact: Alan F McKenzie 4 Braemar Place Timaru. Phone 03 6844913 or e-mail (please enter Strathallan in the subject area with Surname). Thanks.
Update 23 May 2008
The Strathallan Anniversary Project book manuscript along with illustrations is now being brought to publishable form by the staff at the South Canterbury museum. The museum will publish the book and it will be available at the time of the opening of their museum exhibition in November 2008 to commemorate the anniversary of the ship's arrival. It will be fully illustrated with over 100 photos, documents etc including a copy of an original painting of the Strathallan by Raymond Morris great grandson of immigrant John Morris the Strathallan diarist, artist and poet.
As the book is still being edited any additional information regarding the Strathallan immigrants and their families would still be welcome.South Canterbury War Memorial Project
Esk Valley War Memorial
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Mailing Lists
NZ Mailing List: A closed mailing list for anyone with a genealogical or historical interest in New Zealand. All subject lines include "[NZ]" and so easily filtered to a special folder for reading. Usually I am not subscribed but do browse the Archives daily and subscribe when I want to contribute. Approx. 15 messages daily. Replies may be made in the public forum or in private, depending on the nature (public interest) of the reply. To SUBSCRIBE or UNSUBSCRIBE from any RootsWeb-hosted mailing list, send an e-mail message with only the word SUBSCRIBE (or UNSUBSCRIBE) in the body of the message to [name of list] -L-request@rootsweb.com Leave subject blank. email for posting, only use if you are subscribed.
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Message Board: GEDCOM files and pictures can be attached, .JPG or .GIF format to a message. Maybe you have unidentified photos you would like to upload so that others might view and possibly identify or decipher the place, people, medal, signature, passenger list, etc. If you have a photo of an ancestor's headstone upload it when posting an obituary for that individual. RootsWeb genealogy mailing lists New Zealand mailing lists
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Please email me any photographs and old postcard images of South Canterbury for the site! Thanks. Adopt A Cemetery in South Canterbury
If just starting out on your genealogy quest
start with yourself and a
family group sheet,
pedigree chart
both (printable), and
work backwards. How
to advice. Cite all of your research sources. Obtain death notices and death
certificates. Check all the repositories:
Timaru District Library and the South Canterbury Museum for Timaru Herald
newspapers
Online cemetery listings etc. and the Museum
South Canterbury Branch of the NZSG for School Admission Registers. Their
library is at the Museum.
Archway
-
Christchurch Archives for wills
Land Information for Land Titles etc.
Papers Past - Daily Southern Cross, 20 August
1861, Page 3 Timaru
People in Canterbury and especially the Christchurch folk, seemingly know so
very little of the beginning and history of the off-shoots of their great city,
that I think a short description of Timaru, as being one of the most important,
may be of some little interest to your leaders. Twenty years since Timaru was
known as a whaling station, but the fishery has been discontinued for some
years, owing to the paucity of the fish off these coasts; the remains of the
whalers huts are still to be seen near to the present township.
In 1852, or 1853, the Messrs. Rhodes built their
station-house on the beach ; those gentlemen owning a large track of country
adjoining as sheep runs. This station-house, with its adjoining woolshed, was
all that Timaru consisted of till 1857, when a public house and store were
added. In the same years a Resident Magistrate was appointed, but it was in the
early part of 1859 that the township was fairly started. In January of that year
an immigrant vessel arrived in the roadstead direct from England, and deposited
on our beach over a hundred souls. With true Anglo-Saxon go-a-headism these
people set to work and soon built for themselves comfortable habitations, though
some of them were bitterly disappointed in their expectations of what they would
find in the colony ; and one old lady especially was sadly grieved, as she
stated, as her private opinion, she would be well satisfied if Timaru was but a
quarter of the size of London. Houses now began to rise rapidly on all sides,
and in January, 1860, instead of but three houses and sixteen souls, as in
December, 1858, there were between forty and fifty houses, with a population of
about 200. Last January there were over sixty houses, and I should think the
population had increased to at least 300. Our church commenced in April of last
year, was opened for service in December, and consecrated by the Bishop of
Christchurch last April. It is a pretty little edifice, capable of holding about
160 people, and reflects great credit on both the designer and the builders. It
was built by subscription, with aid from the government grant of £300. The total
cost was about £1,100, and with the exception of a very small sum (I believe but
£19), every debt connected with the building is paid off ; which I imagine is of
somewhat rare occurrence in the history of colonial churches.
About three-quarters of a-mile from shore there are heavy
moorings laid down capable of holding vessels of 1,000 tons; nearer in shore
there are moorings for lighter vessels. The anchorage in the roadstead is very
good ; as was proved last October, when the 'Wellington' was lying here in one
of the heaviest gales experienced off this coast for many years Timaru is about
110 miles S.W. of Christchurch, and with the exception of the crossings of the
rivers there is an uninterrupted good level load the whole distance till about
three miles from this, when the downs rise from the plain: these downs also
extend some considerable distance on all sides of the township. The present town
is built entirely on the Messrs. Rhodes land, in the government township there
being but a couple of buildings ; but if the government had but taken the
trouble of sinking a few wells on their own land a couple of years since, I know
for certain that many people would much, sooner have purchased their sections
there than in the adjoining land. The government were told of it at the time,
but nothing was done. Since the early part of 1859 there have been 3,850 acres
sold in this neighbourhood, 1,520 aces of which were taken near to the Arowenua
Bush, eleven miles distant; from which bush we get our supplies of sawn timber
and firewood. Near to the bush there is undoubtedly some splendid agricultural
land ; but the major part, at least of the best quality, I believe to be already
sold. With respect to our downs as agricultural land, I once heard an
experienced farmer say that he believed they would produce as fine wheat as any
land in the Province. A mill is about to be erected near to the Arowenua, which
will be a great boon to this district, as everyone is grumbling at the enormous
price of flour— fully 50 per cent, that he will find in Timaru every tradesman
he is likely to require for we boast of a couple of blacksmiths, a good
cabinetmaker, a painter, two or three good carpenters, a tailor, couple of
shoe-makers, and a butcher and baker of course; we can also readily procure
labourers, whose wages per man are 8s. a day. There are a couple of hotels in
the town— the Royal and the Timaru Hotel.
Some time since a petition, most numerously signed by the
inhabitants of this district, was forwarded to his excellency the Governor, to
get this port made a port of entry. I have been led to believe that the
custom-house office at Lyttelton has reported favourably on the matter, and if
so, in all probability, ere many weeks are over, we shall have this boon granted
us, which will be of great advantage to the district.
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My
viewers know more than I do. We are very interested in what you know. We want
to help you share. volunteer:
There are many opportunities for people to become involved in the GenWeb
Project which is dedicated to making genealogical information available online
for free. South Canterbury war memorial transcriptions, cemetery listings,
electoral rolls, Wises Directory information, school reunion announcements are
areas where you can get involved. Does not take any special skills other than
the desire to help others. Also looking for volunteers to do lookups in
genealogical material. If anyone knows of information sources for South
Canterbury or if you want to volunteer to help with lookups etc., please
send me an email note.
Keeping Internet Genealogy Free. If you have an interest in South Canterbury this site will be a good starting place. My mission is to provide local history and family history scholars information to help facilitate research. If you would like to contribute information to these pages, please email me.
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NZGenWeb Regional Projects are dedicated to the free exchange of public - domain records via the internet. Volunteer's are still needed to adopt other NZ regions. Contact Leith Hutton for details.
The view northwards across Lake Pukaki, in the Mackenzie
is dominated by the Southern Alps and the huge bulk of Mount Cook (3,754 m /
12,316'), forty miles away.
The South Canterbury NZGenWeb Project has no affiliation
with any commercial enterprise.
This site may be freely linked to but not duplicated in
any fashion without my consent except for private study. ©1998 - 2008 Olwyn
Whitehouse