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NEW ZEALAND SOCIETY of GENEALOGISTS (Inc.)
SOUTHLAND BRANCH

At 46° 25´ South latitude, this is the
southern-most Branch in New Zealand


Contents of this Site  (last amended 5 August 2009)


ABOUT THE BRANCH

Branch Postal Address :   PO Box 1329, Invercargill 9840.
Email:  Southland@genealogy.org.nz

Secretary Ms Lesley Instone 03-217 8825 (evenings)

The Southland Branch, established in 1969, draws its members from Invercargill and the rural localities nearby  -   Bluff, Hedgehope, Pahia, Riverton, Tussock Creek, Makarewa, Wallacetown.   The Convenor (Roger Washbourn) is assisted by a committee of up to 9 members, and organises regular monthly meetings with speakers or visits, and when research facilities are open. Members receive a periodic magazine 'Branch Lines'  - the Convenor is the Acting Compiler pro tem (and is always grateful for contributions).

Later this year, the Branch will be celebrating its 40th Anniversary - it was formed on 19 November 1969. An anniversary dinner is to be held on Saturday 31 October 2009 at the Cabbage Tree Restaurant at Otatara. Watch this space for further information.  Former members are invited to contact the Secretary so they may be advised of celebrations.

Neighbouring Branches or Local Area Contacts of the Society are located at Te Anau, Winton, Gore and Alexandra, with others in the southern region at Balclutha, Cromwell, Dunedin, Mosgiel, Oamaru and Wanaka.   See the Society's website for contact people and details of meetings of these Branches.   Visitors and/or intending members are welcomed at these meetings.

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BRANCH MEETINGS

Third Wednesday of each month February~November inclusive, at 7.30 p.m.   Speakers and Research.
From February 2008, the Branch has been meeting in the Invercargill Public Library.  Meetings will be in the Meeting Room, (1st Floor),  Invercargill Public Library,   50 Dee Street (central city),  Invercargill.   For non-Branch members there is a $3 door charge.  Visitors welcome.

BRANCH MEETING PROGRAMME FOR 2009

(This is provisional, as it is subject to the availability of some speakers.)
TBC = to be confirmed.

All meetings commence at 7.30pm.
February 2009 Wednesday 18 February Review of AFFHO Congress [Lesley Instone annd Eleanor Easton].  
March Saturday 21 March Family History Month : Historic Cemeteries Conservation Trust of NZ. [Stewart Harvey, Dunedin].  Public Library, 2pm.
April Wednesday 15 April Southland's Archives and Oral History. [Rebecca Smith and Rebecca Amundsen - Library staff]
May Wednesday 20 May Branch AGM. Genealogical/Historical 20 Questions [Lloyd Esler, Otatara].  
June Wednesday 17 June Genealogical Computing [Ian Joll GCG - demonstrations]  
July Wednesday 15 July Southland's Museum Resources [Jo Massey; Councils' Roving Museums Officer].  
August Wednesday 19 August Memorabilia : 'Show and Tell' [Branch members].  
September Wednesday 16 September How to File your Family Tree [NZSG Councillor Pauline Miller]. 
October Wednesday 21 October Visit to a rural museum [Details TBC].  
  Saturday 31 October 40th Anniversary Dinner. Cabbage Tree Restaurant, Otatara.  (6.30pm).  
November Wednesday 18 November Programme for 2010 [Branch Committee and Members].  

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MEMBERSHIP

If you have ever wondered about your family history, where you came from, and how to trace your ancestors, then you should join the NZ Society of Genealogists.   There are meetings each month, research material to study, and enthusiastic members to provide guidance and assistance.

Join the Southland Branch if you live in Invercargill or the surrounding districts.   Subscriptions (yearly from April to the following March) are Single  $25,  Double $35.  Meetings are held as above (see section on Meetings).  Members have access to reference material in the research room, and receive a periodic newsletter 'Branch Lines'.

You should consider joining the national body also   -   the  New Zealand Society of Genealogists.  A separate subscription is required;   there are four membership categories.  The benefits come from the Society's magazine (The New Zealand Genealogist) every two months, access to a much greater range of resources and postal research services, and an annual conference often with overseas speakers brought here.   The NZ Society has an extensive website where you can find details about membership.  Application forms can be downloaded from the Society's website, are available from the Southland Branch Secretary, or by writing to :

New Zealand Society of Genealogists Inc.
PO Box 14036
Panmure
Auckland 1741.

The NZ Society of Genealogists has its headquarters in the Family Research Centre, 159 Queens Road, Panmure, Auckland 1072. The Centre is open daily 10am~4pm except Tuesdays, Sundays and Public Holidays - but check details as these hours may change.

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BRANCH RESOURCES

The Research Room/Library on the 1st Floor in the Invercargill Public Library will be open at the following times (except for late December and early January):

First Wednesday of each month 10am - 12 noon
Third Wednesdays (Branch meeting nights) 6pm - 7.30pm
Last Saturday of each month 10am - 12 noon

The facilities are freely available to financial members of the Southland Branch; visitors may be expected to pay a day fee for access. Most of the book library material is REFERENCE ONLY, however some books and magazines may be borrowed - ask the Librarian Mary Murray for details.

Microfiche and library resources include -

  • New Zealand Births, Deaths and Marriages (full indices up to 1920)
  • New Zealand and Australian shipping lists
  • Local cemetery headstone transcriptions
  • Local school admission indexes
  • Collection of CD ROMs, including some census records from the United Kingdom and Australia in the late to mid 1800's, The National Burial Index for England and Wales and the British Isles Vital Records Index.

Branch members are working on the following projects -

  • Southland school admission registers.
  • Cemetery memorial inscriptions.
  • The Southland Early Settlers Register for Pre-1900 families.
  • The Southland Times deaths and births indexes.
    • Death indexes available: 1971 to 2008
    • Birth indexes available: 1969 to 1971 and 1991 to 2008.

Research enquiries : Please address all correspondence to the Secretary at P.O. Box 1329, Invercargill 9840.  A stamped self-addressed envelope and a donation to cover expenses for research enquiries should be enclosed if you expect/require a reply.

Forms and Charts for genealogists : Standard genealogy forms and charts are available to download from the NZSG website - click here to go directly to that page.

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OTHER GENEALOGICAL RESOURCES

Please note :
  1. The lists below do not attempt to be exhaustive - they are a summary of the major repositories in Invercargill of interest to genealogists.  A comprehensive list of Southland resources is contained in the Regional Research Repositories in New Zealand Series (Series Editor: Heather Bray) published by the NZSG in 2005. The booklet "Researching in Southland" is available for reference in the Southland Branch Library, or can be purchased from NZSG Auckland for $7.50.
  2. Many of Southland's official records are held at National Archives in Dunedin, and may be worth an enquiry.  Ask for "A Guide to Family History Sources at the Dunedin Regional Office of National Archives" (April 1998) for a summary of their holdings.

  • Bluff Maritime Museum -  241 Foreshore Road, Bluff 9814.   Ph. 03-212 7534.  The Museum is home to an extensive collection of models, boats, displays, photographs and documents of the maritime history of the Bluff/Foveaux Strait area.   The Museum is not equipped to answer genealogical enquiries. All shipping lists etc. are held in the Invercargill Public Library, so please direct enquiries to the Library (see below).

  • Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints - Family History Center, 205 North Road, Waikiwi, Invercargill 9810.  Contact : Mr James Stapleforth (Ph. 03-215 7682 - on Wednesdays, Thursdays and Saturdays only; 10a.m.~1p.m.). Other times by appointment.

    • Access to Church records on fiche and microfilm.

  • Invercargill City Council (Parks Division) - Private Bag 90104, Invercargill 9840.  Administers several cemeteries. Office on-site in the Eastern Cemetery, located at the corner of Rockdale and East Roads.  Contact : The Cemetery Attendant.   Ph./Fax 03-217 8362.   Website:  www.icc.govt.nz (see under Services/Cemeteries) Email:  cemeteries@icc.govt.nz

    • Database for Invercargill Cemeteries (from early 1860's) - Eastern Cemetery, St Johns Cemetery (Waikiwi), and the Invercargill Crematorium.
    • Database for Bluff Cemeteries - Bluff and Greenpoint.

  • Invercargill Public Library - 50 Dee Street, Private Bag 90111, Invercargill 9840.  Ph. 03-211 1444. Website:  www.ilibrary.co.nz   Contact : Ms Linda Te Au (Information Services).  Email:  info@ilibrary.co.nz  Prior advice of visits appreciated.

    • New Zealand BDM's Indexes (on fiche) - full indices to 1990.
    • NZ Cemeteries Indexes (NZSG: on fiche; North and South Islands.)
    • Ancestry database (In-library use only.)
    • NZ Electoral Rolls (from 1865, but incomplete series) on fiche.
    • Stone's Otago and Southland Directories 1885-1954.
    • Newspapers - The Southland Times (Morning) 1862~present.
    • Newspapers - The Southland Daily News (Evening) 1861~1968.
    • Newspapers - The Otago Daily Times (Morning) 1861~1876.
    • Newspapers - The Southern Cross (Weekly) 1893~1946.
    • Bluff Passenger Arrivals Card Index.
    • Southland Schools Records - please enquire.

  • Southland District Council - 15 Forth Street, PO Box 903, Invercargill 9840.  Phone 0800 732 732 Fax 0800 732 329.   Website: www.southlanddc.govt.nz   Email: emailsdc@southlanddc.govt.nz

    • Cemetery Database of cemeteries in the Southland District area (excludes Invercargill City and Gore Sistrict Cemeteries).  The cemetery database is now available online on the Southland District Council website: www.southlanddc.govt.nz. Contact Knowledge Management Department for further information.
    • Archival repository for the Southland District Council and its predecessor agencies including Southland County Council, Wallace County Council, Stewart Island County Council and Winton Borough Council. Archives are open by appointment only. Contact Knowledgement Management Department for further information, or email archives@southlanddc.govt.nz

  • Southland Museum and Art Gallery - Queens Park, 108 Gala Street, PO Box 1012, Invercargill 9840.   Phone 03-218 9753 Fax 03-218 3872.  Website: www.southlandmuseum.com  Email:  office@southlandmuseum.co.nz   Visits by appointment please.

    • Photographic archives - early Southland (many not yet catalogued).
    • Selected Stone's Otago and Southland Directories
    • Military rolls of various early volunteer groups
    • Various personal archives of Southland people
    • - and more : please see website for a list of resources.

  • Wallace Early Settlers Museum/Te Hikoi - Southern Journey - 170-172 Palmerston Street, Riverton 9654.  Phone 03-234 8260.  Fax 03-234 8520. Website: tehikoi.co.nz/index.html    Open daily 10am~4.30pm.  Admission: Adults $12; Senior Citizens $9; Family $25.  Contains holdings relating to the Western Southland District. Research is limited, and each enquiry is charged on assessment. The Wallace Early Settlers open their research room between 1:30 and 4:00 daily. After hours by arrangement : Alastair McLachlan,  phone 03-234 8698. Resources include -

    • Riverton Post Office BDMs 1861~1920;  Winton Post Office BD and intention to marry 1874~1986.
    • Ruapuke registers 1848~1884.
    • Western Districts cemetery records.
    • Western Star  newspaper, most copies 1873 to 1942.
    • School rolls, Western District Schools ( approximately 28 schools).
    • Local histories and early family files.
    • Photographic archives - portraits of early pioneer residents and numerous early photos.

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COMPUTERS in GENEALOGY

The New Zealand Society of Genealogists fosters a Genealogical Computing Special Interest Group;  nationwide there are 11 sub-groups.   Members have a particular interest in the use of home PC's for recording their family history on one of several programs specifically written for maintaining a genealogical database and presenting information in a variety of ways. The Genealogical Computing Group annual subscription is $15; a quarterly magazine 'GenCom News' is produced for its members. To visit their website,  click here.

There is an active sub-group in Invercargill, which meets regularly to discuss, demonstrate, and learn more about computers in genealogy.   Recent meetings have seen demonstrations and discussions of genealogy software, digital image photography, GEDCOM, basic web page construction, computer housekeeping, and utilities. A regular 'Problem Corner' attemps to solve members' current problems to the best of collective experience.

The Invercargill Sub-group meets on the fourth Thursday of each month, at 7.30pm, in the SeniorNet Rooms on the ground floor of the Southland Education Building (formerly the WEA building), 100 Esk Street, Invercargill.   Admission is $2 per meeting (to cover room hire and supper). Anyone interested in combining genealogy and computers is welcome.

The Convenor of the Invercargill Sub-group is Ian Joll, Ph. 03-217 2152.

COMPUTER GROUP PROGRAMME FOR 2009
(This is subject to the availability of some speakers.)
February Thursday 26 February  A look at Open Office [Ian Joll]
March Thursday 26 March  Demonstration - Family Tree Maker [Jim McArthur and Ray Watt]
April Thursday 23 April  Annual Meeting. Interesting NZ Internet sites [All Members]
May Thursday 28 May  Demonstration - PAF [Roger Washbourn and Helen Hall]
June Thursday 25 June  Interesting UK Internet Sites [All Members]
July Thursday 23 July  Demonstration - GenoPro and Legacy [Ian Joll and Roger Washbourn].
August Thursday 27 August  Interesting World Internet Sites [All Members]
September Thursday 24 September  Demonstration - Brothers Keeper [Glenis Lemon and Others]
October Thursday 22 October  Using a Web Generator to make Family Tree CD's [Ian Joll]
November Thursday 26 November  Programme for 2010. [Convenor]

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USEFUL LINKS

Here is a selection of links to other websites  -   mostly genealogy, a mix of traditional and useful, and a few about the attractions of Southland province.

Return to Contents  (Trailers follow below.)


Spirit of Southland Catlins Coastal Heritage Trail Visit Rakiura (Stewart Island)! Hump Ridge Track
Cyndi's List

The Southland Branch Committee approved this as an official site on 23 May 2001.
This is version 3.8 of the homepage;   it is under continuing development.
The author is Roger Washbourn (NZSG Member) who would welcome advice of errors and omissions.
Please report any broken links to the author.
Page format last amended 6-Feb-2003.

Arachnophilia 4.0   (This little guy helped.)