New Zealand, Central Otago, Cemetery Gravestones - FamilySearch Historical Records

What is in This Collection?
This collection includes records from the years 1861-2009.

This collection contains an index with images of over 13,000 gravestones from 24 cemeteries in Central Otago, New Zealand. The images and index data were created by Bert and Pauline Miller over a period of 11 years.

Cemetery records may give more information than parish burial registers or civil certificates of death. They may include the name and age of the deceased, date of death, date and place of birth, names of parents and/or spouse, and marriage information. They may also provide clues about military service, religion, occupation, place of residence at time of death, or membership in an organization, such as a lodge.

Due to the late date of settlement of New Zealand by Europeans, cemetery records are a valuable and readily available source for research. There are two major types of cemetery records in New Zealand:
 * Information found on gravestones, and transcriptions of that information
 * Burial registers maintained by church or municipal cemetery officials

Individuals and societies in New Zealand are actively indexing cemetery records and are making their indexes available for family history research.

What Can These Records Tell Me?
The following information may be found in these records:

Cemetery
 * Name of deceased
 * Age at death
 * Cause of death
 * Headstone inscription
 * Previous occupation
 * Place of birth
 * Place of burial
 * Date of burial
 * Date of death
 * Next of Kin
 * Place of interment
 * Denomination

How Do I Search This Collection?
As you are searching it is helpful to know such information as your ancestor’s given name and surname, some identifying information such as residence and age, and family relationships. Remember that there may be more than one person in the records with the same name as your ancestor and that your ancestor may have used nicknames or different names at different times.

To search this collection, it would be helpful if you knew the following information:


 * Name of deceased
 * Approximate year and place of death
 * Cemetery

View the Images
View images in this collection by visiting the :
 * 1) Select Cemetery to view the images.

How Do I Analyze the Results?
Compare each result from your search with what you know to determine if there is a match. This may require viewing multiple records or images. Keep track of your research in a research log.

I Found the Person I Was Looking For, What Now?

 * Look for relatives that may be buried in adjoining plots
 * When possible, examine the original record
 * Copy the citation below, in case you need to find this record again later.
 * Use the age or estimated birth date to determine an approximate birth date to find church and vital records such as birth, baptism, marriage and death records.
 * Use the information in each record to find additional family members in the censuses.
 * Use the information found in the record to find land or probate records.

I Can’t Find the Person I’m Looking For, What Now?

 * Indexes and transcriptions may not include all the data found in the original records. You could browse through the original record collection at the [] which may help you find who you are looking for or provide additional leads.
 * If your ancestor does not have a common name, collect entries for every person who has the same surname. This list can help you find possible relatives.
 * If you cannot locate your ancestor in the locality in which you believe they lived, then try searching records of a nearby town or county.
 * Try different spellings of your ancestor’s name.

Research Helps
The following articles will help you in your research for your family in New Zealand.
 * Record Finder
 * Research Tips and Strategies

Citing This Collection
Citations help you keep track of places you have searched and sources you have found. Identifying your sources helps others find the records you used.