Finding Your Presbyterian Whānau

Many of our enquiries at the Presbyterian Research Centre Archives come from people who are researching their family history. They want to find out about what life was like for their family in the past. Where did they live? What did they do? What was important to them?

If your family were Presbyterian, where can you find traces of them in the Archives?

The first place to look is in the marriage and baptism registers, but you may also find information about your whānau in communion or membership rolls, pew rental books, and lists of people who held important roles within the congregation, such as elders or deacons.

Mention of women can often be found in the membership lists and minute books of women’s groups such as the PWMU (Presbyterian Women’s Missionary Union) and the Women’s Fellowship. The names of children and young people can be found in Sunday School Rolls and membership lists for Busy Bees and Bible Class.

If your ancestor had a particular interest, such as singing or football, mention of them might be found in the records of parish choirs or sports teams.

Photographs can also be a great way of discovering family members. Many church groups had formal photographs taken, and where the sitters are named, they will be listed in our photograph database. Many of these photographs can also be found by searching our Recollect website: (Presbyterian Research Centre (recollect.co.nz).

If your ancestor was a minister or a deaconess there may be records relating to their training and their career in the ministry.

One of the first resources that people often look at are marriage registers. Prior to 1880 the record of a marriage will contain the names and signatures of the bride and groom, and of the minister, along with the signatures of two witnesses. It will also include the date that the marriage took place and its location. Often marriages took place in private homes or in the manse. This was the custom for Presbyterian marriages until the 20th century.

Other information includes the age of the bride or groom, although often this is only expressed as “Full”, meaning that they were over 21 and so legally an adult. There may also be information on their occupations.

The signatures on the record can be particularly interesting. By the mid 19th century the majority of people were literate but there are still marriage records where one or both parties will make their mark with an “X”, indicating that they were unable to write their name. Witnesses’ signatures may often include family members and this can give information about the movements of wider family.

Sadly no information is given about parents in these early marriage registers. After 1880  marriage records began to include a much wider range of information, including the birthplace and normal place of residence of both parties and the names of their parents. They also include the occupations of the bride and groom’s fathers and their mothers’ maiden names.

Email us at pcanzarchives@prcknox.org.nz to find out more about your Presbyterian whānau.