New additions have been made to the Search the Archives section of the Auckland Council Archives website www.aucklandcouncil.govt.nz/councilarchives. There are new family history indexes and an updated digital version of the 1908 City of Auckland Map.
What are Indexes?
Many archival records contain interesting information about people, their occupations and location. Often these records weren’t created in a way that makes it easy to search for information about individuals, for instance information in ratebooks are often arranged by street address rather than alphabetical by owners names. Sometimes records are old and fragile, frequent handling can cause deterioration and endanger their long-term preservation.
To address these issues, Auckland Council Archives has an programme of creating indexes. An index is a selected archival record that has been partially or fully transcribed.
Ratebook Wairoa Road Board 1892-1897, TR32 Item 47 W2071 |
Council Archives is fortunate to have a small team of dedicated volunteers who work on transcribing original handwritten registers. As the original material is often handwritten and hard to read, once a transcription is complete another volunteer checks the transcript before it is converted into a database.
These Index databases help genealogists, social and local history researchers by providing “a way into” archival records making them searchable by keywords or names. The indexes allow researchers to discover a wide range of information about past residents of Auckland and the history of our city.
What is new?
The Auckland City Council Motor Register 1913-1919 is a new index database that has been added to our Family History resources. After a fatal accident involving a private motorist, By-Law Number 15 was passed in 1913 requiring drivers of private motor cars, motorcycles, taxicabs and delivery vans to be licensed. This Index database includes details of drivers including their name and address and type of vehicle, for drivers of taxis and delivery vans information such as age, height, eye and hair colour are included.
The Devonport Borough Council Packet and Publicans’ License Register (1905-1944) has been added to the Publicans’ License Index Database 1900-1962. This new register includes licenses for the Masonic and Esplanade hotels. It also contains packet licenses issued by Devonport Borough Council to vessels owned by Settlers' Steamship Company (later Northern Steam Ship Company). Packet ships are vessels that operated on regular routes carrying passengers, freight and mail packets from one port to another. A packet license authorised the master of a packet ship to sell liquor to passengers during the voyage.
The existing Auckland City Council Bicycle Register database has been updated to include the Bicycle Register from 1918-1923. From 1887, anyone wishing to ride a bicycle within the City of Auckland had to register his or her bicycle with the Town Clerk of Auckland City Council. The earliest register also includes bootblack licence registrations, bootblacks were people who made a living by polishing shoes on the street. This database includes people residing in greater Auckland area.
The Remuera Road Board Valuation Rolls index database has been expanded with the addition of the Valuation Roll index for 1912-1913. The Remuera Highway District Board was formed in 1863; this then became Remuera Road Board in 1883. Remuera Road Board was dissolved on 1 March 1915 when Remuera Road district amalgamated with Auckland City.
Other Indexes available online are:
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Auckland City Council Valuation Roll 1908-1909
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Burgess Rolls for City of Auckland 1872-1892
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Auckland City Council Engineers Department Register of Employees 1901-1930
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City of Auckland Licensing District Register of Applications 1901-1920
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Auckland City Council Property Book c1880
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Eden Terrace Road Board Valuation Rolls 1883-1903
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Karangahape Road Board Valuation Book 1883
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Lock Hospital Register Book 1883-1886
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Mount Albert Ratebooks 1867-1884
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Borough of Newton Valuation Lists 1887-1888
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Orakei Road Board Valuation Rolls 1912, 1920
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Otahuhu Cemetery Applications for Burial Warrants 1921-1925
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Otahuhu Borough Council Valuation Rolls 1886-1908
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Parnell Borough Council Valuation Lists 1897-1901
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Parnell Borough Council Ratebooks 1873-1875
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Ponsonby Highway District Board Valuation List 1882-1883
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Register of Burials Otahuhu Cemetery 1894-1922
Plan showing leaseholders from Auckland City Council Property Book c 1880 ACC 333 Item 1 Folio 9 |
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Register of Licenses: Drivers, Porters, Carriages, Carters & Private Carts 1895-1899
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Tamaki West Road Board Valuation Roll 1920
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Auckland City Council Wage Book for Men in Service in World War I 1916-1919
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Waikaraka Cemetery Record Book 1890-1906
How to Search Indexes
A simple search can be made across all of these index databases by using a person’s name. Each individual index database is also searchable by a variety of search terms such as name, location and date.
Auckland Council Archives is grateful to have a team of volunteers who so readily give up their time. Their efforts in transcribing material from our collections for the Indexes help to make Auckland Council Archives more accessible to the public.
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