New Zealand help please

[kiterunner]

Isabel(la) Bristow was born in Bermondsey, London, in 1858, daughter of Robert James Bristow and Laura nee Gaunt. She is with them on the 1871 census in Camberwell, London, but I can't find her on any British census after that date.

I know that some of her brothers and sisters emigrated to NZ and I've found a death on the NZ online BMD's, 1943 Isabel Bristow age 85. Ancestry has a UK incoming passenger list entry as follows:


August 1927, S.S. Corinthic (White Star Line) from New Zealand to Southampton, names and descriptions of British passengers: Miss Isabel Bristow, proposed address London, age 67, country of last permanent residence New Zealand, country of intended future permanent residence Other British Empire / Foreign Countries.

If I ordered her death certificate, would it give her parents' names to confirm it's my Isabel? And is there anything else I can look up apart from getting the death cert, for instance passenger lists going to NZ? (She would have left the UK too early the first time to be on findmypast's lists, and I can't see her return trip after 1927 on there).

[kiterunner]

Oh wait, having posted that, I have found her trip back to NZ on findmypast, I forgot to check for listing by initial. Miss I Bristow, age 70, occupation Lady, ship Tainui 124507, 12 Jul 1929 port of departure Southampton, destination port Wellington, New Zealand.

But anything else I can look up?

[KiwiChris]

New Zealand death certificates generally contain much more information than UK ones, but it does depend on how much the person registering the death knows. They should have parents names, where born, how long in NZ. So if the person registering the death had that information it should be there. Having said that, the one person I knew the least about had his death registered by some unknown person who answered "don't know" to all those questions.

Archway may be worth a look http://archway.archives.govt.nz/ There may be a will or other mention. If you find anything there let me know, I am going to Wellington in a few weeks and could look in at the archives and pick anything up for you.

There are some cemetery records here http://christchurchcitylibraries.com/Resources/NewZealand/History/FamilyHistory/Cemeteries/

Try Wellington, Upper Hutt, Kapiti Coast, Masterton unless you know for sure where she lived, they are all the lower North Island.

The only other useful information could be the electoral roll which is not online but if you find a cemetery record to give us an idea of the area I can go and check those for you.

[kiterunner]

Ooh, thanks for that, Chris. I can't see a will listed for her, but I found her in the cemetery records, Karori, Isobel Bristow 4th Oct 1943 age 85. Edward Bolton Bristow is at Bolton St., but Henry and "Louisa" Ann (should be Laura) Kember are at Karori. If Isobel is my Isabella, then Laura was her sister.

[KiwiChris]

OK, so they were all in the central Wellington area. I can check electoral rolls for you. It sounds as thogh her sister was living quite close so may well have filled in the death registration, so you should be able to confirm with the death certificate.

[kiterunner]

Thanks, Chris, that's very kind of you.

[kiterunner]

It sounds as thogh her sister was living quite close so may well have filled in the death registration, so you should be able to confirm with the death certificate.

Laura actually died before Isobel but maybe it will be another relative on the death cert.

[JayG]

I got the death certs of 2 great great aunts & their spouses, all the deaths were registered by the undertakers :confused: