Early Settler’s Roll
This roll has lists of early settlers and descendants for the Auckland Province up to 1852 and was produced and published for the 1940 centenary celebrations by the Auckland Provincial Centennial Council
Whilst a very important document care must be taken with the data as there are numerous mistakes. In particular there are many incorrect entries for arrivals on specific ships and for dates of arrivals.
The Auckland Public Library has at least two copies of the ESR. Both of these have a forward added by an Auckland Librarian in 1970? which provides an overview of the ESR material and in particular is critical of the process and the accuracy of the editing of the ESR. One of these copies, in a blue cover, has extensive editing of the entries. (these annotations will be noted in the pre-1846 database as time permits).
The ESR was prepared by Mr Forbes EADIE using a number of sources.
Unfortunately after the compiler died the original source materials used for compiling the ESR were destroyed by his family.
The main sources were:
- Brett’s Historical Series
- Jubilee Gathering of Old Colonists -1892
- Responses by descendants to requests for information made over radio and in the newspapers at the time. (circa 1940).
Jubilee Gathering of Old Colonists
This list contains 802 names of people who has arrived in NZ prior to 1843 and who were alive in 1892. ( although in fact some listed were already deceased). The data is generally more accurate than that included in the ESR given that the information mostly came from ‘Old Colonists” still living in 1892. Unfortunately many of the names and maiden names of the wives is not included.