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Research in Other Countries => New Zealand => New Zealand Completed Requests => Topic started by: Thamesite2017 on Monday 17 January 11 04:56 GMT (UK)

Title: Freeholders of NZ 1882 Question *COMPLETED*
Post by: Thamesite2017 on Monday 17 January 11 04:56 GMT (UK)

Has anyone used and understand what this freeholders list was all about?

Just looking at some names and says they own land
but this certainly wasn't mentioned on the 1881 electoral roll

Wondering where info came from? and can it be followed up at all

Bye
Althea


.....just found this site
http://www.genealogyhub.com/databases/webdata_freeholders.pl?cgifunction=user
that has a search engine, although its not showing the names I have on my page that had been copied

Title: Re: Freeholders of NZ 1882 Question
Post by: spades on Monday 17 January 11 07:08 GMT (UK)

Hi althea,

I have the same problem. I think the search function is defunct.

Freeholders of New Zealand 1882  is a list of those who owned land and therefore were eligible to vote.The NZSG have published this database in CD-ROM format.

Spades

Title: Re: Freeholders of NZ 1882 Question
Post by: ellipitt on Monday 17 January 11 13:23 GMT (UK)

Hi Althea

Stretching the grey matter to some research I did about 25 years ago, the '1882 Freeholders Index' original returns were destroyed once the Index was (eventually) published.  (They probably went up in smoke along with that year's census returns!).
It was a big undertaking for its time but it allowed the Government of the day to get some sort of fix on the ownership and value of land throughout the country. It had nothing to do with voting and everything to do with the potential to tax landowners - as the government still likes to do!!

Many of the 'freeholders' listed would have been unable to vote in any case - owners included women, businesses/companies, organisations, deceased estates, people who lived overseas - and, in some cases, had never lived in NZ, and minors (under 21 years of age).

It is a good 'snapshot' of the country at the time without ploughing thru' electoral rolls and directories. In slightly earlier electoral rolls, if you owned land in an electorate, you could vote there. So one person could be listed in 3 or 4 electorates because of their land ownership - if you're lucky, you'll prise the legal description of the land from the electoral rolls.

Best wishes
Elli

Title: Re: Freeholders of NZ 1882 Question *COMPLETED*
Post by: chazzero on Saturday 03 March 12 00:07 GMT (UK)

The Freeholders of New Zealand, 1882 is now available online