Welcome to the home page of the Ashburton Family History Group.                                      We are an enthusiastic bunch of family and local historians.                                                     Our member’s genealogy interests, branch Indexed records,                                                   family stories brick walls and resources are on this site.

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Who Are We

The Ashburton District Family History Group was established by a small group in 1979, meeting in each others homes until a public meeting in 1981 was called to form a group of like minded people interested in Family History.

The first meetings were held in a class room at St. Joseph’s School, then in Menorlue at the Ashburton College before moving to a room above the Public  Library.

When the Library needed the room for expansion, a move was made to the Tekau Cafeteria, upstairs in Elizabeth Street.

When we joined the New Zealand Society of Genealogists Incorporated, we changed our name to Mid Canterbury Group of NZSG, then to Mid Canterbury Branch of NZSG. 

In November 2007, it was decided to change our name to Ashburton District Family History Group and in January 2008, we became an Incorporated Society and registered with the Charities Commission.

With the proposed demolition of the Tekau Building in 2008, it was again time to find another home.  In July 2008, we shifted to a Council owned building in Cameron Street previously used by the Aoraki Polytech, while we waited for the new Art Gallery and Heritage Centre to be built.

Our final shift in January 2015 to 327 West Street in the Art Gallery and Heritage Centre, opening on 16th  February 2015

As the group has grown, it has acquired many resources to help with the search of Genealogy and Family History.

The main aims of our Branch are to provide the resources for people to research their family and social history, and to actively work towards the preservation of our District's records and its social history.

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Local transcribed records available in our Library are: Baptism, Marriage and Burial records for most of our District's Churches, School Admission Registers for our District's Schools and Headstone and Burial records for the District's Cemeteries.

Members have provided their Early Settlers Register to 1900 and Early 20th Century Mid-Canterbury Residents.

We have Cemetery Tour booklets for sale. 

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