I have records of an infant relative buried at Purewa. "Purchas, Henry M". The records state that he was an infant when buried in February 1902. However there are no records of a birth on the NZ BDM site. Maybe he was a stillborn? As the Purchas family had a number of child bearing couples at the time, I can't identify who the exact parents were. Purewa have no further info.

Do the experienced genealogists have any tips as where to next? I've run out of ideas.

Edited by l8apex at 11:50 am, Wed 20 Feb

l8apex - 2019-02-20 11:50:00

This message was deleted.

mixel - 2019-02-20 13:47:00

The foetus has to have reached a certain number of weeks before it can be registered as a stillbirth

fastpostie - 2019-02-20 15:15:00

Purewa told me he was buried with no warrant. It seems strange to give him a name and have no other record. His grandfather was an Anglican clergyman so maybe they felt it was ok to do it this way. I may never know.

l8apex - 2019-02-20 16:34:00

Other possibilities are that the birth was extra marital or could have been born in another country with the body returned to NZ.

l8apex - 2019-02-20 16:39:00

Did you eliminate the other person buried in that plot as the possible father?

amasser - 2019-02-21 13:19:00

If a baby does not draw a breath it is not registered as born, so in turn there is not death recorded BUT all births are recorded at the courthouse, if born in a maternity annexe they have a legal obligation to notify the court that a birth happened, it goes to lala land after that. I went into this a few years ago even down to getting police reports, check out the court records for that time, there must be something there.

Edited by flora11 at 1:44 pm, Thu 21 Feb

flora11 - 2019-02-21 13:43:00

It works on gestation, In the 70s it was a baby under 28wks was considered a stillborn and so the birth and details were not registered, As the New born units were saving more babies from the 26th week on the law was then changed to being 26 wks. I dont think its been taken down to 24wks even tho some babies do survive etc. these days
I lost a baby back in the 70s and didnt realise it had to be registered as even tho not compatible with life, she was taken and buried with no records that we know of in a communal grave somewhere in Hamilton.
I am guessing it would need to be worked out if tit was into a communal grave then a still born but if a plot of its own then I am guessing records might be missing. Say it died within the 3mths of birth and they 'forgot' to register the birth, or realise it had to be done, Especially as he has a name recorded as a death.
Possible to have been born overseas maybe??

arabelle - 2019-02-21 16:28:00

Here is the Purewa entry https://trademe.tmcdn.co.nz/photoserver/full/977864686.jpg

The plot is attributed to Dr Arthur Challinor Purchas. He is buried there with his sister and two infants. One is his niece, but the entries for both infants look like they were written at the same time even though he died 4 years later. Dr Purchas lost a young daughter to Scarlet fever in the Suez canal area in 1900, but I think he was back in NZ by 1902. The two plots have 11 family members interred.

Edited by l8apex at 10:48 pm, Thu 21 Feb

l8apex - 2019-02-21 22:47:00

flora11 wrote:

If a baby does not draw a breath it is not registered as born, so in turn there is not death recorded BUT all births are recorded at the courthouse, if born in a maternity annexe they have a legal obligation to notify the court that a birth happened, it goes to lala land after that. I went into this a few years ago even down to getting police reports, check out the court records for that time, there must be something there.

I can’t eliminate the male buried in the same plot as I know one infant in the plot isn’t his and there were other fertile couples in the family at that time.

l8apex - 2019-02-21 22:50:00

I have some live births varying from 1 hour to 1 month that I cant find. One I found buried with a grandparent, but no birth or death registrations.

landylass - 2019-02-21 23:49:00

My "stillbirth" was just in the surname not with his christian name. Found it after a lot of looking this was in 1884 in Southland.

kiwiwendy - 2019-02-22 07:04:00

kiwiwendy wrote:

My "stillbirth" was just in the surname not with his christian name. Found it after a lot of looking this was in 1884 in Southland.

Any Southland tips to pass on? I'm taking my Father back to Gore, Riverton and Invercargill in October so he can pass on his genealogy info.

l8apex - 2019-02-22 08:59:00

l8apex wrote:

Here is the Purewa entry https://trademe.tmcdn.co.nz/photoserver/full/977864686.jpg

The plot is attributed to Dr Arthur Challinor Purchas. He is buried there with his sister and two infants. One is his niece, but the entries for both infants look like they were written at the same time even though he died 4 years later. Dr Purchas lost a young daughter to Scarlet fever in the Suez canal area in 1900, but I think he was back in NZ by 1902. The two plots have 11 family members interred.

Questions; 1/ doesn't 'Infant', with forenames, imply that it wasn't a still-birth?
2/ does the 'still-birth' relate only to Roche?
3/ Is the second initial possibly W? Hard to decide without enlargement. Could it then be Walter Henry, born 1897, but with names reversed?

amasser - 2019-02-22 12:17:00

1. It implies to me that it wasn’t a still-birth
2. Yes, the still-birth refers to Roche
3. Cursive is difficult to decipher. I think it’s a ‘m’ based on the similarity with the ‘m’ in Mary further up. Dr AC Purchas had a brother, Henry Martyn Purchas who died in 1884, so that’s my guess for ‘m’

l8apex - 2019-02-22 20:13:00

I found the Roche child in Papers Past. Still-born on 25/4/1898, which makes it seem even more unusual that a cousin has no birth or death notice

l8apex - 2019-02-22 22:01:00

18apex - are you interested in attending a meeting of the genealogy group while you are here in the south? Also depends on what you want to see. If you are going to cemeteries do you home work before you arrive so you know the plot number and saves time.

kiwiwendy - 2019-02-23 07:10:00

kiwiwendy wrote:

18apex - are you interested in attending a meeting of the genealogy group while you are here in the south? Also depends on what you want to see. If you are going to cemeteries do you home work before you arrive so you know the plot number and saves time.

We don’t have time for meetings as such. My father will take me to the important family places in Southland, then off to Dunedin for a couple of nights. It’s more about any museums or local history collections that we might be able to visit.

l8apex - 2019-02-24 21:07:00

Well not that I am aware of. The library has information. Smaller places have info at the museums. Our museum is closed at present. Museum World is amazing for trucks etc and Motorcycle Mecca has amazing old motorbikes not family history but awesome to see.

kiwiwendy - 2019-02-25 05:45:00

Thanks anyway.

l8apex - 2019-02-25 10:12:00

arabelle wrote:

It works on gestation, In the 70s it was a baby under 28wks was considered a stillborn and so the birth and details were not registered, As the New born units were saving more babies from the 26th week on the law was then changed to being 26 wks. I dont think its been taken down to 24wks even tho some babies do survive etc. these days
I lost a baby back in the 70s and didnt realise it had to be registered as even tho not compatible with life, she was taken and buried with no records that we know of in a communal grave somewhere in Hamilton.
I am guessing it would need to be worked out if tit was into a communal grave then a still born but if a plot of its own then I am guessing records might be missing. Say it died within the 3mths of birth and they 'forgot' to register the birth, or realise it had to be done, Especially as he has a name recorded as a death.
Possible to have been born overseas maybe??

I think the new criteria (and ( don't recall where I think I found this information) is that if the baby is over 400g or the pregnancy is 20 or more weeks gestation the birth must be registered.

4pc - 2019-02-25 16:27:00

Have you looked in the deaths for a stillborn? Stillborns registered as deaths not births. I have one in 1928 and was found. My mother sister. My mother told me her name, but it was not listed on the registration. Found on BDMs on line for New Zealand.

globetrotters10 - 2019-08-09 18:19:00

Not really NZ but in my mothers family (Australia) there is an older sibling named on her both certificate but baby died. there is no birth or death certificate thought, or cemetery records. We believe baby was born on ship post WW1 coming back from England to Australia but there is no record of any births or deaths of infant on board ship. We do know Mums mum spent a few days in a hotel in South Africa on journey home . We wonder if she gave birth then and baby died there. She was a war bride and it was a troopship and was not allowed to be with her husband on the ship

aromatherapy - 2019-08-09 18:44:00

First name(s) Henry M
Last name Purchas
Age not stated
Occupation Infant
Birth year 1902
Birth place not stated
Last residence not stated
Death year 1902
Possible cause of death not stated
Undertaker name not stated
Burial date 27 Feb 1902
Grave contents Body
Burial number 2279
Area D
Row 022
Plot 042
Purchaser of plot Dr A C Purchas
Country New Zealand
Record set Purewa Cemetery Burials

carbs51 - 2019-08-10 16:07:00

First name(s) Arthur Challinor
Last name Purchas
Age 81
Occupation Medical Practitioner
Birth year 1860
Birth place NZ
Last residence Old Bridge Rd, Panmure
Death year 1941
Possible cause of death not stated
Undertaker name Watney Sibun
Burial date 25 Jun 1941
Grave contents Body
Burial number 12418
Area D
Row 022
Plot 042
Purchaser of plot Dr A C Purchas
Country New Zealand
Record set Purewa Cemetery Burials

carbs51 - 2019-08-10 16:08:00

First name(s) Charles Edward
Last name Purchas
Age 43
Occupation Solicitor
Birth year 1863
Birth place Auckland
Last residence Epsom
Death year 1906
Possible cause of death Result of injuries
Undertaker name T J McIvor
Burial date 19 Apr 1906
Inscription
ILMO Ethel Mildred KISSLING youngest daughter of Arthur and Olivia PURCHAS d 9.8.51 a 83 and her husband John Charles Evanson KISSLING d 10.9.54 a 82 ILMO Arthur Guyon PURCHAS born 27 Sep 1821 d 28 May 1906 also Olivia his wife born 7 Dec 1824 d 21 Jun 1904. Agnes Olivia 21 Jan 1849 - 1 Apr 1878. Charles Edward Feb 2 1863 - 17 Apr 1906 and their children Mary Ann 1 May 1850 - 20 Sep 1850, Arthur Guyon 11 Jan 1847 - 17 Apr 1855.
Grave contents Body
Burial number 3286
Area D
Row 022
Plot 041
Purchaser of plot Rev Dr Purchas
Country New Zealand
Record set Purewa Cemetery Burials

carbs51 - 2019-08-10 16:11:00

First name(s) George Henry Arthur
Last name Purchas
Age 75
Occupation Surveyor
Birth year 1858
Birth place Auckland
Last residence 208 Remuera Rd
Death year 1933
Possible cause of death Cancer
Undertaker name Watney Sibun
Burial date 5 Jul 1933
Grave contents Body
Burial number 10578
Area D
Row 022
Plot 083
Purchaser of plot Rev Dr Purchas
Country New Zealand
Record set Purewa Cemetery Burials

carbs51 - 2019-08-10 16:13:00

Do you know which church they were attached to? maybe a search of the Anglican records would show more

carbs51 - 2019-08-10 19:22:00

l8apex wrote:

Any Southland tips to pass on? I'm taking my Father back to Gore, Riverton and Invercargill in October so he can pass on his genealogy info.

I strongly recommend the family research centre at Te Hikoi museum in Riverton. My maternal grandmother and her family (Slaughter and Riddell) were from Orepuki and Riverton, and I managed to find a number of details when I visited. I would be a good idea to email in advance as it is staffed by volunteers, and with a bit of advance warning they might be able to locate information for you.

pasadena1 - 2019-08-20 18:08:00