Instead of continually updating the files listed on the left we have moved away from static screens to a dynamic (continually changing) system. Unfortunately this means it is no longer directly visible to browsers, but has the advantage that many people can work on the system at the same time, even while users undertake searches.

The original files have been left outside MOP so that anyone searching can still find them and discover the link to the MOP system portal. If you follow that link you will immediately arrive at a log-in page where you can easily use the identity Guest password guest to arrive at an entirely new menu.

You will immediately see that there is a lot more than cemetery headstones available; there are database listings for vessels, for their voyages, and for their passengers, then for where those same passengers were buried. In fact the whole structure is dedicated to following immigrants on their voyage and to their final settlement, then to where they were laid to rest.

Why have we done this? Previously we worked outwards from genealogy files, each of which had to be updated and so took up time. Today there are a great number of applications online to present family files and there are millions of people out there doing their own thing. We still do it, as an adjunct to the cemetery listings, and those files are available on request, but even those files are now made up of collections of threads rather than as monolithic structures.

Removing the genealogy reduced the workload and allowed us to concentrate on providing information that can be researched by multiple users simultaneously. We have tried to provide the information AND present the fascinating stories we run across in the process, presenting them here on the static part of the system.

When you first use the MOP screens for cemetery research you need to know that the cemeteries themselves are on a menu option that shows where they are and who might manage them, while the headstones entries are on another menu option and are grouped together. This means that as you use the search screens you need to know there are different ways to search. You can simply enter a surname (exact or otherwise) and find a list of all cemeteries where that name appears. You can also put the cemetery name itself in as a search target, but in that case you need to also select 'Cemetery' from the pull-down menu on the left of the search box. This will then make a list of all the interments recorded for the nominated cemetery...

The details in these files have been taken raw from headstones in various cemeteries, in both Australia and New Zealand. These lists were intended as resources for researchers and are generally limited to dates prior to 1945 except where a familial connection naturally extends forward in time. For dates later than that there are very complete official records which can be searched with reasonable confidence.

The lists are not complete, and as decribed above, we have now switched to directly entering into a live database; files are then automatically updated as more come to hand. Perhaps you might like to contribute from your own area...? The comments field is intended to assist researchers in cross-referencing family members, as considerably more detail is often included on a headstone than in records of the day.

Once in the selected file, use your browser 'find' feature to locate a specific name. Contact Alan if you have any queries or additional information.

All the data in all the files is now available in a live database format. Log in as GUEST here...
Once inside the system select Headstones and enter a cemetery name (for all listings in that cemetery) or a surname (for all instances of the name).

If you wish to become a contributor (with a higher level access) click on the link beside the SUBMIT button in the login screen. There are additional features available to higher level users.