The digitisation of Central Otago District Council cemeteries started several years ago and the online database contains records for the Ranfurly, Alexandra, Clyde, Omakau (Blacks), Nevis, Cromwell, Litany St (Cromwell) and Naseby cemeteries.
The public can search for relatives and people of interest online, meaning some of the older records are not just on paper, future-proofing the information.
The bulk of the work at Ranfurly was done by council cadet Jocelyn Ryan.
Much of her work included fact-checking records and making sure a plot’s name and the number of those buried matched the records.
Ms Ryan said the work to digitise the cemetery was "hugely" satisfying.
"I’m giving people a name since they no longer have a voice of their own."
At the Ranfurly Cemetery there was only one unknown grave where the occupant could not be identified, which was uncommon, according to the cemetery team.
Such a low number indicated excellent record keeping for the cemetery, which had its first burial on October 27, 1907.
The plot is in block3, in what was the Catholic part of the cemetery, in the northwestern corner.
The council asked anyone with information about the grave to get in touch.
Digitisation of Roxburgh Cemetery, which opened in 1860, was under way.
The records up to 1901 were lost in a fire many years ago.
Records for the 1901-80 period were tricky to decipher and sometimes incorrect, making identification difficult.
"We’re expecting this project to be a lot more challenging because of the age of the information and because the cemetery is a lot older," Ms Ryan said.
St Bathans Cemetery will be digitised next.
— Staff reporter
