Cook Islands Church Records

Cook Islands Wiki Topics
Beginning Research
Research Strategies Record Finder Online Learning
Record Types
Census Records Church Records Civil Registration Colonial Records Compiled Genealogies	Land & Property Military Records Oral Genealogies Online Records Probate Records Religious Records
Cook Islands Background
Gazetteers History Jurisdictions Languages	Maps Social Life & Customs
Local Research Resources
Archives & Libraries Societies FamilySearch Centers

Cook Islands

Church Records

For information about records for non-Christian religions in the Cook Islands, go to the Religious Records page.

Online Resources and Websites

• Archives of the Cook Islands Christian Church, browseable images. This collection includes copies of London Missionary Society birth records from 1849 – 1951, Minutes of the Cook Islands Christian Church General Assembly 1950-1972, Baptism and Burial Records Avarua Church 1977-1987, Baptism, Marriage and Burial Records Arorangi Church 1949-1978, Baptism and Burial Records Arorangi Church 1976-2003, Baptism and Burial Records Arorangi 1994-2008, Baptism and Burial Records, Titikaveka 1973-2009, Baptism and Burial Records, Matavera 1978-2008, Notice of intention to marriage records, Akakiteanga Akaipoipo, Avarua 1919-1974.
• London Missionary Society. Aitutaki Church records, 1877-1909 Microfilm of original Archives of Rarotonga, Cook Islands. Includes births records.
• London Missionary Society. Church records, 1838-1954, of Rarotonga. Digitized microfilm of original records of Blackrock Mission Home and at the Archives of Rarotonga, Cook Island.
• London Missionary Society. Rakahanga (Cook Islands) Church records, 1902-1931 Microfilm of original Archives of Rarotonga, Cook Islands. Records and dates are mixed. Includes: Baptism, and excommunication records.

History

Religions: Cook Islands Christian Church 49.1%; Seventh-day Adventist 7.9%; Assemblies of God 3.7%; Apostolic Church 2.1%); Roman Catholic 17%; Mormon 4.4%; Other 8%. This "Other" group includes smaller Christian denominations, and mostly non-indigenous adherents of Hinduism, Buddhism, and Islam, as well as the irreligious.

"The dominant religion of Polynesia and the Cook Islands is Christianity. The missionaries arrived in 1821 and quickly uprooted the old animistic worship of tribal gods and idols. The London Missionary Society focussed its early efforts on the Society Islands. Ex-ironmonger John Williams hit on the idea of using converted Polynesians to spread the gospel to the islands to the west. He sent two Raiateans to Aitutaki in 1821 and others followed shortly after to Mitiaro, Mangaia, Mauke and Atiu. Finally, Rarotonga fell to the new beliefs...Missionaries had a huge impact on the land, structure of society and the people. Most of them came from the lower middle classes of 19th century England, what has been termed the "mechanic" class. They brought their wives with them. Many of these women were the daughters of missionaries in New South Wales, Australia, and were well aware of the hardships of missionary life. The islanders were employed by these families around the mission houses to cook, clean, wait at table and work in the garden....

Before contact with missionaries, the Rarotongans lived inland deep in the valleys and thus protected from neighboring tribes. However, the location of these settlements did not suit the missionaries' attempts at conversion since access was difficult and restrictive. The missionaries set up their stations on the coast and persuaded the chiefs to build villages around them.

Information Recorded in the Records

Different denominations, different time periods, and practices of different record keepers will effect how much information can be found in the records. This outline will show the types of details which might be found (best case scenario):

Baptisms

In Catholic and Anglican records, children were usually baptized a few days after birth, and therefore, the baptism record proves date of birth. Other religions, such as Baptists, baptized at other points in the member's life. Baptism registers might give:

baptism date the infant's name parents' names father's occupation

status of legitimacy occasionally, names of grandparents names of witnesses or godparents, who may be relatives

birth date and place the family's place of residence death information, as an added note or signified by a cross

Marriages

Marriage registers can give:

the marriage date the names of the bride and groom indicate whether the bride and groom were single or widowed their ages

birth dates and places for the bride and groom their residences their occupations

birthplaces of the bride and groom parents' names (after 1800) the names of previous spouses and their death dates names of witnesses, who might be relatives.

Burials

Burial registers may give:

the name of the deceased the date and place of death or burial the deceased's age place of residence

cause of death the names of survivors, especially a widow or widower deceased's birth date and place parents' names, or at least the father's name

How to Find Records

Digital Copies of Church Records in the FamilySearch Catalog

Watch for digitized copies of church records to be added to the collection of the FamilySearch Library. Some records might have viewing restrictions, and can only be viewed at a Family History Center near you, and/or by members of supporting organizations. To find records:

a. Click on the records of Polynesia, Cook Islands.

b. Click on Places within Cook Islands and a list of towns will appear.

c. Click on your town if it appears, or the location which you believe was the parish which served your town or village.

d. Click on the "Church records" topic. Click on the blue links to specific record titles.

e. Some combination of these icons will appear at the far right of the listing for the record. . The magnifying glass indicates that the record is indexed. Clicking on the magnifying glass will take you to the index. Clicking on the camera will take you to an online digital copy of the records.

Writing for Records

You will probably need to write to or email the national archives, the diocese, or local parish priests to find records. See the Letter Writing Guide for Genealogy for help with composing letters.

• Maps.me Church Listings for Cook Islands

Apostolic Church

Writing for Records

• Jesus the Light of the World Apostolic Church Rarotonga

Assembly of God

Writing for Records

• Avarua Assembly of God Church
• Arorangi Assembly of God Church

Catholic Church

Writing for Records

Earlier records can be held at the diocese, with more recent records still kept in the local parish. To locate the mailing address or e-mail address for a diocese or local parish, consult:

• The Catholic Directory

Historical Background

The first Roman Catholic church was dedicated in 1896.

The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints

Writing for Records

Online information is available to current members, for deceased members, and immediate family members who are still living. Sign in to FamilySearch and then select Family Tree in the drop-down menu.

Historical Background

During World War II, Matthew Cowley, then president of the New Zealand Mission, assigned Fritz Kruger, a New Zealand baker who owned a business at Avarua, Rarotonga, to help establish the Church on the Cook Islands. He and his family subsequently moved to Rarotonga, and their first convert was Samuel Glassie and his family...A Rarotonga Mission was created 20 November 1960, but later became part of the New Zealand Mission. In 1979, there were 718 members in 10 branches (small congregations) in the Cook Islands.

Cook Islands Christian Church

Online Resources and Websites

Ancestry.com, findmypast.com, and MyHeritage.com can be searched free of charge at your local family history center or the Family History Library in Salt Lake City, Utah.

• Archives of the Cook Islands Christian Church, browseable images. This collection includes copies of London Missionary Society birth records from 1849 – 1951, Minutes of the Cook Islands Christian Church General Assembly 1950-1972, Baptism and Burial Records Avarua Church 1977-1987, Baptism, Marriage and Burial Records Arorangi Church 1949-1978, Baptism and Burial Records Arorangi Church 1976-2003, Baptism and Burial Records Arorangi 1994-2008, Baptism and Burial Records, Titikaveka 1973-2009, Baptism and Burial Records, Matavera 1978-2008, Notice of intention to marriage records, Akakiteanga Akaipoipo, Avarua 1919-1974.
• London Missionary Society. Aitutaki Church records, 1877-1909 Microfilm of original Archives of Rarotonga, Cook Islands. Includes births records.
• London Missionary Society. Church records, 1838-1954, of Rarotonga. Digitized microfilm of original records of Blackrock Mission Home and at the Archives of Rarotonga, Cook Island.
• London Missionary Society. Rakahanga (Cook Islands) Church records, 1902-1931 Microfilm of original Archives of Rarotonga, Cook Islands. Records and dates are mixed. Includes: Baptism, and excommunication records.

Writing to Local Churches

• Directory of CICC Churches

Historical Background

The Cook Islands Christian Church (CICC) is the largest religious denomination in the Cook Islands. It belongs to the Reformed family of churches.The CICC is a Christian Congregationalist church and has approximately 18,000 members, including around half of the residents of the Cook Islands. The CICC has its origins in the work of the London Missionary Society (LMS), which began work in the Cook Islands in 1821. In 1852, the LMS founded the Cook Islands LMS Church.

Seventh-day Adventists

Writing for Records

Contact mission headquarters to find addresses for the individual churches:
Cook Islands Mission
Street Address: Titikaveka, Rarotonga, Cook Islands
Mail: P.O. Box 31, Rarotonga, Cook Islands

Phone: 682-22-851
Fax: 682-22-852
Email: office@adventist.org.ck

Historical Background

John Tay, an American, was the first Seventh-day Adventist to visit the Cook Islands. During his visit in 1886 Tay sold Adventist literature to the people there. Another missionary voyage to the Pitcairn Islands provided a second opportunity to sell literature and offer medical services to the Cook Islanders. Dr Joseph Caldwell and his wife Julia accepted a request to stay on the island as permanent doctor. Julia, a schoolteacher, opened an English-language school. Along with them remained Dudley and Sarah Owen and Maud Young, a Pitcairner who came as a student nurse. The five Adventists worshipped regularly with the London Missionary Society believers in their church in Avarua. The services were conducted in English, but many islanders attended as well.