Macdonald Dictionary

Who is G R Macdonald and why did he write a biographical dictionary?

George Ranald Macdonald (1891 - 1967) was a farmer and local historian in Canterbury, New Zealand. After retiring he began volunteering at Canterbury Museum. When Museum visitors mentioned there was a need for a biographical dictionary of colonial personalities to help with research, Macdonald volunteered for the project. A more detailed biography of Macdonald is available on New Zealand's online encyclopedia Te Ara.

Where can I find the Macdonald Dictionary?

The G R Macdonald Dictionary of Canterbury Biographies is currently available in its entirety through Canterbury Museum's website.

Can I just transcribe my own family members? How do I find my family's card?

Unfortunately the cards will appear in a random order and there is no way to search for your family's specific card.

What if G R Macdonald has misspelled a name? How do I correct it

If you have been checking the names against New Zealand's Births Deaths and Marriages register and notice that G R Macdonald has misspelled a name please write it in the following way: Macdonald's spelling/BDM spelling. The / will be a clue for us to manually check that record. We have a space to record frequent mis-spellings on the Museum's database. (You are not required to double check spellings. It's completely optional)Sometimes Macdonald himself offers more than one spelling of a name. In this case please also separate the names with a /.

How do I go back and check my transcription or correct my work?

It's not possible to go back and check your transcription or correct your work. Every card will be transcribed by three people before it is marked as complete. The handwriting is sometimes difficult to read, but if three people agree on the spelling then it will be marked as complete. Others will be checked again.