Intentions to Marry, 1859

Reference: Registrar-General of Births, Deaths and Marriages, Notices of intention to marry, Series 8937, R2840371, Archives New Zealand Te Rua Mahara o te Kāwanatanga, Wellington

Imaged by Luke Howison at Archives NZ Wellington, December 12 2024

Page 103

District of [UNCLEAR] Quarter ending 30th June 1859

Date of Notice

Names and Surnames of Parties

BDM Match

Condition

Calling or Profession

Age

Dwelling Place

Length of Residence

Marriage Place

Folio

Consent

Date of Certificate

Officiating Minister

10 May 1859

William Davis
Katherine Williams

William Davis
Catherine Williams
💍 1859/2805

Bachelor
Spinster

Photographer

21 years
20 years

Wellington
Wellington

1 Year
17 Years

The Episcopalian Church known as "St Peters"

Davis Williams the Father of "Katherine"

10th May 1859

The Revd. Arthur Stock and others

No	33
Date of Notice	10 May 1859
	Groom	Bride
Names of Parties	William Davis	Katherine Williams
BDM Match (97%)	William Davis	Catherine Williams
	💍 1859/2805
Condition	Bachelor	Spinster
Profession	Photographer
Age	21 years	20 years
Dwelling Place	Wellington	Wellington
Length of Residence	1 Year	17 Years
Marriage Place	The Episcopalian Church known as "St Peters"
Folio
Consent	Davis Williams the Father of "Katherine"
Date of Certificate	10th May 1859
Officiating Minister	The Revd. Arthur Stock and others

16 May 1859

Thomas Dillow William Smith
Eliza Allen

Thomas Dillon William Smith
Eliza Allen
💍 1859/2796

Widower
Widow

Cabinet maker

47 Years
40 Years

Lambton Quay
Lambton Quay

18 Months
Some years

The Roman Catholic Chapel in Wellington known as "St Mary's"

16th May 1859

The Right Revd. Bishop Viard and others

No	34
Date of Notice	16 May 1859
	Groom	Bride
Names of Parties	Thomas Dillow William Smith	Eliza Allen
BDM Match (98%)	Thomas Dillon William Smith	Eliza Allen
	💍 1859/2796
Condition	Widower	Widow
Profession	Cabinet maker
Age	47 Years	40 Years
Dwelling Place	Lambton Quay	Lambton Quay
Length of Residence	18 Months	Some years
Marriage Place	The Roman Catholic Chapel in Wellington known as "St Mary's"
Folio
Consent
Date of Certificate	16th May 1859
Officiating Minister	The Right Revd. Bishop Viard and others

28 May 1859

Henry Brown
Jane Nicoll

Henry Brown
Jane Nicoll
💍 1859/1176

Bachelor
Spinster

Butcher

26 Years
19 Years

Waikanae
Waikanae

18 Months
18 Years

In the Office of the Registrar of Marriages

John Nicoll the Father of "Jane"

28th May 1859

John Elisha Smith, the Registrar of Marriages, Wellington, and others

No	35
Date of Notice	28 May 1859
	Groom	Bride
Names of Parties	Henry Brown	Jane Nicoll
	💍 1859/1176
Condition	Bachelor	Spinster
Profession	Butcher
Age	26 Years	19 Years
Dwelling Place	Waikanae	Waikanae
Length of Residence	18 Months	18 Years
Marriage Place	In the Office of the Registrar of Marriages
Folio
Consent	John Nicoll the Father of "Jane"
Date of Certificate	28th May 1859
Officiating Minister	John Elisha Smith, the Registrar of Marriages, Wellington, and others

8 June 1859

John Macgregor
Mary Ann Gill

John McGregor
Ann Gill
💍 1859/2790

Bachelor
Spinster

Mariner

24 Years
15 Years

Wellington
Wellington

4 Years
15 Years

The Roman Catholic Chapel in Manners Street

Margaret Gill, Widow, the Mother of "Mary Ann"

8th June 1859

The Revd. J. J. P. O'Reilly and others

No	36
Date of Notice	8 June 1859
	Groom	Bride
Names of Parties	John Macgregor	Mary Ann Gill
BDM Match (74%)	John McGregor	Ann Gill
	💍 1859/2790
Condition	Bachelor	Spinster
Profession	Mariner
Age	24 Years	15 Years
Dwelling Place	Wellington	Wellington
Length of Residence	4 Years	15 Years
Marriage Place	The Roman Catholic Chapel in Manners Street
Folio
Consent	Margaret Gill, Widow, the Mother of "Mary Ann"
Date of Certificate	8th June 1859
Officiating Minister	The Revd. J. J. P. O'Reilly and others

13 June 1859

Christopher Thompson
Mary Ann Key

Christopher Thompson
Mary Ann Key
💍 1859/1256

Bachelor
Spinster

Labourer

24 Years
19 Years

Waiwhetu - at present residing in Wellington
Wellington

3 Days
2 1/2 Years

In the Episcopalian Church in Wellington known as "St Paul's"

Thomas Key the Father of "Mary Ann"

13 June 1859

The Revd. Arthur Baker M. A. & others

No	37
Date of Notice	13 June 1859
	Groom	Bride
Names of Parties	Christopher Thompson	Mary Ann Key
	💍 1859/1256
Condition	Bachelor	Spinster
Profession	Labourer
Age	24 Years	19 Years
Dwelling Place	Waiwhetu - at present residing in Wellington	Wellington
Length of Residence	3 Days	2 1/2 Years
Marriage Place	In the Episcopalian Church in Wellington known as "St Paul's"
Folio
Consent	Thomas Key the Father of "Mary Ann"
Date of Certificate	13 June 1859
Officiating Minister	The Revd. Arthur Baker M. A. & others

17 June 1859

George Mumble
Catherine Phillips

George Mundle
Catherine Phillips
💍 1859/2841

Bachelor
Widow

Mariner

24 Years
20 Years

Wellington
Wellington

9 Months
9 Months

The Episcopalian Church known as "St Peter's" in Wellington

No	38
Date of Notice	17 June 1859
	Groom	Bride
Names of Parties	George Mumble	Catherine Phillips
BDM Match (92%)	George Mundle	Catherine Phillips
	💍 1859/2841
Condition	Bachelor	Widow
Profession	Mariner
Age	24 Years	20 Years
Dwelling Place	Wellington	Wellington
Length of Residence	9 Months	9 Months
Marriage Place	The Episcopalian Church known as "St Peter's" in Wellington
Folio
Consent
Date of Certificate
Officiating Minister

21 June 1859

Robert Miller
Jane Mitchell

Robert Miller
Jane Mitchell
💍 1859/1570

Widower
Spinster

Baker

27 Years
21 Years, 6 Months

Cuba Street, Wellington
Porirua, near Wellington

19 Years
19 Years

Private Residence of Mr James Mitchell, Porirua

21 June 1859

The Revd. John Moir and others

No	39
Date of Notice	21 June 1859
	Groom	Bride
Names of Parties	Robert Miller	Jane Mitchell
	💍 1859/1570
Condition	Widower	Spinster
Profession	Baker
Age	27 Years	21 Years, 6 Months
Dwelling Place	Cuba Street, Wellington	Porirua, near Wellington
Length of Residence	19 Years	19 Years
Marriage Place	Private Residence of Mr James Mitchell, Porirua
Folio
Consent
Date of Certificate	21 June 1859
Officiating Minister	The Revd. John Moir and others

24 June 1859

James Henry Houghton
Catherine Bozard

James Henry Houghton
Catherine Bozard
💍 1859/2787

Bachelor
Spinster

Lighterman

33 Years
18 Years

Wellington
Wellington

19 Years
2 1/2 Years

The Private Residence of George Houghton in Manners Street

John Turner the Guardian of "Catherine"

24 June 1859

The Revd. James Buller and others

No	40
Date of Notice	24 June 1859
	Groom	Bride
Names of Parties	James Henry Houghton	Catherine Bozard
	💍 1859/2787
Condition	Bachelor	Spinster
Profession	Lighterman
Age	33 Years	18 Years
Dwelling Place	Wellington	Wellington
Length of Residence	19 Years	2 1/2 Years
Marriage Place	The Private Residence of George Houghton in Manners Street
Folio
Consent	John Turner the Guardian of "Catherine"
Date of Certificate	24 June 1859
Officiating Minister	The Revd. James Buller and others

These records have been automatically transcribed and must be verified using the page image (below)

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What is an Intention to Marry?

The 1854 Marriage Act required Pakeha settlers (and later Maori) to register their intention to marry from 1855. The resulting Notices of intention to marry were sent by the district registrars to the Registrar-General of Births, Deaths and Marriages and bound into large volumes, each containing a year of notices. These registers were eventually deposited with Archives New Zealand.

What information does an ItM record?

A typical Intention to Marry notice records:

the bride and groom's full names
occupation of the groom (and sometimes the bride)
their ages
district where the marriage would take place
how long they had resided in the district
Where the marriage would take place (eg, a specific church)
Who would officiate the marriage (eg, a minister)
The date of the notice and also a date when the certificate was issued. Marriages had to take place within 3 months, and usually occurred within a week or so of the certificate date.
If one of the parties was under 21, a parent who consented to their marriage was usually specified

These details can provide clues for genealogical and historical research. Knowing the date and district makes it easier to look for wedding notices in Papers Past, and the amount of time that the parties had resided in a district can offer clues to whether a person was born in NZ, or when they immigrated.

However, finding individual records in the Intentions to Marry registers was typically a slow and manual process, usually requiring an in-person visit to Archives NZ's Wellington office (during limited opening hours) and using a handwritten card catalogue index to look up individual names.

Eight years of the registers had been digitised by Archives NZ prior to 2024, but even these digital versions required the use of a manual index and usually examining several pages to locate specific records.

What is the Intentions to Marry Project?

This project aims to transcribe the New Zealand Intentions to Marry registers (from 1855 to 1925) with the assistance of new technology (AI), making the records freely available and easily searchable.

The ITM records have also been cross-referenced with the registered marriages at DIA Births, Deaths and Marriages, where possible (a small fraction of the recorded intentions to marry did not become a registered marriage).

Currently we have almost all records between 1855 and 1903. More registers are being added almost every week.

The project is led by Luke Howison, a web developer who made the free genealogical research search tool NZ Ancestor Search Helper and Archway-style Collections Search. There are also some wonderful volunteers assisting with digitising the registers.

Can I volunteer to help?

Yes, you can! You can sign up to correct errors in the transcribed records and match ITMs with registered marriages.

I am also looking for Wellington-based volunteers to help me digitise more years of the registers. I can provide lighting equipment and a 'clicker' (to trigger your phone's camera).

How is the transcription done?

There are several steps to digitising and transcribing the records:

Digitising the registers (taking clean, straight, high-quality photos)
Processing the digitised pages by straightening, cropping and sharpening the images
Transcribing each page with a combination of AI tools
Matching each ITM with a registered marriage when possible
Human verification of the transcribed information

The main LLM (AI) used are the Google Gemini Pro and Flash models, which have excellent 'Vision' capabilities, and a generous free tier.

Archives NZ has released the register years they have digitised (1865-69, 1872, 1874 and 1880) under a Creative Commons Attribution 2.0 license.

The Intention to Marry registers (up to 1925) are more than 100 years old, so their Crown Copyright has expired, putting them in the public domain. This also applies to any 'mechanical reproductions' (eg, pictures or photocopies) of their content without substantial alteration.

The transcribed records on this website are released under the Creative Commons CC0 1.0 Universal license, which allows reusers to distribute, remix, adapt, and build upon the material in any medium or format, even for commercial purposes, while giving credit to the creator (NZ Intentions to Marry Project).