Intentions to Marry, 1861

Reference: Registrar-General of Births, Deaths and Marriages, Notices of intention to marry, Series 8937, R2840373, Archives New Zealand Te Rua Mahara o te Kāwanatanga, Wellington

Imaged by Luke Howison at Archives NZ Wellington, December 11 2024

Page 276

District of Dunedin Quarter ending 31st of March 1861

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

30 January 1861

William Johnston
Margaret King

William Johnstone
Margaret King
💍 1861/1635

Bachelor
Spinster

Minister of the Gospel

full
20

Port Chalmers
Dunedin

3 years
3 days

In the house of William Reynolds Esquire Woodhead Dunedin

No guardian in the Colony

30 January 1861

Thomas Burns

No	10
Date of Notice	30 January 1861
	Groom	Bride
Names of Parties	William Johnston	Margaret King
BDM Match (97%)	William Johnstone	Margaret King
	💍 1861/1635
Condition	Bachelor	Spinster
Profession	Minister of the Gospel
Age	full	20
Dwelling Place	Port Chalmers	Dunedin
Length of Residence	3 years	3 days
Marriage Place	In the house of William Reynolds Esquire Woodhead Dunedin
Folio
Consent	No guardian in the Colony
Date of Certificate	30 January 1861
Officiating Minister	Thomas Burns

1 February 1861

Thomas Edwards
Isabella Haggart

No corresponding marriage registration located

Bachelor
Spinster

Laborer

27
28

Dunedin
Dunedin

2 years
3 years

In the English Church Dunedin

Note this notice was to, and the certificate was granted by R L Jeffrerys Deputy Registrar

1 February 1861

E. G. Edwards

No	11
Date of Notice	1 February 1861
	Groom	Bride
Names of Parties	Thomas Edwards	Isabella Haggart
	💍 No corresponding marriage registration located
Condition	Bachelor	Spinster
Profession	Laborer
Age	27	28
Dwelling Place	Dunedin	Dunedin
Length of Residence	2 years	3 years
Marriage Place	In the English Church Dunedin
Folio
Consent	Note this notice was to, and the certificate was granted by R L Jeffrerys Deputy Registrar
Date of Certificate	1 February 1861
Officiating Minister	E. G. Edwards

2 February 1861

John Harvie
Elizabeth Ward

John Harvie
Elizabeth Ward
💍 1861/3147

Bachelor
Spinster

Carpenter

25
23

Dunedin
Dunedin

18 months
1 week

In the house of Mr Alexander Brebner George Street Dunedin

Note this notice was to, & the certificate was granted by R S Jeffreys Deputy Registrar

2 February 1861

D. M. Stuart

No	12
Date of Notice	2 February 1861
	Groom	Bride
Names of Parties	John Harvie	Elizabeth Ward
	💍 1861/3147
Condition	Bachelor	Spinster
Profession	Carpenter
Age	25	23
Dwelling Place	Dunedin	Dunedin
Length of Residence	18 months	1 week
Marriage Place	In the house of Mr Alexander Brebner George Street Dunedin
Folio
Consent	Note this notice was to, & the certificate was granted by R S Jeffreys Deputy Registrar
Date of Certificate	2 February 1861
Officiating Minister	D. M. Stuart

4 February 1861

Peter Dunlop
Caroline Thomson

Peter Dunlop
Caroline Thompson
💍 1861/3150

Bachelor
Spinster

Carpenter

26
26

Dunedin
Dunedin

3 years
1 week

In the house occupied by William Mowbray Duncan Street Dunedin

Note this notice was to, & the certificate was granted by R L Jeffreys Deputy Registrar

4 February 1861

D. M. Stuart

No	13
Date of Notice	4 February 1861
	Groom	Bride
Names of Parties	Peter Dunlop	Caroline Thomson
BDM Match (97%)	Peter Dunlop	Caroline Thompson
	💍 1861/3150
Condition	Bachelor	Spinster
Profession	Carpenter
Age	26	26
Dwelling Place	Dunedin	Dunedin
Length of Residence	3 years	1 week
Marriage Place	In the house occupied by William Mowbray Duncan Street Dunedin
Folio
Consent	Note this notice was to, & the certificate was granted by R L Jeffreys Deputy Registrar
Date of Certificate	4 February 1861
Officiating Minister	D. M. Stuart

6 February 1861

William Rotchford
Barbary Brown

William Rotchford
Barbary Brown
💍 1861/3123

Bachelor
Widow

Agriculturist

30
35

Portobello bay
Portobello bay

12 years
16 years

In the office of the Registrar of Marriages Dunedin

Note this notice was to R L Jeffery Deputy Registrar Certificate by [illegible]

11 March 1861

Registrar of Marriages

No	14
Date of Notice	6 February 1861
	Groom	Bride
Names of Parties	William Rotchford	Barbary Brown
	💍 1861/3123
Condition	Bachelor	Widow
Profession	Agriculturist
Age	30	35
Dwelling Place	Portobello bay	Portobello bay
Length of Residence	12 years	16 years
Marriage Place	In the office of the Registrar of Marriages Dunedin
Folio
Consent	Note this notice was to R L Jeffery Deputy Registrar Certificate by [illegible]
Date of Certificate	11 March 1861
Officiating Minister	Registrar of Marriages

8 February 1861

Pierre Tielle
Margaret Nicholson

Pierre Tielle
Margaret Nicholson
💍 1860/3272

Bachelor
Spinster

Laborer

27
26

Dunedin
Dunedin

4 days
4 days

In the office of the Registrar of Marriages

8 February 1861

Registrar of Marriages

No	15
Date of Notice	8 February 1861
	Groom	Bride
Names of Parties	Pierre Tielle	Margaret Nicholson
	💍 1860/3272
Condition	Bachelor	Spinster
Profession	Laborer
Age	27	26
Dwelling Place	Dunedin	Dunedin
Length of Residence	4 days	4 days
Marriage Place	In the office of the Registrar of Marriages
Folio
Consent
Date of Certificate	8 February 1861
Officiating Minister	Registrar of Marriages

9 February 1861

James Simson
Margaret Chapman

James Simson
Margaret Chapman
💍 1861/2852

Bachelor
Spinster

Joiner

27
21

Dunedin
Dunedin

22 months
2 years

In the house of Robert Chapman Dunottar house near Dunedin

9 February 1861

Thomas Burns

No	16
Date of Notice	9 February 1861
	Groom	Bride
Names of Parties	James Simson	Margaret Chapman
	💍 1861/2852
Condition	Bachelor	Spinster
Profession	Joiner
Age	27	21
Dwelling Place	Dunedin	Dunedin
Length of Residence	22 months	2 years
Marriage Place	In the house of Robert Chapman Dunottar house near Dunedin
Folio
Consent
Date of Certificate	9 February 1861
Officiating Minister	Thomas Burns

11 February 1861

Richard Carruthers
Janet Colquhoun

Richard Carruthers
Janet Colquhon
💍 1861/3153

Bachelor
Spinster

Carpenter

21
20

Dunedin
Dunedin

5 months
5 months

In the house of James Brown Painter London Street Dunedin

No guardian in the Colony

11 February 1861

D. M. Stewart

No	17
Date of Notice	11 February 1861
	Groom	Bride
Names of Parties	Richard Carruthers	Janet Colquhoun
BDM Match (97%)	Richard Carruthers	Janet Colquhon
	💍 1861/3153
Condition	Bachelor	Spinster
Profession	Carpenter
Age	21	20
Dwelling Place	Dunedin	Dunedin
Length of Residence	5 months	5 months
Marriage Place	In the house of James Brown Painter London Street Dunedin
Folio
Consent	No guardian in the Colony
Date of Certificate	11 February 1861
Officiating Minister	D. M. Stewart

11 February 1861

Robert William Badcock
Sophia Pinnell Wells

No corresponding marriage registration located.

Bachelor
Spinster

Gentleman

26
25

Dunedin
Dunedin

1 month
1 month

In the Episcopal Church Dunedin

11 February 1861

Edmund G. Edwards

No	18
Date of Notice	11 February 1861
	Groom	Bride
Names of Parties	Robert William Badcock	Sophia Pinnell Wells
	💍 No corresponding marriage registration located.
Condition	Bachelor	Spinster
Profession	Gentleman
Age	26	25
Dwelling Place	Dunedin	Dunedin
Length of Residence	1 month	1 month
Marriage Place	In the Episcopal Church Dunedin
Folio
Consent
Date of Certificate	11 February 1861
Officiating Minister	Edmund G. Edwards

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).