Intentions to Marry, 1863

Reference: Registrar-General of Births, Deaths and Marriages, Notices of intention to marry, Series 8937, R2840375, Archives New Zealand Te Rua Mahara o te Kāwanatanga, Wellington

Imaged by Luke Howison at Archives NZ Wellington, December 4 2024

Page 333

District of Dunedin Quarter ending 30 June 1863

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

153

2 June 1863

Joseph Ebenezer Stott
Alice Wade

Joseph E Stott
Alice Wade
💍 1863/4790

Bachelor
Spinster

Officer in H.M. Customs, Dunedin

24 years
18 years

Dunedin
Dunedin

3 months
3 months

In the house of Robert Kinniburgh Murray, George Street, Dunedin

1229

No person to give consent

2 June 1863

Rev. D. M. Stuart

No	153
Date of Notice	2 June 1863
	Groom	Bride
Names of Parties	Joseph Ebenezer Stott	Alice Wade
BDM Match (83%)	Joseph E Stott	Alice Wade
	💍 1863/4790
Condition	Bachelor	Spinster
Profession	Officer in H.M. Customs, Dunedin
Age	24 years	18 years
Dwelling Place	Dunedin	Dunedin
Length of Residence	3 months	3 months
Marriage Place	In the house of Robert Kinniburgh Murray, George Street, Dunedin
Folio	1229
Consent	No person to give consent
Date of Certificate	2 June 1863
Officiating Minister	Rev. D. M. Stuart

154

3 June 1863

Daniel Scelly
Bridget Roan

Daniel Kelly
Bridget Roan
💍 1863/5674

Bachelor
Spinster

Carter

25 years
21 years

Dunedin
Dunedin

12 months
5 months

In the Roman Catholic Chapel, Dunedin

1012

3 June 1863

Rev. D. Moreau

No	154
Date of Notice	3 June 1863
	Groom	Bride
Names of Parties	Daniel Scelly	Bridget Roan
BDM Match (92%)	Daniel Kelly	Bridget Roan
	💍 1863/5674
Condition	Bachelor	Spinster
Profession	Carter
Age	25 years	21 years
Dwelling Place	Dunedin	Dunedin
Length of Residence	12 months	5 months
Marriage Place	In the Roman Catholic Chapel, Dunedin
Folio	1012
Consent
Date of Certificate	3 June 1863
Officiating Minister	Rev. D. Moreau

155

3 June 1863

William Pothan
Catherine Finn

William Pathan
Catherine Finn
💍 1863/5671

Bachelor
Spinster

Carrier

25 years
22 years

Dunedin
Dunedin

18 months
4 months

In the office of the Registrar of Marriages, Dunedin

63/1011

3 June 1863

Registrar of Marriages, Dunedin

No	155
Date of Notice	3 June 1863
	Groom	Bride
Names of Parties	William Pothan	Catherine Finn
BDM Match (96%)	William Pathan	Catherine Finn
	💍 1863/5671
Condition	Bachelor	Spinster
Profession	Carrier
Age	25 years	22 years
Dwelling Place	Dunedin	Dunedin
Length of Residence	18 months	4 months
Marriage Place	In the office of the Registrar of Marriages, Dunedin
Folio	63/1011
Consent
Date of Certificate	3 June 1863
Officiating Minister	Registrar of Marriages, Dunedin

156

4 June 1863

John Louie Rees
Jane Ireland

John Louie Rees
Jane Ireland
💍 1863/5680

Bachelor
Spinster

Coachbuilder

33 years
23 years

Dunedin
Dunedin

2 years
2 years

In the office of the Registrar of Marriages, Dunedin

1014

4 June 1863

Registrar of Marriages, Dunedin

No	156
Date of Notice	4 June 1863
	Groom	Bride
Names of Parties	John Louie Rees	Jane Ireland
	💍 1863/5680
Condition	Bachelor	Spinster
Profession	Coachbuilder
Age	33 years	23 years
Dwelling Place	Dunedin	Dunedin
Length of Residence	2 years	2 years
Marriage Place	In the office of the Registrar of Marriages, Dunedin
Folio	1014
Consent
Date of Certificate	4 June 1863
Officiating Minister	Registrar of Marriages, Dunedin

157

5 June 1863

Joseph Hood
Margaret Davis

Joseph Hood
Margaret Davis
💍 1863/5632

Bachelor
Spinster

Carrier

33 years
25 years

Dunedin
Dunedin

18 months
8 months

In the Wesleyan Church, Dunedin

997

5 June 1863

Rev. Isaac Harding

No	157
Date of Notice	5 June 1863
	Groom	Bride
Names of Parties	Joseph Hood	Margaret Davis
	💍 1863/5632
Condition	Bachelor	Spinster
Profession	Carrier
Age	33 years	25 years
Dwelling Place	Dunedin	Dunedin
Length of Residence	18 months	8 months
Marriage Place	In the Wesleyan Church, Dunedin
Folio	997
Consent
Date of Certificate	5 June 1863
Officiating Minister	Rev. Isaac Harding

158

5 June 1863

John Geddes
Janet Gebbie

John Geddes
Janet Gebbie
💍 1863/5653

Bachelor
Spinster

Laborer

24 years
22 years

East Taieri
Green Island

19 months
4 days

In the house of Mr. James Robertson, Green Island

1004

5 June 1863

Rev. James Hendry M. Naughton

No	158
Date of Notice	5 June 1863
	Groom	Bride
Names of Parties	John Geddes	Janet Gebbie
	💍 1863/5653
Condition	Bachelor	Spinster
Profession	Laborer
Age	24 years	22 years
Dwelling Place	East Taieri	Green Island
Length of Residence	19 months	4 days
Marriage Place	In the house of Mr. James Robertson, Green Island
Folio	1004
Consent
Date of Certificate	5 June 1863
Officiating Minister	Rev. James Hendry M. Naughton

159

6 June 1863

John Douglas
Margaret Rattray

John Douglas
Margaret Rattray
💍 1863/4138

Bachelor
Spinster

Merchant

34 years
29 years

Dunedin
Dunedin

18 months
1 month

In the house of Francis John Alderson Esq., London Street, Dunedin

1455

6 June 1863

Rev. Thomas Burns, D.D.

No	159
Date of Notice	6 June 1863
	Groom	Bride
Names of Parties	John Douglas	Margaret Rattray
	💍 1863/4138
Condition	Bachelor	Spinster
Profession	Merchant
Age	34 years	29 years
Dwelling Place	Dunedin	Dunedin
Length of Residence	18 months	1 month
Marriage Place	In the house of Francis John Alderson Esq., London Street, Dunedin
Folio	1455
Consent
Date of Certificate	6 June 1863
Officiating Minister	Rev. Thomas Burns, D.D.

160

6 June 1863

Henry Goodwell
Catherine Morris

Henry Goodwill
Catherine Morris
💍 1863/4141

Bachelor
Spinster

Clockmaker

26 years
19 years

Dunedin
Dunedin

4 years
6 months

In the house of James Reid, London Street, Dunedin

1456

No person to give consent

6 June 1863

Rev. Thomas Burns, D.D.

No	160
Date of Notice	6 June 1863
	Groom	Bride
Names of Parties	Henry Goodwell	Catherine Morris
BDM Match (96%)	Henry Goodwill	Catherine Morris
	💍 1863/4141
Condition	Bachelor	Spinster
Profession	Clockmaker
Age	26 years	19 years
Dwelling Place	Dunedin	Dunedin
Length of Residence	4 years	6 months
Marriage Place	In the house of James Reid, London Street, Dunedin
Folio	1456
Consent	No person to give consent
Date of Certificate	6 June 1863
Officiating Minister	Rev. Thomas Burns, D.D.

161

6 June 1863

William Bourton Whittlesee
Mary Greenlees

William Barton
Mary Greenlees
💍 1863/5635

Widower
Widow

Butcher

40 years
33 years

Dunedin
Dunedin

18 months
18 months

In the Episcopal Church, Dunedin

998

6 June 1863

Rev. Edward G. Edwards

No	161
Date of Notice	6 June 1863
	Groom	Bride
Names of Parties	William Bourton Whittlesee	Mary Greenlees
BDM Match (75%)	William Barton	Mary Greenlees
	💍 1863/5635
Condition	Widower	Widow
Profession	Butcher
Age	40 years	33 years
Dwelling Place	Dunedin	Dunedin
Length of Residence	18 months	18 months
Marriage Place	In the Episcopal Church, Dunedin
Folio	998
Consent
Date of Certificate	6 June 1863
Officiating Minister	Rev. Edward 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).