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 343

District of Dunedin Quarter ending 30 September 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

27 July 1863

John Smith
Catherine McFadyen

John Smith
Catherine McFadgen
💍 1863/4365

Bachelor
Spinster

Miner

27 years
25 years

Dunedin
Dunedin

8 weeks
9 months

In the Catholic Chapel, Dunedin

1389

27 July 1863

Rev D. Moreau

No	32
Date of Notice	27 July 1863
	Groom	Bride
Names of Parties	John Smith	Catherine McFadyen
BDM Match (97%)	John Smith	Catherine McFadgen
	💍 1863/4365
Condition	Bachelor	Spinster
Profession	Miner
Age	27 years	25 years
Dwelling Place	Dunedin	Dunedin
Length of Residence	8 weeks	9 months
Marriage Place	In the Catholic Chapel, Dunedin
Folio	1389
Consent
Date of Certificate	27 July 1863
Officiating Minister	Rev D. Moreau

28 July 1863

John Campbell
Isabella Runciman

John Campbell
Isabella Runciman
💍 1863/4319

Bachelor
Spinster

Draper

23 years
29 years

Green Island
Green Island

18 months
7 years

In the house of Richard Runciman, Green Island

1392

28 July 1863

Rev. Jas Hendry McNaughton

No	33
Date of Notice	28 July 1863
	Groom	Bride
Names of Parties	John Campbell	Isabella Runciman
	💍 1863/4319
Condition	Bachelor	Spinster
Profession	Draper
Age	23 years	29 years
Dwelling Place	Green Island	Green Island
Length of Residence	18 months	7 years
Marriage Place	In the house of Richard Runciman, Green Island
Folio	1392
Consent
Date of Certificate	28 July 1863
Officiating Minister	Rev. Jas Hendry McNaughton

30 July 1863

Thomas Collins
Agnes Brown

Thomas Collins
Agnes Brown
💍 1863/5371

Bachelor
Spinster

Seaman

24 years
22 years

Port Chalmers
Port Chalmers

11 months
1 week

In the house of Thomas Neaves, Seaman, Port Chalmers

1087

30 July 1863

Rev William Johnston J.G.

No	34
Date of Notice	30 July 1863
	Groom	Bride
Names of Parties	Thomas Collins	Agnes Brown
	💍 1863/5371
Condition	Bachelor	Spinster
Profession	Seaman
Age	24 years	22 years
Dwelling Place	Port Chalmers	Port Chalmers
Length of Residence	11 months	1 week
Marriage Place	In the house of Thomas Neaves, Seaman, Port Chalmers
Folio	1087
Consent
Date of Certificate	30 July 1863
Officiating Minister	Rev William Johnston J.G.

30 July 1863

William Stewart
Elizabeth Winter

William Stewart
Elizabeth Winter
💍 1863/4069

Bachelor
Spinster

Seaman

30 years
25 years

Dunedin
Dunedin

12 months
6 months

In the house of William Stewart, Russell Street, Dunedin

1471

30 July 1863

Rev Thomas Burns D.D.

No	35
Date of Notice	30 July 1863
	Groom	Bride
Names of Parties	William Stewart	Elizabeth Winter
	💍 1863/4069
Condition	Bachelor	Spinster
Profession	Seaman
Age	30 years	25 years
Dwelling Place	Dunedin	Dunedin
Length of Residence	12 months	6 months
Marriage Place	In the house of William Stewart, Russell Street, Dunedin
Folio	1471
Consent
Date of Certificate	30 July 1863
Officiating Minister	Rev Thomas Burns D.D.

30 July 1863

Thomas Smith
Jane Gum Henderson

Thomas Smith
Jane Gunn Henderson
💍 1863/4066

Bachelor
Spinster

Brickmaker

21 years
22 years

Dunedin
Dunedin

14 months
18 months

In the house of Mr John Waugh, Cargill Street, Dunedin

1470

30 July 1863

Rev Thomas Burns D.D.

No	36
Date of Notice	30 July 1863
	Groom	Bride
Names of Parties	Thomas Smith	Jane Gum Henderson
BDM Match (95%)	Thomas Smith	Jane Gunn Henderson
	💍 1863/4066
Condition	Bachelor	Spinster
Profession	Brickmaker
Age	21 years	22 years
Dwelling Place	Dunedin	Dunedin
Length of Residence	14 months	18 months
Marriage Place	In the house of Mr John Waugh, Cargill Street, Dunedin
Folio	1470
Consent
Date of Certificate	30 July 1863
Officiating Minister	Rev Thomas Burns D.D.

31 July 1863

Henry Groves
Milly Whittingham

Harry Groves
Milly Whittingham
💍 1863/4284

Bachelor
Spinster

Farmer

27 years
20 years

Portobello
Dunedin

3 months
2 weeks

In Knox Church, Dunedin

1401

No person to give consent

31 July 1863

Rev D. M. Stuart

No	37
Date of Notice	31 July 1863
	Groom	Bride
Names of Parties	Henry Groves	Milly Whittingham
BDM Match (92%)	Harry Groves	Milly Whittingham
	💍 1863/4284
Condition	Bachelor	Spinster
Profession	Farmer
Age	27 years	20 years
Dwelling Place	Portobello	Dunedin
Length of Residence	3 months	2 weeks
Marriage Place	In Knox Church, Dunedin
Folio	1401
Consent	No person to give consent
Date of Certificate	31 July 1863
Officiating Minister	Rev D. M. Stuart

3 August 1863

William Mitchell
Elizabeth Parish

William Mitchell
Elizabeth Parish
💍 1863/4328

Widower
Spinster

Storekeeper

38 years
22 years

Dunedin
Dunedin

10 days
10 days

In the Episcopal Church, Dunedin

1395

3 August 1863

Rev Edward G Edwards

No	38
Date of Notice	3 August 1863
	Groom	Bride
Names of Parties	William Mitchell	Elizabeth Parish
	💍 1863/4328
Condition	Widower	Spinster
Profession	Storekeeper
Age	38 years	22 years
Dwelling Place	Dunedin	Dunedin
Length of Residence	10 days	10 days
Marriage Place	In the Episcopal Church, Dunedin
Folio	1395
Consent
Date of Certificate	3 August 1863
Officiating Minister	Rev Edward G Edwards

4 August 1863

William Paul
Elizabeth Porter

Wm Paul
Elizabeth Porter
💍 1863/4290

Bachelor
Spinster

Carrier

33 years
23 years

Dunedin
Dunedin

2 years
4 months

In Knox Church, Dunedin

1403

4 August 1863

Rev D. M. Stuart

No	39
Date of Notice	4 August 1863
	Groom	Bride
Names of Parties	William Paul	Elizabeth Porter
BDM Match (79%)	Wm Paul	Elizabeth Porter
	💍 1863/4290
Condition	Bachelor	Spinster
Profession	Carrier
Age	33 years	23 years
Dwelling Place	Dunedin	Dunedin
Length of Residence	2 years	4 months
Marriage Place	In Knox Church, Dunedin
Folio	1403
Consent
Date of Certificate	4 August 1863
Officiating Minister	Rev D. M. Stuart

4 August 1863

Phillip Klein
Maria Jones

Philip Klein
Maria Jones
💍 1863/4331

Bachelor
Spinster

Jeweller

32 years
19 years

Dunedin
Dunedin

3 days
3 days

In the Episcopal Church, Dunedin

1396

No person to give consent

4 August 1863

Rev E. G. Edwards

No	40
Date of Notice	4 August 1863
	Groom	Bride
Names of Parties	Phillip Klein	Maria Jones
BDM Match (96%)	Philip Klein	Maria Jones
	💍 1863/4331
Condition	Bachelor	Spinster
Profession	Jeweller
Age	32 years	19 years
Dwelling Place	Dunedin	Dunedin
Length of Residence	3 days	3 days
Marriage Place	In the Episcopal Church, Dunedin
Folio	1396
Consent	No person to give consent
Date of Certificate	4 August 1863
Officiating Minister	Rev E. 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).