Intentions to Marry, 1864

Reference: Registrar-General of Births, Deaths and Marriages, Notices of intention to marry, Series 8937, R2840376, Archives New Zealand Te Rua Mahara o te Kāwanatanga, Wellington

Page 353

District of [unknown] Quarter ending 31 March 1864

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

5 February 1864

John Grant
Margaret Munroe

John Grant
Margaret Munro
💍 1864/6184

Bachelor
Spinster

Laborer

24
21

Dunedin
Dunedin

3 weeks
months

In the house of Andrew McKenzie Castle Street Dunedin

1428

5 February 1864

Rev. Thomas Burns D D

No	37
Date of Notice	5 February 1864
	Groom	Bride
Names of Parties	John Grant	Margaret Munroe
BDM Match (97%)	John Grant	Margaret Munro
	💍 1864/6184
Condition	Bachelor	Spinster
Profession	Laborer
Age	24	21
Dwelling Place	Dunedin	Dunedin
Length of Residence	3 weeks	months
Marriage Place	In the house of Andrew McKenzie Castle Street Dunedin
Folio	1428
Consent
Date of Certificate	5 February 1864
Officiating Minister	Rev. Thomas Burns D D

6 February 1864

Thomas Stark
Helen Brodie

Thomas Stark
Helen Brodie
💍 1864/6178

Bachelor
Spinster

Blacksmith

28
24

Dunedin
Dunedin

3 days
11 days

In the house of John Millar Stuart Street Dunedin

1426

6 February 1864

Rev. Thomas Burns D D

No	38
Date of Notice	6 February 1864
	Groom	Bride
Names of Parties	Thomas Stark	Helen Brodie
	💍 1864/6178
Condition	Bachelor	Spinster
Profession	Blacksmith
Age	28	24
Dwelling Place	Dunedin	Dunedin
Length of Residence	3 days	11 days
Marriage Place	In the house of John Millar Stuart Street Dunedin
Folio	1426
Consent
Date of Certificate	6 February 1864
Officiating Minister	Rev. Thomas Burns D D

8 February 1864

James Boyd
Mary Burns

James Boyd
Mary Burns
💍 1864/6181

Bachelor
Spinster

Carrier

29
25

Dunedin
Dunedin

15 months
15 months

In the house of David Gardener Sunnyside Dunedin

1427

8 February 1864

Rev. D. M. Stuart

No	39
Date of Notice	8 February 1864
	Groom	Bride
Names of Parties	James Boyd	Mary Burns
	💍 1864/6181
Condition	Bachelor	Spinster
Profession	Carrier
Age	29	25
Dwelling Place	Dunedin	Dunedin
Length of Residence	15 months	15 months
Marriage Place	In the house of David Gardener Sunnyside Dunedin
Folio	1427
Consent
Date of Certificate	8 February 1864
Officiating Minister	Rev. D. M. Stuart

8 February 1864

Laurence Peter Stevens
Bridget Ryan

John Stengan
Bridget Ryan
💍 1864/6969

Bachelor
Spinster

Pilot

29
21

Tiroa head
Port Chalmers

1 year
1 year

In the house of Alexander Brebner London Street Dunedin

1318

8 February 1864

Rev. D. M. Stuart

No	40
Date of Notice	8 February 1864
	Groom	Bride
Names of Parties	Laurence Peter Stevens	Bridget Ryan
BDM Match (61%)	John Stengan	Bridget Ryan
	💍 1864/6969
Condition	Bachelor	Spinster
Profession	Pilot
Age	29	21
Dwelling Place	Tiroa head	Port Chalmers
Length of Residence	1 year	1 year
Marriage Place	In the house of Alexander Brebner London Street Dunedin
Folio	1318
Consent
Date of Certificate	8 February 1864
Officiating Minister	Rev. D. M. Stuart

10 February 1864

John Isaac Adams
Margaret Ward

John Isaac Adams
Sarah Pink
💍 1864/3666

Widower
Spinster

Plumber

43
25

Dunedin
Dunedin

2 years
9 months

In the School house at Andersons Bay

10 February 1864

Rev. D. Machaughton

No	41
Date of Notice	10 February 1864
	Groom	Bride
Names of Parties	John Isaac Adams	Margaret Ward
BDM Match (65%)	John Isaac Adams	Sarah Pink
	💍 1864/3666
Condition	Widower	Spinster
Profession	Plumber
Age	43	25
Dwelling Place	Dunedin	Dunedin
Length of Residence	2 years	9 months
Marriage Place	In the School house at Andersons Bay
Folio
Consent
Date of Certificate	10 February 1864
Officiating Minister	Rev. D. Machaughton

10 February 1864

Joseph Harrison
Margaret Anderson

Joseph Harrison
Margaret Anderson
💍 1864/6634

Bachelor
Spinster

Warehouseman

27
25

Dunedin
Dunedin

11 months
3 months

In the house of Rev. D.M. Stuart George Street Dunedin

1320

10 February 1864

Rev. D. M. Stuart

No	42
Date of Notice	10 February 1864
	Groom	Bride
Names of Parties	Joseph Harrison	Margaret Anderson
	💍 1864/6634
Condition	Bachelor	Spinster
Profession	Warehouseman
Age	27	25
Dwelling Place	Dunedin	Dunedin
Length of Residence	11 months	3 months
Marriage Place	In the house of Rev. D.M. Stuart George Street Dunedin
Folio	1320
Consent
Date of Certificate	10 February 1864
Officiating Minister	Rev. D. M. Stuart

12 February 1864

William Perry
Mary Miller

Wm Perry
Mary Millar
💍 1864/5664

Bachelor
Spinster

Laborer

24
20

Port Chalmers
Mount Pleasant Sawyers Bay Dunedin

7 months
4 years

In the house of John Miller labourer Mount Pleasant Sawyers Bay

1633

John Miller, Father Mount Pleasant Sawyers Bay

12 February 1864

Rev. William Johnston

No	43
Date of Notice	12 February 1864
	Groom	Bride
Names of Parties	William Perry	Mary Miller
BDM Match (76%)	Wm Perry	Mary Millar
	💍 1864/5664
Condition	Bachelor	Spinster
Profession	Laborer
Age	24	20
Dwelling Place	Port Chalmers	Mount Pleasant Sawyers Bay Dunedin
Length of Residence	7 months	4 years
Marriage Place	In the house of John Miller labourer Mount Pleasant Sawyers Bay
Folio	1633
Consent	John Miller, Father Mount Pleasant Sawyers Bay
Date of Certificate	12 February 1864
Officiating Minister	Rev. William Johnston

13 February 1864

William Cameron
Jessie Robertson

William Cameron
Jessie Robertson
💍 1864/6187

Bachelor
Spinster

Builder

30
24

Dunedin
Dunedin

11 months
13 months

In the European Hotel Dunedin

1429

13 February 1864

Rev. Thomas Burns

No	44
Date of Notice	13 February 1864
	Groom	Bride
Names of Parties	William Cameron	Jessie Robertson
	💍 1864/6187
Condition	Bachelor	Spinster
Profession	Builder
Age	30	24
Dwelling Place	Dunedin	Dunedin
Length of Residence	11 months	13 months
Marriage Place	In the European Hotel Dunedin
Folio	1429
Consent
Date of Certificate	13 February 1864
Officiating Minister	Rev. Thomas Burns

18 February 1864

James Wilson
Helen Gray McLeod

James Wilson
Helen Gray McLeod
💍 1864/6193

Bachelor
Spinster

Carpenter

27
26

Dunedin
Dunedin

8 months
8 months

In the house of James Wilson Salisbury Street Dunedin

1431

18 February 1864

Rev. Thomas Burns D D

No	45
Date of Notice	18 February 1864
	Groom	Bride
Names of Parties	James Wilson	Helen Gray McLeod
	💍 1864/6193
Condition	Bachelor	Spinster
Profession	Carpenter
Age	27	26
Dwelling Place	Dunedin	Dunedin
Length of Residence	8 months	8 months
Marriage Place	In the house of James Wilson Salisbury Street Dunedin
Folio	1431
Consent
Date of Certificate	18 February 1864
Officiating Minister	Rev. Thomas Burns D D

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).