1865 Intentions to Marry

Reference: Registrar-General of Births, Deaths and Marriages, Notices of intention to marry, Series 8937, R2840377, Archives New Zealand Te Rua Mahara o te Kāwanatanga, Wellington

Page 259

District of Nelson Quarter ending 31 December 1865 Registrar John Poynter

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

3 October 1865

Richard Killen
Mary Carty

Richard Killen
Mary Carthy
💍 1865/6698

Bachelor
Spinster

Digger

27
27

City of Nelson
City of Nelson

7 days
7 days

At the Catholic Church in Nelson

883

3 Oct 1865

Rev. Aut: Marie Garin

No	59
Date of Notice	3 October 1865
	Groom	Bride
Names of Parties	Richard Killen	Mary Carty
BDM Match (95%)	Richard Killen	Mary Carthy
	💍 1865/6698
Condition	Bachelor	Spinster
Profession	Digger
Age	27	27
Dwelling Place	City of Nelson	City of Nelson
Length of Residence	7 days	7 days
Marriage Place	At the Catholic Church in Nelson
Folio	883
Consent
Date of Certificate	3 Oct 1865
Officiating Minister	Rev. Aut: Marie Garin

12 October 1865

Henry Burch
Susanna Elizabeth Gandy

Henry Burch
Susanna Elizabeth Gandy
💍 1865/6815

Bachelor
Spinster

Laborer

25
21

City of Nelson
City of Nelson

6 years
6 years

At the residence of George Jones electroplater, Brook St., Nelson

925

12 Oct 1865

Rev. John Davis

No	60
Date of Notice	12 October 1865
	Groom	Bride
Names of Parties	Henry Burch	Susanna Elizabeth Gandy
	💍 1865/6815
Condition	Bachelor	Spinster
Profession	Laborer
Age	25	21
Dwelling Place	City of Nelson	City of Nelson
Length of Residence	6 years	6 years
Marriage Place	At the residence of George Jones electroplater, Brook St., Nelson
Folio	925
Consent
Date of Certificate	12 Oct 1865
Officiating Minister	Rev. John Davis

14 October 1865

William Chivers Wilkins
Eliza Wells

William Chevus Wilkins
Eliza Wells
💍 1865/6761

Bachelor
Spinster

Ironmonger

24
22

City of Nelson
City of Nelson

2 years
1 month

At the residence of William Chivers Wilkins ironmonger, Hardy Street, Nelson

905

31 Oct 1865

Rev. John Davis

No	61
Date of Notice	14 October 1865
	Groom	Bride
Names of Parties	William Chivers Wilkins	Eliza Wells
BDM Match (94%)	William Chevus Wilkins	Eliza Wells
	💍 1865/6761
Condition	Bachelor	Spinster
Profession	Ironmonger
Age	24	22
Dwelling Place	City of Nelson	City of Nelson
Length of Residence	2 years	1 month
Marriage Place	At the residence of William Chivers Wilkins ironmonger, Hardy Street, Nelson
Folio	905
Consent
Date of Certificate	31 Oct 1865
Officiating Minister	Rev. John Davis

27 October 1865

Charles Woolcock
Mary Jane Lovell

Charles Woolcock
Mary Jane Lovell
💍 1865/6860

Widower
Spinster

Farmer

37
18

City of Nelson
City of Nelson

7 months
8 months

At the Presbyterian Church in Nelson

939

Benjamin Lovell FATHER

27 Oct 1865

Rev. Patrick Calder

No	62
Date of Notice	27 October 1865
	Groom	Bride
Names of Parties	Charles Woolcock	Mary Jane Lovell
	💍 1865/6860
Condition	Widower	Spinster
Profession	Farmer
Age	37	18
Dwelling Place	City of Nelson	City of Nelson
Length of Residence	7 months	8 months
Marriage Place	At the Presbyterian Church in Nelson
Folio	939
Consent	Benjamin Lovell FATHER
Date of Certificate	27 Oct 1865
Officiating Minister	Rev. Patrick Calder

31 October 1865

Florenze Basile Joseph
Sarah Ann Grooby

Florenze Bazile Joseph
Sarah Ann Grooby
💍 1865/6818

Joseph Graves
Sarah Ann Grooby
💍 1865/6665

Bachelor
Spinster

Tobacconist

23
19

City of Nelson
City of Nelson

4 years
3 days

At the residence of Florenze Basile Joseph tobacconist, Nile Street West

926

John Grooby FATHER

31 Oct 1865

Rev. John Davis

No	63
Date of Notice	31 October 1865
	Groom	Bride
Names of Parties	Florenze Basile Joseph	Sarah Ann Grooby
BDM Match (98%)	Florenze Bazile Joseph	Sarah Ann Grooby
	💍 1865/6818
BDM Match (61%)	Joseph Graves	Sarah Ann Grooby
	💍 1865/6665
Condition	Bachelor	Spinster
Profession	Tobacconist
Age	23	19
Dwelling Place	City of Nelson	City of Nelson
Length of Residence	4 years	3 days
Marriage Place	At the residence of Florenze Basile Joseph tobacconist, Nile Street West
Folio	926
Consent	John Grooby FATHER
Date of Certificate	31 Oct 1865
Officiating Minister	Rev. John Davis

8 November 1865

Henry Webley
Mary Lindsay

Henry Webley
Mary Lindsay
💍 1865/6824

Bachelor
Spinster

Shoemaker

22
21

City of Nelson
City of Nelson

4 years
21 years

At the residence of James Webley shoemaker, Brook Street, Nelson

65/927

8 November 1865

Revd. John Davis

No	64
Date of Notice	8 November 1865
	Groom	Bride
Names of Parties	Henry Webley	Mary Lindsay
	💍 1865/6824
Condition	Bachelor	Spinster
Profession	Shoemaker
Age	22	21
Dwelling Place	City of Nelson	City of Nelson
Length of Residence	4 years	21 years
Marriage Place	At the residence of James Webley shoemaker, Brook Street, Nelson
Folio	65/927
Consent
Date of Certificate	8 November 1865
Officiating Minister	Revd. John Davis

22 November 1865

George Vance Shannon
Emily Jane Hewitt

George Bruce Shannon
Emily Jane Hewitt
💍 1865/6896

Bachelor
Spinster

General merchant

23
23

City of Nelson
City of Nelson

3 days
5 months

At Christ Church, Nelson

951

22 Nov 1865

Rev. Geo: Henry Johnstone

No	65
Date of Notice	22 November 1865
	Groom	Bride
Names of Parties	George Vance Shannon	Emily Jane Hewitt
BDM Match (93%)	George Bruce Shannon	Emily Jane Hewitt
	💍 1865/6896
Condition	Bachelor	Spinster
Profession	General merchant
Age	23	23
Dwelling Place	City of Nelson	City of Nelson
Length of Residence	3 days	5 months
Marriage Place	At Christ Church, Nelson
Folio	951
Consent
Date of Certificate	22 Nov 1865
Officiating Minister	Rev. Geo: Henry Johnstone

29 November 1865

John Titter
Lucy Roil

John Titter
Lucy Roil
💍 1865/6806

Bachelor
Spinster

Brick maker
Farmer

22
21

City of Nelson
Suburban South

2 years
21 years

At the residence of Walter Roil farmer, Suburban South

922

29 Nov 1865

Rev. Edward Thomas

No	66
Date of Notice	29 November 1865
	Groom	Bride
Names of Parties	John Titter	Lucy Roil
	💍 1865/6806
Condition	Bachelor	Spinster
Profession	Brick maker	Farmer
Age	22	21
Dwelling Place	City of Nelson	Suburban South
Length of Residence	2 years	21 years
Marriage Place	At the residence of Walter Roil farmer, Suburban South
Folio	922
Consent
Date of Certificate	29 Nov 1865
Officiating Minister	Rev. Edward Thomas

1 December 1865

Charles Brighten
Mary Kite

Charles Brighton
Mary Kite
💍 1865/6809

Bachelor
Spinster

Carpenter

31
17

City of Nelson
Waimea East

18 months
17 years

At the residence of Lucy Kite inn keeper, Richmond

923

Lucy Kite MOTHER

1 Dec 1865

Rev. Edward Thomas

No	67
Date of Notice	1 December 1865
	Groom	Bride
Names of Parties	Charles Brighten	Mary Kite
BDM Match (97%)	Charles Brighton	Mary Kite
	💍 1865/6809
Condition	Bachelor	Spinster
Profession	Carpenter
Age	31	17
Dwelling Place	City of Nelson	Waimea East
Length of Residence	18 months	17 years
Marriage Place	At the residence of Lucy Kite inn keeper, Richmond
Folio	923
Consent	Lucy Kite MOTHER
Date of Certificate	1 Dec 1865
Officiating Minister	Rev. Edward Thomas

8 December 1865

Samuel Alexander Leech
Janet Brown

Samuel Alexander Tuck
Janet Brown
💍 1865/6866

Bachelor
Spinster

Master Mariner

29
25

Russell St: Nelson
Stanley Crescent Nelson

8 years
10 years

At the Presbyterian Church in Nelson

8 Dec 1865

Rev. Patrick Calder

No	68
Date of Notice	8 December 1865
	Groom	Bride
Names of Parties	Samuel Alexander Leech	Janet Brown
BDM Match (91%)	Samuel Alexander Tuck	Janet Brown
	💍 1865/6866
Condition	Bachelor	Spinster
Profession	Master Mariner
Age	29	25
Dwelling Place	Russell St: Nelson	Stanley Crescent Nelson
Length of Residence	8 years	10 years
Marriage Place	At the Presbyterian Church in Nelson
Folio
Consent
Date of Certificate	8 Dec 1865
Officiating Minister	Rev. Patrick Calder

11 December 1865

Henry Hamilton
Sarah Ann Harwood

Henry Hamilton
Sarah Ann Harwood
💍 1865/6863

Bachelor
Spinster

Mariner

24
22

City of Nelson
City of Nelson

5 years
22 years

At the Presbyterian Church in Nelson

940

11 Dec 1865

Rev. Patrick Calder

No	69
Date of Notice	11 December 1865
	Groom	Bride
Names of Parties	Henry Hamilton	Sarah Ann Harwood
	💍 1865/6863
Condition	Bachelor	Spinster
Profession	Mariner
Age	24	22
Dwelling Place	City of Nelson	City of Nelson
Length of Residence	5 years	22 years
Marriage Place	At the Presbyterian Church in Nelson
Folio	940
Consent
Date of Certificate	11 Dec 1865
Officiating Minister	Rev. Patrick Calder

15 December 1865

Samuel Alexander Leech
Janet Brown

Samuel Alexander Tuck
Janet Brown
💍 1865/6866

Bachelor
Spinster

Master Mariner
Mariner

29
25

Russell St: Nelson
Stanley Crescent Nelson

8 years
10 years

At the residence of John Brown, Stanley Crescent

941

15 Dec 1865

Rev. Patrick Calder

No	70
Date of Notice	15 December 1865
	Groom	Bride
Names of Parties	Samuel Alexander Leech	Janet Brown
BDM Match (91%)	Samuel Alexander Tuck	Janet Brown
	💍 1865/6866
Condition	Bachelor	Spinster
Profession	Master Mariner	Mariner
Age	29	25
Dwelling Place	Russell St: Nelson	Stanley Crescent Nelson
Length of Residence	8 years	10 years
Marriage Place	At the residence of John Brown, Stanley Crescent
Folio	941
Consent
Date of Certificate	15 Dec 1865
Officiating Minister	Rev. Patrick Calder

18 December 1865

William Arthur White
Anne Allen

William Arthur White
Annie Allen
💍 1865/6767

Bachelor
Widow

Mariner

35
41

City of Nelson
City of Nelson

6 months
2 years

At the residence of William Arthur White, Haven Road, Nelson

907

18 Dec 1865

Rev. William Kirk

No	71
Date of Notice	18 December 1865
	Groom	Bride
Names of Parties	William Arthur White	Anne Allen
BDM Match (95%)	William Arthur White	Annie Allen
	💍 1865/6767
Condition	Bachelor	Widow
Profession	Mariner
Age	35	41
Dwelling Place	City of Nelson	City of Nelson
Length of Residence	6 months	2 years
Marriage Place	At the residence of William Arthur White, Haven Road, Nelson
Folio	907
Consent
Date of Certificate	18 Dec 1865
Officiating Minister	Rev. William Kirk

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

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Attribution: This image was digitised by Archives NZ Te Rua Mahara o te Kāwanatanga and is republished here under CC BY. It has been cropped and rotated for convenience.

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).