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 410

District of Dunedin Quarter ending Jan - Mar

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

13 February 1865

Allan Broad
Margaret Kerr

Allan Broad
Margaret Kerr
💍 1865/8531

Bachelor
Spinster

Draper

24
19

Dunedin
Dunedin

2 yrs
3 yrs

In the house of Mrs Kerr George Street Dunedin

65/1518

Lilleas Kerr, mother

13 February 1865

Rev. D. M. Stuart

No	64
Date of Notice	13 February 1865
	Groom	Bride
Names of Parties	Allan Broad	Margaret Kerr
	💍 1865/8531
Condition	Bachelor	Spinster
Profession	Draper
Age	24	19
Dwelling Place	Dunedin	Dunedin
Length of Residence	2 yrs	3 yrs
Marriage Place	In the house of Mrs Kerr George Street Dunedin
Folio	65/1518
Consent	Lilleas Kerr, mother
Date of Certificate	13 February 1865
Officiating Minister	Rev. D. M. Stuart

15 February 1865

John McCarthy
Margaret Malony

John McCarthy
Margaret Maloney
💍 1865/8357

Bachelor
Spinster

Cooper

28
25

Dunedin
Dunedin

3 yrs
1 1/2 yrs

In St Joseph's Presbytery house Dunedin

65/1454

15 February 1865

Rev. D. Moreau

No	65
Date of Notice	15 February 1865
	Groom	Bride
Names of Parties	John McCarthy	Margaret Malony
BDM Match (97%)	John McCarthy	Margaret Maloney
	💍 1865/8357
Condition	Bachelor	Spinster
Profession	Cooper
Age	28	25
Dwelling Place	Dunedin	Dunedin
Length of Residence	3 yrs	1 1/2 yrs
Marriage Place	In St Joseph's Presbytery house Dunedin
Folio	65/1454
Consent
Date of Certificate	15 February 1865
Officiating Minister	Rev. D. Moreau

16 February 1865

Francis Battson
Joan Fidler

Francis Battson
Joan Fidler
💍 1865/8930

Widower
Spinster

Clerk

35
23

Dunedin
Dunedin

7 yrs
18 months

In the house of Francis Battson Albany Street Dunedin

65/1658

16 February 1865

Rev. J. Aldred

No	66
Date of Notice	16 February 1865
	Groom	Bride
Names of Parties	Francis Battson	Joan Fidler
	💍 1865/8930
Condition	Widower	Spinster
Profession	Clerk
Age	35	23
Dwelling Place	Dunedin	Dunedin
Length of Residence	7 yrs	18 months
Marriage Place	In the house of Francis Battson Albany Street Dunedin
Folio	65/1658
Consent
Date of Certificate	16 February 1865
Officiating Minister	Rev. J. Aldred

17 February 1865

Alexander Fraser
Jessie Cameron

Alexr Fraser
Jessie Cameron
💍 1865/8534

Bachelor
Spinster

Settler

26
28

Dunedin
Dunedin

5 weeks
1 yr

In the house of Mrs Sutherland Cumberland Street Dunedin

65/1519

17 February 1865

Rev. D. M. Stuart

No	67
Date of Notice	17 February 1865
	Groom	Bride
Names of Parties	Alexander Fraser	Jessie Cameron
BDM Match (88%)	Alexr Fraser	Jessie Cameron
	💍 1865/8534
Condition	Bachelor	Spinster
Profession	Settler
Age	26	28
Dwelling Place	Dunedin	Dunedin
Length of Residence	5 weeks	1 yr
Marriage Place	In the house of Mrs Sutherland Cumberland Street Dunedin
Folio	65/1519
Consent
Date of Certificate	17 February 1865
Officiating Minister	Rev. D. M. Stuart

18 February 1865

John Nolan
Catherine Costello

John Nolan
Catherine Costello
💍 1865/8360

Bachelor
Spinster

Miner

24
22

Dunedin
Dunedin

4 days
6 months

In St Joseph's Presbytery house Dunedin

65/1455

18 February 1865

Revd. D. Moreau

No	68
Date of Notice	18 February 1865
	Groom	Bride
Names of Parties	John Nolan	Catherine Costello
	💍 1865/8360
Condition	Bachelor	Spinster
Profession	Miner
Age	24	22
Dwelling Place	Dunedin	Dunedin
Length of Residence	4 days	6 months
Marriage Place	In St Joseph's Presbytery house Dunedin
Folio	65/1455
Consent
Date of Certificate	18 February 1865
Officiating Minister	Revd. D. Moreau

21 February 1865

Samuel Haywood
Matilda Philippa Mirams

Samuel Haywood Mirams
Matilda Phillippa Eastgate
💍 1865/8081

Bachelor
Spinster

Civil Engineer

full
19 yrs

Dunedin
Dunedin

2 yrs
2 yrs

In the house of the Revd Richard Connebee Eastgade Dunedin

65/1359

Jane Eastgate, mother

21 February 1865

Rev. R. Connobee

No	69
Date of Notice	21 February 1865
	Groom	Bride
Names of Parties	Samuel Haywood	Matilda Philippa Mirams
BDM Match (68%)	Samuel Haywood Mirams	Matilda Phillippa Eastgate
	💍 1865/8081
Condition	Bachelor	Spinster
Profession	Civil Engineer
Age	full	19 yrs
Dwelling Place	Dunedin	Dunedin
Length of Residence	2 yrs	2 yrs
Marriage Place	In the house of the Revd Richard Connebee Eastgade Dunedin
Folio	65/1359
Consent	Jane Eastgate, mother
Date of Certificate	21 February 1865
Officiating Minister	Rev. R. Connobee

23 February 1865

Albert Julius Metz
Agathe Marianne Goldammer

Albert Julius Metz
Marianne Goldammer
💍 1865/8537

Bachelor
Spinster

Bricklayer

32
23

Dunedin
Dunedin

3 weeks
16 months

In Knox Church Dunedin

65/1520

23 February 1865

Rev. D. M. Stuart

No	70
Date of Notice	23 February 1865
	Groom	Bride
Names of Parties	Albert Julius Metz	Agathe Marianne Goldammer
BDM Match (86%)	Albert Julius Metz	Marianne Goldammer
	💍 1865/8537
Condition	Bachelor	Spinster
Profession	Bricklayer
Age	32	23
Dwelling Place	Dunedin	Dunedin
Length of Residence	3 weeks	16 months
Marriage Place	In Knox Church Dunedin
Folio	65/1520
Consent
Date of Certificate	23 February 1865
Officiating Minister	Rev. D. M. Stuart

23 February 1865

John Ashworth
Hellen Brown

John Ashworth
Hellen Brown
💍 1865/8549

Bachelor
Widow

Laborer

29
32

Dunedin
Dunedin

3 months
2 1/2 yrs

In Knox Church Dunedin

65/1524

23 February 1865

Rev. D. M. Stuart

No	71
Date of Notice	23 February 1865
	Groom	Bride
Names of Parties	John Ashworth	Hellen Brown
	💍 1865/8549
Condition	Bachelor	Widow
Profession	Laborer
Age	29	32
Dwelling Place	Dunedin	Dunedin
Length of Residence	3 months	2 1/2 yrs
Marriage Place	In Knox Church Dunedin
Folio	65/1524
Consent
Date of Certificate	23 February 1865
Officiating Minister	Rev. D. M. Stuart

23 February 1865

John Blair
Jemima Gunn

John Blair
Jemima Gunn
💍 1865/8546

Widower
Spinster

Baker

25
23

Dunedin
Dunedin

5 months
5 months

In the house of Mr. Gunn Carpenter Moray Place Dunedin

65/1523

23 February 1865

Rev. D. M. Stuart

No	72
Date of Notice	23 February 1865
	Groom	Bride
Names of Parties	John Blair	Jemima Gunn
	💍 1865/8546
Condition	Widower	Spinster
Profession	Baker
Age	25	23
Dwelling Place	Dunedin	Dunedin
Length of Residence	5 months	5 months
Marriage Place	In the house of Mr. Gunn Carpenter Moray Place Dunedin
Folio	65/1523
Consent
Date of Certificate	23 February 1865
Officiating Minister	Rev. D. M. Stuart

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).