Intentions to Marry, 1866

Reference: Registrar-General of Births, Deaths and Marriages, Notices of intention to marry, Series 8937, R2840378, Archives New Zealand Te Rua Mahara o te Kāwanatanga, Wellington

Page 310

District of Nelson Quarter ending 31 March 1866 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

28 February 1866

Moses Irons Coleman
Harriett White

Moses Irons Coleman
Harriet White
💍 1866/7006

Bachelor
Spinster

Farmer

32
21

Waimea East
Waimea East

10 years
10 years

At the residence of The Rev. William Kirk, Hardy St., Nelson

899

28 February 1866

Rev. William Kirk

No	14
Date of Notice	28 February 1866
	Groom	Bride
Names of Parties	Moses Irons Coleman	Harriett White
BDM Match (96%)	Moses Irons Coleman	Harriet White
	💍 1866/7006
Condition	Bachelor	Spinster
Profession	Farmer
Age	32	21
Dwelling Place	Waimea East	Waimea East
Length of Residence	10 years	10 years
Marriage Place	At the residence of The Rev. William Kirk, Hardy St., Nelson
Folio	899
Consent
Date of Certificate	28 February 1866
Officiating Minister	Rev. William Kirk

8 March 1866

Walter Fields
Mary Ann Allen

Walter Fields
Mary Ann Allen
💍 1866/7012

Bachelor
Spinster

Gardener

25
20

City of Nelson
City of Nelson

24 years
9 years

At the residence of William Fields gentleman, Grove St., Nelson

901

Eliza Allen mother

8 March 1866

Rev. William Kirk

No	15
Date of Notice	8 March 1866
	Groom	Bride
Names of Parties	Walter Fields	Mary Ann Allen
	💍 1866/7012
Condition	Bachelor	Spinster
Profession	Gardener
Age	25	20
Dwelling Place	City of Nelson	City of Nelson
Length of Residence	24 years	9 years
Marriage Place	At the residence of William Fields gentleman, Grove St., Nelson
Folio	901
Consent	Eliza Allen mother
Date of Certificate	8 March 1866
Officiating Minister	Rev. William Kirk

10 March 1866

James Shore
Grace Martan

James Shore
Grace Martin
💍 1866/6958

Bachelor
Spinster

Constable

30
23

City of Nelson
City of Nelson

7 months
2 years

At Christ church, Nelson

880

26 March 1866

Rev. Geo. Henry Johnstone

No	16
Date of Notice	10 March 1866
	Groom	Bride
Names of Parties	James Shore	Grace Martan
BDM Match (96%)	James Shore	Grace Martin
	💍 1866/6958
Condition	Bachelor	Spinster
Profession	Constable
Age	30	23
Dwelling Place	City of Nelson	City of Nelson
Length of Residence	7 months	2 years
Marriage Place	At Christ church, Nelson
Folio	880
Consent
Date of Certificate	26 March 1866
Officiating Minister	Rev. Geo. Henry Johnstone

13 March 1866

Samuel Coles
Elizabeth Robinson

Samuel Coles
Elizabeth Robinson
💍 1866/6883

Bachelor
Spinster

Labourer

28
18

City of Nelson
City of Nelson

2 years
13 years

At the residence of Joseph Shaw labourer, Waimea Road, Nelson

853

Elizabeth Shaw mother

13 March 1866

Rev. Patrick Calder

No	17
Date of Notice	13 March 1866
	Groom	Bride
Names of Parties	Samuel Coles	Elizabeth Robinson
	💍 1866/6883
Condition	Bachelor	Spinster
Profession	Labourer
Age	28	18
Dwelling Place	City of Nelson	City of Nelson
Length of Residence	2 years	13 years
Marriage Place	At the residence of Joseph Shaw labourer, Waimea Road, Nelson
Folio	853
Consent	Elizabeth Shaw mother
Date of Certificate	13 March 1866
Officiating Minister	Rev. Patrick Calder

13 March 1866

Thomas Hall
Sarah Jane Tyrrell

Thomas Hall
Sarah Jane Tyrell
💍 1866/7009

Bachelor
Spinster

Farmer

29
22

Waimea South
Waimea South

3 years
20 years

At the residence of James Harman farmer, Waimea South

900

13 March 1866

Rev. William Kirk

No	18
Date of Notice	13 March 1866
	Groom	Bride
Names of Parties	Thomas Hall	Sarah Jane Tyrrell
BDM Match (97%)	Thomas Hall	Sarah Jane Tyrell
	💍 1866/7009
Condition	Bachelor	Spinster
Profession	Farmer
Age	29	22
Dwelling Place	Waimea South	Waimea South
Length of Residence	3 years	20 years
Marriage Place	At the residence of James Harman farmer, Waimea South
Folio	900
Consent
Date of Certificate	13 March 1866
Officiating Minister	Rev. William Kirk

14 March 1866

Alfred Edward Hibble
Naomi Mathews

Alfred Edmund Hibble
Naomi Mathews
💍 1866/7084

Bachelor
Spinster

Clerk to Legislative Council

40
23

City of Nelson
City of Nelson

1 week
1 week

At the residence of Mrs C. Mathews widow, Hardy St., Nelson

927

14 March 1866

Rev. Edward Thomas

No	19
Date of Notice	14 March 1866
	Groom	Bride
Names of Parties	Alfred Edward Hibble	Naomi Mathews
BDM Match (93%)	Alfred Edmund Hibble	Naomi Mathews
	💍 1866/7084
Condition	Bachelor	Spinster
Profession	Clerk to Legislative Council
Age	40	23
Dwelling Place	City of Nelson	City of Nelson
Length of Residence	1 week	1 week
Marriage Place	At the residence of Mrs C. Mathews widow, Hardy St., Nelson
Folio	927
Consent
Date of Certificate	14 March 1866
Officiating Minister	Rev. Edward Thomas

15 March 1866

Robert Paull
Matilda Eliza Haslam

Robert Paull
Matilda Elisa Haslam
💍 1866/6886

Bachelor
Spinster

Mariner

39
31

City of Nelson
City of Nelson

1 year
10 years

At the residence of Emma Haslam widow, Collingwood St., Nelson

852

15 March 1866

Rev. Patrick Calder

No	20
Date of Notice	15 March 1866
	Groom	Bride
Names of Parties	Robert Paull	Matilda Eliza Haslam
BDM Match (98%)	Robert Paull	Matilda Elisa Haslam
	💍 1866/6886
Condition	Bachelor	Spinster
Profession	Mariner
Age	39	31
Dwelling Place	City of Nelson	City of Nelson
Length of Residence	1 year	10 years
Marriage Place	At the residence of Emma Haslam widow, Collingwood St., Nelson
Folio	852
Consent
Date of Certificate	15 March 1866
Officiating Minister	Rev. Patrick Calder

16 March 1866

William Winter
Mary Jane Armstrong

William Winter
Mary Jane Armstrong
💍 1866/7069

Bachelor
Spinster

Labourer

22
23

City of Nelson
City of Nelson

20 years
12 years

At the Catholic Church in Nelson

921

31 March 1866

Rev. Ant. Marie Garin

No	21
Date of Notice	16 March 1866
	Groom	Bride
Names of Parties	William Winter	Mary Jane Armstrong
	💍 1866/7069
Condition	Bachelor	Spinster
Profession	Labourer
Age	22	23
Dwelling Place	City of Nelson	City of Nelson
Length of Residence	20 years	12 years
Marriage Place	At the Catholic Church in Nelson
Folio	921
Consent
Date of Certificate	31 March 1866
Officiating Minister	Rev. Ant. Marie Garin

29 March 1866

William Emms
Sarah Emily Jones

William Emms
Amelia Emma Jones
💍 1866/7015

Bachelor
Spinster

Mariner

28
22

City of Nelson
City of Nelson

2 years
10 years

At the residence of James Kearse labourer, Bridge St., Nelson

902

29 March 1866

Rev. William Kirk

No	22
Date of Notice	29 March 1866
	Groom	Bride
Names of Parties	William Emms	Sarah Emily Jones
BDM Match (74%)	William Emms	Amelia Emma Jones
	💍 1866/7015
Condition	Bachelor	Spinster
Profession	Mariner
Age	28	22
Dwelling Place	City of Nelson	City of Nelson
Length of Residence	2 years	10 years
Marriage Place	At the residence of James Kearse labourer, Bridge St., Nelson
Folio	902
Consent
Date of Certificate	29 March 1866
Officiating Minister	Rev. William Kirk

31 March 1866

William Emms
Amelia Anna Jones

William Emms
Amelia Emma Jones
💍 1866/7015

Bachelor
Spinster

Mariner

28
22

City of Nelson
City of Nelson

2 years
10 years

At the residence of James Kearse labourer, Bridge St., Nelson

902

31 March 1866

Rev. William Kirk

No	23
Date of Notice	31 March 1866
	Groom	Bride
Names of Parties	William Emms	Amelia Anna Jones
BDM Match (91%)	William Emms	Amelia Emma Jones
	💍 1866/7015
Condition	Bachelor	Spinster
Profession	Mariner
Age	28	22
Dwelling Place	City of Nelson	City of Nelson
Length of Residence	2 years	10 years
Marriage Place	At the residence of James Kearse labourer, Bridge St., Nelson
Folio	902
Consent
Date of Certificate	31 March 1866
Officiating Minister	Rev. William Kirk

31 March 1866

Thomas Wyllie McKenzie
Keziah Wooddon

Thomas Wyllie McKenzie
Keziah Woodon
💍 1866/7018

Bachelor
Widow

Store Keeper

34
28

City of Nelson
Waimea South

3 days
3 weeks

At the Wesleyan Chapel, Hardy St., Nelson

903

31 March 1866

Rev. William Kirk

No	24
Date of Notice	31 March 1866
	Groom	Bride
Names of Parties	Thomas Wyllie McKenzie	Keziah Wooddon
BDM Match (96%)	Thomas Wyllie McKenzie	Keziah Woodon
	💍 1866/7018
Condition	Bachelor	Widow
Profession	Store Keeper
Age	34	28
Dwelling Place	City of Nelson	Waimea South
Length of Residence	3 days	3 weeks
Marriage Place	At the Wesleyan Chapel, Hardy St., Nelson
Folio	903
Consent
Date of Certificate	31 March 1866
Officiating Minister	Rev. William Kirk

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

100% Contrast

100% Brightness

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).