Intentions to Marry, 1867

Reference: Registrar-General of Births, Deaths and Marriages, Notices of intention to marry, Series 8937, R2840379, Archives New Zealand Te Rua Mahara o te Kāwanatanga, Wellington

Page 321

District of Nelson Quarter ending 31 March 1867 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

2 January 1867

George Hodgson
Martha Ann Barrett

George Hodgson
Martha Ann Barrett
💍 1867/6748

Bachelor
Spinster

Clerk in government office

21
21

City of Nelson
City of Nelson

21 years
18 years

At Christ Church, Nelson

817

23 January 1867

Rev. Geo Henry Johnstone

No	1
Date of Notice	2 January 1867
	Groom	Bride
Names of Parties	George Hodgson	Martha Ann Barrett
	💍 1867/6748
Condition	Bachelor	Spinster
Profession	Clerk in government office
Age	21	21
Dwelling Place	City of Nelson	City of Nelson
Length of Residence	21 years	18 years
Marriage Place	At Christ Church, Nelson
Folio	817
Consent
Date of Certificate	23 January 1867
Officiating Minister	Rev. Geo Henry Johnstone

5 Jany 1867

Edward James Ryland
Maria Jane Davis

Edward James Byland
Maria Jane Davis
💍 1867/6823

Bachelor
Spinster

Mariner

35
24

City of Nelson
City of Nelson

4 days
4 days

at the residence of Elizabeth McBeth spinster, Haven Road

842

5 January 1867

Rev. Edward Thomas

No	2
Date of Notice	5 Jany 1867
	Groom	Bride
Names of Parties	Edward James Ryland	Maria Jane Davis
BDM Match (97%)	Edward James Byland	Maria Jane Davis
	💍 1867/6823
Condition	Bachelor	Spinster
Profession	Mariner
Age	35	24
Dwelling Place	City of Nelson	City of Nelson
Length of Residence	4 days	4 days
Marriage Place	at the residence of Elizabeth McBeth spinster, Haven Road
Folio	842
Consent
Date of Certificate	5 January 1867
Officiating Minister	Rev. Edward Thomas

15 January 1867

Walter Handsome Haines
Clara Fulgentia Jacobsen

Walter Hardgrove Haines
Clara Fulgertia Jacobsen
💍 1867/6718

Bachelor
Spinster

Farmer

32
18

City of Nelson
City of Nelson

1 week
1 month

at the Catholic Church in Nelson

807

Johann Sigismund Martin Jacobsen, father

15 January 1867

Rev. Antoine Marie Garin

No	3
Date of Notice	15 January 1867
	Groom	Bride
Names of Parties	Walter Handsome Haines	Clara Fulgentia Jacobsen
BDM Match (89%)	Walter Hardgrove Haines	Clara Fulgertia Jacobsen
	💍 1867/6718
Condition	Bachelor	Spinster
Profession	Farmer
Age	32	18
Dwelling Place	City of Nelson	City of Nelson
Length of Residence	1 week	1 month
Marriage Place	at the Catholic Church in Nelson
Folio	807
Consent	Johann Sigismund Martin Jacobsen, father
Date of Certificate	15 January 1867
Officiating Minister	Rev. Antoine Marie Garin

19 Jany 1867

Charles Knight
Betsy Gifford

Charles Knight
Betsy Gifford
💍 1867/6745

Bachelor
Widow

Plasterer

30
30

City of Nelson
Waimea East

8 months
14 years

at Christ church, Nelson

816

19 Jany 1867

Rev. Geo: Henry Johnstone

No	4
Date of Notice	19 Jany 1867
	Groom	Bride
Names of Parties	Charles Knight	Betsy Gifford
	💍 1867/6745
Condition	Bachelor	Widow
Profession	Plasterer
Age	30	30
Dwelling Place	City of Nelson	Waimea East
Length of Residence	8 months	14 years
Marriage Place	at Christ church, Nelson
Folio	816
Consent
Date of Certificate	19 Jany 1867
Officiating Minister	Rev. Geo: Henry Johnstone

21 Jany 1867

Thomas Hall Lammas
Mary Ann Eyles

Thomas Hall Lammas
Mary Ann Eyles
💍 1867/6691

Bachelor
Spinster

Labourer

23
19

Richmond
Richmond

6 years
19 years

at the residence of William Eyles farmer, Richmond

798

William Eyles Father

6 Feby 1867

Rev. John Davis

No	5
Date of Notice	21 Jany 1867
	Groom	Bride
Names of Parties	Thomas Hall Lammas	Mary Ann Eyles
	💍 1867/6691
Condition	Bachelor	Spinster
Profession	Labourer
Age	23	19
Dwelling Place	Richmond	Richmond
Length of Residence	6 years	19 years
Marriage Place	at the residence of William Eyles farmer, Richmond
Folio	798
Consent	William Eyles Father
Date of Certificate	6 Feby 1867
Officiating Minister	Rev. John Davis

29 Jany 1867

Richard Ramsay Morton
Emma Webb

Michael Ramsay Morton
Emma Webb
💍 1867/6751

Bachelor
Spinster

Merchant

23
18

City of Nelson
City of Nelson

2 years
18 years

at Christ church, Nelson

818

Joseph Webb Father

29 Jany 1867

Rev. Geo Henry Johnstone

No	6
Date of Notice	29 Jany 1867
	Groom	Bride
Names of Parties	Richard Ramsay Morton	Emma Webb
BDM Match (93%)	Michael Ramsay Morton	Emma Webb
	💍 1867/6751
Condition	Bachelor	Spinster
Profession	Merchant
Age	23	18
Dwelling Place	City of Nelson	City of Nelson
Length of Residence	2 years	18 years
Marriage Place	at Christ church, Nelson
Folio	818
Consent	Joseph Webb Father
Date of Certificate	29 Jany 1867
Officiating Minister	Rev. Geo Henry Johnstone

7 Feby 1867

Arthur Crosbie
Ann Davis

Arthur Crosbie
Ann Dawes
💍 1867/6589

Bachelor
Spinster

Mariner

23
24

City of Nelson
City of Nelson

1 year
2 years

at the residence of Samuel Wakeley mariner, Toi Toi Valley

762

25 Feby 1867

Rev. Patrick Calder

No	7
Date of Notice	7 Feby 1867
	Groom	Bride
Names of Parties	Arthur Crosbie	Ann Davis
BDM Match (89%)	Arthur Crosbie	Ann Dawes
	💍 1867/6589
Condition	Bachelor	Spinster
Profession	Mariner
Age	23	24
Dwelling Place	City of Nelson	City of Nelson
Length of Residence	1 year	2 years
Marriage Place	at the residence of Samuel Wakeley mariner, Toi Toi Valley
Folio	762
Consent
Date of Certificate	25 Feby 1867
Officiating Minister	Rev. Patrick Calder

13 Feby 1867

William Lines
Lucy Allcock

William Lines
Lucy Allcock
💍 1867/6586

Bachelor
Spinster

Farmer

25
20

Waimea East
Waimea East

10 years
12 years

at the residence of William Lines farmer, Waimea East

761

Charlotte Allcock mother

13 Feby 1867

Rev. R. S. Bunn

No	8
Date of Notice	13 Feby 1867
	Groom	Bride
Names of Parties	William Lines	Lucy Allcock
	💍 1867/6586
Condition	Bachelor	Spinster
Profession	Farmer
Age	25	20
Dwelling Place	Waimea East	Waimea East
Length of Residence	10 years	12 years
Marriage Place	at the residence of William Lines farmer, Waimea East
Folio	761
Consent	Charlotte Allcock mother
Date of Certificate	13 Feby 1867
Officiating Minister	Rev. R. S. Bunn

15 Feby 1867

Robert Aitken
Mary Bollen

Robert Aitken
Mary Bollen
💍 1867/6826

Widower
Spinster

Brewer

31
21

City of Nelson
City of Nelson

10 years
1 year

at the residence of James Noel Wilkinson Albion Holet, Haven Road, Nelson

843

15 Feby 1867

Rev. Edward Thomas

No	9
Date of Notice	15 Feby 1867
	Groom	Bride
Names of Parties	Robert Aitken	Mary Bollen
	💍 1867/6826
Condition	Widower	Spinster
Profession	Brewer
Age	31	21
Dwelling Place	City of Nelson	City of Nelson
Length of Residence	10 years	1 year
Marriage Place	at the residence of James Noel Wilkinson Albion Holet, Haven Road, Nelson
Folio	843
Consent
Date of Certificate	15 Feby 1867
Officiating Minister	Rev. Edward Thomas

18 Feby 1867

Henry Adams
Jane Elliott

Henry Adams
Jane Elliott
💍 1867/6754

Widower
Spinster

Solicitor

46
32

City of Nelson
City of Nelson

17 years
25 years

at Christ church, Nelson

819

18 Feby 1867

Rev. Geo Henry Johnstone

No	10
Date of Notice	18 Feby 1867
	Groom	Bride
Names of Parties	Henry Adams	Jane Elliott
	💍 1867/6754
Condition	Widower	Spinster
Profession	Solicitor
Age	46	32
Dwelling Place	City of Nelson	City of Nelson
Length of Residence	17 years	25 years
Marriage Place	at Christ church, Nelson
Folio	819
Consent
Date of Certificate	18 Feby 1867
Officiating Minister	Rev. Geo Henry Johnstone

18 Feby 1867

James Edmund Hodgson
Catherine Otterson

James Edmund Hodson
Catherine Otterson
💍 1867/6757

Bachelor
Spinster

Run holder

34
23

City of Nelson
City of Nelson

4 days
20 years

At Christ church. Nelson

820

18 Feby 1867

Rev. Geo: Henry Johnstone

No	11
Date of Notice	18 Feby 1867
	Groom	Bride
Names of Parties	James Edmund Hodgson	Catherine Otterson
BDM Match (98%)	James Edmund Hodson	Catherine Otterson
	💍 1867/6757
Condition	Bachelor	Spinster
Profession	Run holder
Age	34	23
Dwelling Place	City of Nelson	City of Nelson
Length of Residence	4 days	20 years
Marriage Place	At Christ church. Nelson
Folio	820
Consent
Date of Certificate	18 Feby 1867
Officiating Minister	Rev. Geo: Henry Johnstone

1867

Robert Henry Bartlett
Mary Elizabeth Fletcher

Robert Henry Bartlett
Mary Elizabeth Fletcher
💍 1867/6742

815

2 January 1867

Rev. Geo Henry Johnstone

No	91
Date of Notice	1867
	Groom	Bride
Names of Parties	Robert Henry Bartlett	Mary Elizabeth Fletcher
	💍 1867/6742
Condition
Profession
Age
Dwelling Place
Length of Residence
Marriage Place
Folio	815
Consent
Date of Certificate	2 January 1867
Officiating Minister	Rev. Geo Henry Johnstone

1867

John Hogg
Ellen Bush

John Hogg
Ellen Bush
💍 1867/6739

814

4 Jany 1867

Rev. Geo. Henry Johnstone

No	94
Date of Notice	1867
	Groom	Bride
Names of Parties	John Hogg	Ellen Bush
	💍 1867/6739
Condition
Profession
Age
Dwelling Place
Length of Residence
Marriage Place
Folio	814
Consent
Date of Certificate	4 Jany 1867
Officiating Minister	Rev. Geo. Henry Johnstone

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).