Intentions to Marry, 1868

Reference: Registrar-General of Births, Deaths and Marriages, Notices of intention to marry, Series 8937, R2840380, Archives New Zealand Te Rua Mahara o te Kāwanatanga, Wellington

Page 217

District of Quarter ending

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 1868

William [UNCLEAR]
Ellen Leslie

Bachelor
Spinster

Carpenter

over
over

Wanganui
do

18 ms
8 dys

at the Residence

996

2 January 1868

Rev. J. Elmslie

No	1
Date of Notice	2 January 1868
	Groom	Bride
Names of Parties	William [UNCLEAR]	Ellen Leslie
Condition	Bachelor	Spinster
Profession	Carpenter
Age	over	over
Dwelling Place	Wanganui	do
Length of Residence	18 ms	8 dys
Marriage Place	at the Residence
Folio	996
Consent
Date of Certificate	2 January 1868
Officiating Minister	Rev. J. Elmslie

2 January 1868

John Hyger
Jane Flyger

John Flyger
Amey Flyger
💍 1868/7664

Bachelor
Spinster

Storekeeper

over
over

Turakina
Wanganui

18 ms
4 dys

Pres. Resi.

1046

2 January 1868

Rev. J. Higgs

No	2
Date of Notice	2 January 1868
	Groom	Bride
Names of Parties	John Hyger	Jane Flyger
BDM Match (73%)	John Flyger	Amey Flyger
	💍 1868/7664
Condition	Bachelor	Spinster
Profession	Storekeeper
Age	over	over
Dwelling Place	Turakina	Wanganui
Length of Residence	18 ms	4 dys
Marriage Place	Pres. Resi.
Folio	1046
Consent
Date of Certificate	2 January 1868
Officiating Minister	Rev. J. Higgs

4 January 1868

Philip M. Beard
Sarah J. Quin

Bachelor
Spinster

Gentleman

24
16

Wanganui
do

9 yrs
6

at the Roman Catholic Chapel

995

John Quin, Father

4 January 1868

Rev. J. Allcocks

No	3
Date of Notice	4 January 1868
	Groom	Bride
Names of Parties	Philip M. Beard	Sarah J. Quin
Condition	Bachelor	Spinster
Profession	Gentleman
Age	24	16
Dwelling Place	Wanganui	do
Length of Residence	9 yrs	6
Marriage Place	at the Roman Catholic Chapel
Folio	995
Consent	John Quin, Father
Date of Certificate	4 January 1868
Officiating Minister	Rev. J. Allcocks

4 January 1868

John Bonnie
Barbara Murray

John Bennie
Barbara Murray
💍 1868/7460

Bachelor
Spinster

Cooper

over
21

Wanganui
do

3 yrs
6 ms

Scotch Church Turakina

995

4 January 1868

Rev. A. Begg

No	4
Date of Notice	4 January 1868
	Groom	Bride
Names of Parties	John Bonnie	Barbara Murray
BDM Match (95%)	John Bennie	Barbara Murray
	💍 1868/7460
Condition	Bachelor	Spinster
Profession	Cooper
Age	over	21
Dwelling Place	Wanganui	do
Length of Residence	3 yrs	6 ms
Marriage Place	Scotch Church Turakina
Folio	995
Consent
Date of Certificate	4 January 1868
Officiating Minister	Rev. A. Begg

4 January 1868

Michael Convoy
Catherine Mohan

Michael Cormory
Catherine McDonald
💍 1868/5420

Michael Pollock
Catherine Solomon
💍 1868/9721

Bachelor
Spinster

Labourer

30
21

Wanganui
do

10 yrs
7 yrs

at the Roman Catholic Chapel

996

4 January 1868

Rev. A. Refuck

No	5
Date of Notice	4 January 1868
	Groom	Bride
Names of Parties	Michael Convoy	Catherine Mohan
BDM Match (76%)	Michael Cormory	Catherine McDonald
	💍 1868/5420
BDM Match (69%)	Michael Pollock	Catherine Solomon
	💍 1868/9721
Condition	Bachelor	Spinster
Profession	Labourer
Age	30	21
Dwelling Place	Wanganui	do
Length of Residence	10 yrs	7 yrs
Marriage Place	at the Roman Catholic Chapel
Folio	996
Consent
Date of Certificate	4 January 1868
Officiating Minister	Rev. A. Refuck

25 January 1868

Humphrey Richards
Elizabeth Usher

Charles Montrose Richards
Elizabeth Baker
💍 1868/7559

Bachelor
Spinster

Farmer

23
21

Rangihin
do

12 ms
2 ms

Pres. d. Res.

1010

25 January 1868

Rev. B. Parkes

No	6
Date of Notice	25 January 1868
	Groom	Bride
Names of Parties	Humphrey Richards	Elizabeth Usher
BDM Match (60%)	Charles Montrose Richards	Elizabeth Baker
	💍 1868/7559
Condition	Bachelor	Spinster
Profession	Farmer
Age	23	21
Dwelling Place	Rangihin	do
Length of Residence	12 ms	2 ms
Marriage Place	Pres. d. Res.
Folio	1010
Consent
Date of Certificate	25 January 1868
Officiating Minister	Rev. B. Parkes

27 January 1868

James Rae
Eliza Margaret Newill

James Rae
Elizabeth Margaret Newell
💍 1868/7466

Bachelor
Spinster

Storekeeper

34
30

Wanganui
Wanganui

2 yrs
3 yrs

at the Residence of W Thompson

68/977

27 January 1868

Rev. J. Elmslie

No	7
Date of Notice	27 January 1868
	Groom	Bride
Names of Parties	James Rae	Eliza Margaret Newill
BDM Match (90%)	James Rae	Elizabeth Margaret Newell
	💍 1868/7466
Condition	Bachelor	Spinster
Profession	Storekeeper
Age	34	30
Dwelling Place	Wanganui	Wanganui
Length of Residence	2 yrs	3 yrs
Marriage Place	at the Residence of W Thompson
Folio	68/977
Consent
Date of Certificate	27 January 1868
Officiating Minister	Rev. J. Elmslie

11 February 1868

Samuel Rice
Jane Williamson

Samuel Rici
Ann Maria Williamson
💍 1868/7469

Bachelor
Spinster

over
over

Wanganui
do

6 ms
15 ms

Pres. Res.

998

11 February 1868

Rev. J. Elmslie

No	8
Date of Notice	11 February 1868
	Groom	Bride
Names of Parties	Samuel Rice	Jane Williamson
BDM Match (75%)	Samuel Rici	Ann Maria Williamson
	💍 1868/7469
Condition	Bachelor	Spinster
Profession
Age	over	over
Dwelling Place	Wanganui	do
Length of Residence	6 ms	15 ms
Marriage Place	Pres. Res.
Folio	998
Consent
Date of Certificate	11 February 1868
Officiating Minister	Rev. J. Elmslie

22 February 1868

Daniel Hughes
Mary Ann Ward

Daniel Hughes
Margaret Ward
💍 1868/7556

William Cather
Mary Ann Ward
💍 1868/5309

Bachelor
Spinster

Farmer

22
17

Wanganui
Patea

14 dys
12

at the Residence

1009

Patrick Ward, Father

22 February 1868

Rev. J. Elmslie

No	9
Date of Notice	22 February 1868
	Groom	Bride
Names of Parties	Daniel Hughes	Mary Ann Ward
BDM Match (81%)	Daniel Hughes	Margaret Ward
	💍 1868/7556
BDM Match (64%)	William Cather	Mary Ann Ward
	💍 1868/5309
Condition	Bachelor	Spinster
Profession	Farmer
Age	22	17
Dwelling Place	Wanganui	Patea
Length of Residence	14 dys	12
Marriage Place	at the Residence
Folio	1009
Consent	Patrick Ward, Father
Date of Certificate	22 February 1868
Officiating Minister	Rev. J. Elmslie

21 February 1868

A. Gutbrie Phillips
Eliza Clinton

Charles Guthrie Phillips
Elena Churton
💍 1868/7505

Bachelor
Spinster

over
over

Wanganui
do

4 dys
4 yrs

at Christ Church

999

21 February 1868

Rev. Cha. Nicholls

No	10
Date of Notice	21 February 1868
	Groom	Bride
Names of Parties	A. Gutbrie Phillips	Eliza Clinton
BDM Match (64%)	Charles Guthrie Phillips	Elena Churton
	💍 1868/7505
Condition	Bachelor	Spinster
Profession
Age	over	over
Dwelling Place	Wanganui	do
Length of Residence	4 dys	4 yrs
Marriage Place	at Christ Church
Folio	999
Consent
Date of Certificate	21 February 1868
Officiating Minister	Rev. Cha. Nicholls

24 February 1868

George Brown
Mary Agnes Nisbetter

George Brown
Mary Agnes Mitchell
💍 1868/7526

Bachelor
Spinster

Watchmaker

27
21

Wanganui
do

11 ms
18

at the Roman Catholic Chapel

998

24 February 1868

Rev. A. Refuck

No	11
Date of Notice	24 February 1868
	Groom	Bride
Names of Parties	George Brown	Mary Agnes Nisbetter
BDM Match (80%)	George Brown	Mary Agnes Mitchell
	💍 1868/7526
Condition	Bachelor	Spinster
Profession	Watchmaker
Age	27	21
Dwelling Place	Wanganui	do
Length of Residence	11 ms	18
Marriage Place	at the Roman Catholic Chapel
Folio	998
Consent
Date of Certificate	24 February 1868
Officiating Minister	Rev. A. Refuck

February 1868

Charles Schnasel
Jessie Mitchell

Bachelor
Spinster

Barman

27
23

Wanganui
do

4 yrs
12 ms

at Wesleyan Chapel

999

February 1868

Rev. A. Refuck

No	12
Date of Notice	February 1868
	Groom	Bride
Names of Parties	Charles Schnasel	Jessie Mitchell
Condition	Bachelor	Spinster
Profession	Barman
Age	27	23
Dwelling Place	Wanganui	do
Length of Residence	4 yrs	12 ms
Marriage Place	at Wesleyan Chapel
Folio	999
Consent
Date of Certificate	February 1868
Officiating Minister	Rev. A. Refuck

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).