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 347

District of Nelson Quarter ending 31 March 1868 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

7 January 1868

George Nisbet
Eliza Hughes

George Nisbet
Eliza Hughes
💍 1868/8150

Bachelor
Spinster

Waggoner

24
18

Fox Hill
Fox Hill

2 years
7 months

At the residence of Thomas Nisbet carpenter, The Wood, Nelson

1221

Harriet Ann Hughes, mother

7 January 1868

Rev. Geo. H. Johnstone

No	1
Date of Notice	7 January 1868
	Groom	Bride
Names of Parties	George Nisbet	Eliza Hughes
	💍 1868/8150
Condition	Bachelor	Spinster
Profession	Waggoner
Age	24	18
Dwelling Place	Fox Hill	Fox Hill
Length of Residence	2 years	7 months
Marriage Place	At the residence of Thomas Nisbet carpenter, The Wood, Nelson
Folio	1221
Consent	Harriet Ann Hughes, mother
Date of Certificate	7 January 1868
Officiating Minister	Rev. Geo. H. Johnstone

10 January 1868

Robert Grant
Susannah Bird

Robert Grant
Susannah Bird
💍 1868/7898

Bachelor
Spinster

Carter

28
24

City of Nelson
City of Nelson

3 years
4 years

At the residence of William Dutton, carpenter, Milton St., Nelson

1133

10 January 1868

Rev. Patrick Calder

No	2
Date of Notice	10 January 1868
	Groom	Bride
Names of Parties	Robert Grant	Susannah Bird
	💍 1868/7898
Condition	Bachelor	Spinster
Profession	Carter
Age	28	24
Dwelling Place	City of Nelson	City of Nelson
Length of Residence	3 years	4 years
Marriage Place	At the residence of William Dutton, carpenter, Milton St., Nelson
Folio	1133
Consent
Date of Certificate	10 January 1868
Officiating Minister	Rev. Patrick Calder

14 January 1868

Charles John Bird
Isabella Gilbertson

Charles John Bird
Isabella Gilbertson
💍 1868/7901

Bachelor
Spinster

Butcher

22
22

City of Nelson
City of Nelson

22 years
3 years

At the residence of Ann Bird, butcher, Trafalgar St., Nelson

1134

14 January 1868

Rev. Patrick Calder

No	3
Date of Notice	14 January 1868
	Groom	Bride
Names of Parties	Charles John Bird	Isabella Gilbertson
	💍 1868/7901
Condition	Bachelor	Spinster
Profession	Butcher
Age	22	22
Dwelling Place	City of Nelson	City of Nelson
Length of Residence	22 years	3 years
Marriage Place	At the residence of Ann Bird, butcher, Trafalgar St., Nelson
Folio	1134
Consent
Date of Certificate	14 January 1868
Officiating Minister	Rev. Patrick Calder

17 January 1868

Frederick Ludewig Kortegast
Fanny Field

Frederick Ludwig Kortegast
Fanny Field
💍 1868/8081

Bachelor
Spinster

Hotel Keeper

34
26

City of Nelson
City of Nelson

10 days
10 days

At Christ church, Nelson

1198

17 January 1868

Rev. Geo: H. Johnstone

No	4
Date of Notice	17 January 1868
	Groom	Bride
Names of Parties	Frederick Ludewig Kortegast	Fanny Field
BDM Match (98%)	Frederick Ludwig Kortegast	Fanny Field
	💍 1868/8081
Condition	Bachelor	Spinster
Profession	Hotel Keeper
Age	34	26
Dwelling Place	City of Nelson	City of Nelson
Length of Residence	10 days	10 days
Marriage Place	At Christ church, Nelson
Folio	1198
Consent
Date of Certificate	17 January 1868
Officiating Minister	Rev. Geo: H. Johnstone

20 January 1868

James Roberts
Mary Hannah Smart

James Roberts
Mary Hannah Smart
💍 1868/8153

Widower
Spinster

Gentleman

58
62

City of Nelson
City of Nelson

25 years
10 years

At the residence of the Rev. Edw. Thomas, Manuka St., Nelson

1222

20 January 1868

Rev. Edw. Thomas

No	5
Date of Notice	20 January 1868
	Groom	Bride
Names of Parties	James Roberts	Mary Hannah Smart
	💍 1868/8153
Condition	Widower	Spinster
Profession	Gentleman
Age	58	62
Dwelling Place	City of Nelson	City of Nelson
Length of Residence	25 years	10 years
Marriage Place	At the residence of the Rev. Edw. Thomas, Manuka St., Nelson
Folio	1222
Consent
Date of Certificate	20 January 1868
Officiating Minister	Rev. Edw. Thomas

21 January 1868

Robert Draper
Emma Ricketts

Roberts Draper
Emma Ricketts
💍 1868/7949

Bachelor
Spinster

Mariner

31
23

City of Nelson
City of Nelson

2 years
23 years

At the residence of Robert Draper, mariner, Russell St., Nelson

1152

21 January 1868

Rev. John Crump

No	6
Date of Notice	21 January 1868
	Groom	Bride
Names of Parties	Robert Draper	Emma Ricketts
BDM Match (96%)	Roberts Draper	Emma Ricketts
	💍 1868/7949
Condition	Bachelor	Spinster
Profession	Mariner
Age	31	23
Dwelling Place	City of Nelson	City of Nelson
Length of Residence	2 years	23 years
Marriage Place	At the residence of Robert Draper, mariner, Russell St., Nelson
Folio	1152
Consent
Date of Certificate	21 January 1868
Officiating Minister	Rev. John Crump

21 January 1868

John Frederick Ericson
Charlotte Kidson

John Frederick Ericson
Charlotte Kitson
💍 1868/4329

Bachelor
Spinster

Mariner

25
18

City of Nelson
City of Nelson

14 years
10 years

At the residence of John Kidson, Senr., Britannia Heights, Nelson

1224

John Kidson, father

5 February 1868

Rev. Edward Thomas

No	7
Date of Notice	21 January 1868
	Groom	Bride
Names of Parties	John Frederick Ericson	Charlotte Kidson
BDM Match (97%)	John Frederick Ericson	Charlotte Kitson
	💍 1868/4329
Condition	Bachelor	Spinster
Profession	Mariner
Age	25	18
Dwelling Place	City of Nelson	City of Nelson
Length of Residence	14 years	10 years
Marriage Place	At the residence of John Kidson, Senr., Britannia Heights, Nelson
Folio	1224
Consent	John Kidson, father
Date of Certificate	5 February 1868
Officiating Minister	Rev. Edward Thomas

24 January 1868

Joses Griffith
Rowena Emily Symes

Joses Griffith
Rowena Emily Symes
💍 1868/9661

Bachelor
Spinster

Farmer

22
19

Suburban South
Suburban South

22 years
12 years

At the Protestant Episcopalian Church, Waimea South

John Horace Symes, father

24 January 1868

Rev. Francis Tripp

No	8
Date of Notice	24 January 1868
	Groom	Bride
Names of Parties	Joses Griffith	Rowena Emily Symes
	💍 1868/9661
Condition	Bachelor	Spinster
Profession	Farmer
Age	22	19
Dwelling Place	Suburban South	Suburban South
Length of Residence	22 years	12 years
Marriage Place	At the Protestant Episcopalian Church, Waimea South
Folio
Consent	John Horace Symes, father
Date of Certificate	24 January 1868
Officiating Minister	Rev. Francis Tripp

25 January 1868

James Horton
Harriet Elizabeth Godley

James Horton
Harriet Elizabeth Godley
💍 1868/8084

Widower
Spinster

Gentleman

50
28

City of Nelson
City of Nelson

10 days
10 days

At Christ church, Nelson

1119

25 January 1868

Rev. Geo: H. Johnstone

No	9
Date of Notice	25 January 1868
	Groom	Bride
Names of Parties	James Horton	Harriet Elizabeth Godley
	💍 1868/8084
Condition	Widower	Spinster
Profession	Gentleman
Age	50	28
Dwelling Place	City of Nelson	City of Nelson
Length of Residence	10 days	10 days
Marriage Place	At Christ church, Nelson
Folio	1119
Consent
Date of Certificate	25 January 1868
Officiating Minister	Rev. Geo: H. Johnstone

30 January 1868

Francis Lusty
Ann Streeter

Francis Lusty
Ann Streeter
💍 1868/8159

Bachelor
Spinster

Farmer

22
20

Richmond
Richmond

22 years
1 month

At the residence of Benjamin Lusty, farmer, Richmond

68/1225

Richard Streeter, father

3 March 1868

Rev. Edward Thomas

No	10
Date of Notice	30 January 1868
	Groom	Bride
Names of Parties	Francis Lusty	Ann Streeter
	💍 1868/8159
Condition	Bachelor	Spinster
Profession	Farmer
Age	22	20
Dwelling Place	Richmond	Richmond
Length of Residence	22 years	1 month
Marriage Place	At the residence of Benjamin Lusty, farmer, Richmond
Folio	68/1225
Consent	Richard Streeter, father
Date of Certificate	3 March 1868
Officiating Minister	Rev. Edward Thomas

31 January 1868

Charles Holdaway
Helen Ramadge Millar Mair

Charles Holdaway
Helen Ramage Miller Mair
💍 1868/8087

Bachelor
Spinster

Miller

23
19

Spring Grove
City of Nelson

4 years
11 years

At Christ church, Nelson

1200

David Mair, father

31 January 1868

Rev. Joshua Thorpe

No	11
Date of Notice	31 January 1868
	Groom	Bride
Names of Parties	Charles Holdaway	Helen Ramadge Millar Mair
BDM Match (96%)	Charles Holdaway	Helen Ramage Miller Mair
	💍 1868/8087
Condition	Bachelor	Spinster
Profession	Miller
Age	23	19
Dwelling Place	Spring Grove	City of Nelson
Length of Residence	4 years	11 years
Marriage Place	At Christ church, Nelson
Folio	1200
Consent	David Mair, father
Date of Certificate	31 January 1868
Officiating Minister	Rev. Joshua Thorpe

5 February 1868

William Morrison
Catherine Kidson

William Morrison
Catherine Kitson
💍 1868/8156

Bachelor
Spinster

Groom

27
20

City of Nelson
City of Nelson

23 years
20 years

At the residence of John Kidson, Senr., Britannia Heights, Nelson

1223

John Kidson, father

5 February 1868

Rev. Edward Thomas

No	12
Date of Notice	5 February 1868
	Groom	Bride
Names of Parties	William Morrison	Catherine Kidson
BDM Match (97%)	William Morrison	Catherine Kitson
	💍 1868/8156
Condition	Bachelor	Spinster
Profession	Groom
Age	27	20
Dwelling Place	City of Nelson	City of Nelson
Length of Residence	23 years	20 years
Marriage Place	At the residence of John Kidson, Senr., Britannia Heights, Nelson
Folio	1223
Consent	John Kidson, father
Date of Certificate	5 February 1868
Officiating Minister	Rev. Edward Thomas

7 February 1868

Stephen Leaver
Agnes Miller

Stephen Leaver
Agnes Miller
💍 1868/8021

Bachelor
Spinster

Carter

25
21

City of Nelson
City of Nelson

5 years
4 years

At the residence of Edwin Edwards, constable, Grove St., Nelson

1176

7 February 1868

Rev. John Davis

No	13
Date of Notice	7 February 1868
	Groom	Bride
Names of Parties	Stephen Leaver	Agnes Miller
	💍 1868/8021
Condition	Bachelor	Spinster
Profession	Carter
Age	25	21
Dwelling Place	City of Nelson	City of Nelson
Length of Residence	5 years	4 years
Marriage Place	At the residence of Edwin Edwards, constable, Grove St., Nelson
Folio	1176
Consent
Date of Certificate	7 February 1868
Officiating Minister	Rev. John Davis

11 February 1868

James Coulter Kellock
Jane Anastasia Molony

James Coulter Kellock
Jane Anastasia Moloney
💍 1868/4919

Bachelor
Spinster

Contractor

32
25

City of Nelson
City of Nelson

3 days
10 weeks

At the Catholic Church, Nelson

11 February 1868

Rev. A. M. Garin

No	14
Date of Notice	11 February 1868
	Groom	Bride
Names of Parties	James Coulter Kellock	Jane Anastasia Molony
BDM Match (98%)	James Coulter Kellock	Jane Anastasia Moloney
	💍 1868/4919
Condition	Bachelor	Spinster
Profession	Contractor
Age	32	25
Dwelling Place	City of Nelson	City of Nelson
Length of Residence	3 days	10 weeks
Marriage Place	At the Catholic Church, Nelson
Folio
Consent
Date of Certificate	11 February 1868
Officiating Minister	Rev. A. M. Garin

19 December 1867

James Woolley
Sarah Fletcher

James Woolley
Sarah Fletcher
💍 1868/8078

vide Return for the Quarter ending 31st December 1867

67/1197

2 January 1868

Rev. Geo. H. Johnstone

No	98
Date of Notice	19 December 1867
	Groom	Bride
Names of Parties	James Woolley	Sarah Fletcher
	💍 1868/8078
Condition
Profession
Age
Dwelling Place
Length of Residence
Marriage Place	vide Return for the Quarter ending 31st December 1867
Folio	67/1197
Consent
Date of Certificate	2 January 1868
Officiating Minister	Rev. Geo. H. 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).