Intentions to Marry, 1873

Reference: Registrar-General of Births, Deaths and Marriages, Notices of intention to marry, Series 8937, R2840385, Archives New Zealand Te Rua Mahara o te Kāwanatanga, Wellington

Imaged by Luke Howison at Archives NZ Wellington, December 4 2024

Page 585

District of City of Christchurch Quarter ending 31 March 1873

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

2859

12 January 1873

Hugh Corbett
Prudence Fulton

Hugh Corbet
Prudence Fulton
💍 1873/6859

Bachelor
Spinster

Farmer
Cook

26
26

Christchurch
Do

2 years
1 year

In the house of Rev C. Fraser, Luan Street

73/699

14 February 1873

Rev. C. Fraser

No	2859
Date of Notice	12 January 1873
	Groom	Bride
Names of Parties	Hugh Corbett	Prudence Fulton
BDM Match (96%)	Hugh Corbet	Prudence Fulton
	💍 1873/6859
Condition	Bachelor	Spinster
Profession	Farmer	Cook
Age	26	26
Dwelling Place	Christchurch	Do
Length of Residence	2 years	1 year
Marriage Place	In the house of Rev C. Fraser, Luan Street
Folio	73/699
Consent
Date of Certificate	14 February 1873
Officiating Minister	Rev. C. Fraser

2861

17 January 1873

Auguste Hintry
Caroline Williams

August Hinz
Caroline Williams
💍 1873/6862

Bachelor
Spinster

Labourer
Servant

30
27

Christchurch
Do

5 days
5 days

In the house of Rev C. Fraser, Luan Street

73/698

17 February 1873

Rev. C. Fraser

No	2861
Date of Notice	17 January 1873
	Groom	Bride
Names of Parties	Auguste Hintry	Caroline Williams
BDM Match (86%)	August Hinz	Caroline Williams
	💍 1873/6862
Condition	Bachelor	Spinster
Profession	Labourer	Servant
Age	30	27
Dwelling Place	Christchurch	Do
Length of Residence	5 days	5 days
Marriage Place	In the house of Rev C. Fraser, Luan Street
Folio	73/698
Consent
Date of Certificate	17 February 1873
Officiating Minister	Rev. C. Fraser

2862

17 January 1873

Malcolm In Callum
Emily Florence Mundy

Malcolm McCallum
Emily Florence Mundy
💍 1873/5132

Bachelor
Spinster

Watchmaker

26
23

Christchurch
Do

5 years
1 year

In the house of Mr Cuff, North Town Belt

73/105

14 February 1873

Rev. A. F. Douglas

No	2862
Date of Notice	17 January 1873
	Groom	Bride
Names of Parties	Malcolm In Callum	Emily Florence Mundy
BDM Match (91%)	Malcolm McCallum	Emily Florence Mundy
	💍 1873/5132
Condition	Bachelor	Spinster
Profession	Watchmaker
Age	26	23
Dwelling Place	Christchurch	Do
Length of Residence	5 years	1 year
Marriage Place	In the house of Mr Cuff, North Town Belt
Folio	73/105
Consent
Date of Certificate	14 February 1873
Officiating Minister	Rev. A. F. Douglas

2863

3 February 1873

William Anstey
Jemima Robinson

William Anstey
Jemima Robinson
💍 1873/6865

Bachelor
Spinster

Farmer

35
24

Riccarton
Addington

2 years
4 years

In the house of Rev. C. Fraser, Tuam Street

73/697

18 February 1873

Rev. C. Fraser

No	2863
Date of Notice	3 February 1873
	Groom	Bride
Names of Parties	William Anstey	Jemima Robinson
	💍 1873/6865
Condition	Bachelor	Spinster
Profession	Farmer
Age	35	24
Dwelling Place	Riccarton	Addington
Length of Residence	2 years	4 years
Marriage Place	In the house of Rev. C. Fraser, Tuam Street
Folio	73/697
Consent
Date of Certificate	18 February 1873
Officiating Minister	Rev. C. Fraser

2864

4 February 1873

John Matheson
Mary Jane Daley

John Matheson
Mary Jane Daly
💍 1873/6871

Bachelor
Spinster

Shepherd

30
28

Christchurch
Do

3 days
1 week

In the house of Rev. C. Fraser, Luan Street

73/90

24 February 1873

Rev. C. Fraser

No	2864
Date of Notice	4 February 1873
	Groom	Bride
Names of Parties	John Matheson	Mary Jane Daley
BDM Match (97%)	John Matheson	Mary Jane Daly
	💍 1873/6871
Condition	Bachelor	Spinster
Profession	Shepherd
Age	30	28
Dwelling Place	Christchurch	Do
Length of Residence	3 days	1 week
Marriage Place	In the house of Rev. C. Fraser, Luan Street
Folio	73/90
Consent
Date of Certificate	24 February 1873
Officiating Minister	Rev. C. Fraser

2865

5 February 1873

John In Kowe
Elizabeth Savage

John McKown
Elizabeth Savage
💍 1873/6952

Bachelor
Widow

Mariner

34
37

Christchurch
Do

7 years
1 month

In the house of Mr The Hopkins, Cashel Street

73/70

25 February 1873

Rev. H. J. Habeus

No	2865
Date of Notice	5 February 1873
	Groom	Bride
Names of Parties	John In Kowe	Elizabeth Savage
BDM Match (83%)	John McKown	Elizabeth Savage
	💍 1873/6952
Condition	Bachelor	Widow
Profession	Mariner
Age	34	37
Dwelling Place	Christchurch	Do
Length of Residence	7 years	1 month
Marriage Place	In the house of Mr The Hopkins, Cashel Street
Folio	73/70
Consent
Date of Certificate	25 February 1873
Officiating Minister	Rev. H. J. Habeus

2866

8 February 1873

James Sapes
Alice Swindell

James Gapes
Alice Swindell
💍 1873/6799

Bachelor
Spinster

Painter

25
19

Christchurch
Do

12 years
6 years

St Lukes Church, Christchurch

73/7

John Swindell, Father

25 February 1873

Rev. E. A. Lingard

No	2866
Date of Notice	8 February 1873
	Groom	Bride
Names of Parties	James Sapes	Alice Swindell
BDM Match (95%)	James Gapes	Alice Swindell
	💍 1873/6799
Condition	Bachelor	Spinster
Profession	Painter
Age	25	19
Dwelling Place	Christchurch	Do
Length of Residence	12 years	6 years
Marriage Place	St Lukes Church, Christchurch
Folio	73/7
Consent	John Swindell, Father
Date of Certificate	25 February 1873
Officiating Minister	Rev. E. A. Lingard

2868

10 February 1873

John In E Gowan
Hester Hannah Hard

John McGowan
Hester Hannah Ward
💍 1873/5150

Bachelor
Spinster

Clerk

23
20

Christchurch
Do

3 days
4 months

In the house of Robert Hard, Cashel Street

73/111

Robert Hard, Father

10 February 1873

Rev. A. R. Fitchett

No	2868
Date of Notice	10 February 1873
	Groom	Bride
Names of Parties	John In E Gowan	Hester Hannah Hard
BDM Match (81%)	John McGowan	Hester Hannah Ward
	💍 1873/5150
Condition	Bachelor	Spinster
Profession	Clerk
Age	23	20
Dwelling Place	Christchurch	Do
Length of Residence	3 days	4 months
Marriage Place	In the house of Robert Hard, Cashel Street
Folio	73/111
Consent	Robert Hard, Father
Date of Certificate	10 February 1873
Officiating Minister	Rev. A. R. Fitchett

2869

10 February 1873

George Raven
Mary Dale

George Raven
Mary Dale
💍 1873/11260

Bachelor
Widow

Sawyer
Laundress

42
40

Little River
Do

2 months
5 years

St Michaels Church, Christchurch

73/2268

28 February 1873

Very Rev Dean Jacobs

No	2869
Date of Notice	10 February 1873
	Groom	Bride
Names of Parties	George Raven	Mary Dale
	💍 1873/11260
Condition	Bachelor	Widow
Profession	Sawyer	Laundress
Age	42	40
Dwelling Place	Little River	Do
Length of Residence	2 months	5 years
Marriage Place	St Michaels Church, Christchurch
Folio	73/2268
Consent
Date of Certificate	28 February 1873
Officiating Minister	Very Rev Dean Jacobs

2870

12 February 1873

William Matson
Mary Ann Foster

William Watson
Mary Ann Foster
💍 1873/6874

Widower
Spinster

Labourer
Housekeeper

45
36

Christchurch
Do

3 years
3 years

In the house of Rev C. Fraser, Luan Street

73/70

1 March 1873

Rev. C. Fraser

No	2870
Date of Notice	12 February 1873
	Groom	Bride
Names of Parties	William Matson	Mary Ann Foster
BDM Match (96%)	William Watson	Mary Ann Foster
	💍 1873/6874
Condition	Widower	Spinster
Profession	Labourer	Housekeeper
Age	45	36
Dwelling Place	Christchurch	Do
Length of Residence	3 years	3 years
Marriage Place	In the house of Rev C. Fraser, Luan Street
Folio	73/70
Consent
Date of Certificate	1 March 1873
Officiating Minister	Rev. C. Fraser

2871

15 February 1873

Joseph Cook
Ann Bennett

Joseph Cook
Ann Bennett
💍 1873/5147

Bachelor
Spinster

Gardener
Servant

26
22

Christchurch
Do

1 year
1 year

In the house of Mr Phillips, Durham Street

73/110

1 March 1873

Rev. H. B. Marten

No	2871
Date of Notice	15 February 1873
	Groom	Bride
Names of Parties	Joseph Cook	Ann Bennett
	💍 1873/5147
Condition	Bachelor	Spinster
Profession	Gardener	Servant
Age	26	22
Dwelling Place	Christchurch	Do
Length of Residence	1 year	1 year
Marriage Place	In the house of Mr Phillips, Durham Street
Folio	73/110
Consent
Date of Certificate	1 March 1873
Officiating Minister	Rev. H. B. Marten

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

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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).