Intentions to Marry, 1874

Reference: Registrar-General of Births, Deaths and Marriages, Notices of intention to marry, Series 8937, R2840386, Archives New Zealand Te Rua Mahara o te Kāwanatanga, Wellington

Page 564

District of Christchurch Quarter ending 31 March 1874 Registrar B. Parkerson

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

3125

7 February 1874

John Kerr
Jemima Cresswell

John Kerr
Jemima Cresswell
💍 1874/6880

Bachelor
Spinster

Butcher
Dressmaker

27
22

Chrischurch
Christchurch

15 months
22 years

In the house of Mr. Cresswell, Christchurch

74/336

21 February 1874

Rev. J. Buller

No	3125
Date of Notice	7 February 1874
	Groom	Bride
Names of Parties	John Kerr	Jemima Cresswell
	💍 1874/6880
Condition	Bachelor	Spinster
Profession	Butcher	Dressmaker
Age	27	22
Dwelling Place	Chrischurch	Christchurch
Length of Residence	15 months	22 years
Marriage Place	In the house of Mr. Cresswell, Christchurch
Folio	74/336
Consent
Date of Certificate	21 February 1874
Officiating Minister	Rev. J. Buller

3126

9 February 1874

James Henry Blick
Sarah Elizabeth Moyser

James Henry Blick
Sarah Elizabeth Moyser
💍 1874/7618

Bachelor
Widow

Painter
Dressmaker

27
26

Addington
Addington

6 days
6 days

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

74/593

9 February 1874

Rev. C. Fraser

No	3126
Date of Notice	9 February 1874
	Groom	Bride
Names of Parties	James Henry Blick	Sarah Elizabeth Moyser
	💍 1874/7618
Condition	Bachelor	Widow
Profession	Painter	Dressmaker
Age	27	26
Dwelling Place	Addington	Addington
Length of Residence	6 days	6 days
Marriage Place	In the house of Rev. C. Fraser, Tuam Street
Folio	74/593
Consent
Date of Certificate	9 February 1874
Officiating Minister	Rev. C. Fraser

3127

11 February 1874

Richard Mildren
Mary Ann Hawkin

Richard Mildren
Mary Ann Hawkins
💍 1874/11494

Bachelor
Spinster

Labourer
Servant

24
21

Stanmore Road
Stanmore Road

3 years
6 weeks

In the Congregational Chapel, Christchurch

74/1918

11 February 1874

Rev. W. J. Habens

No	3127
Date of Notice	11 February 1874
	Groom	Bride
Names of Parties	Richard Mildren	Mary Ann Hawkin
BDM Match (97%)	Richard Mildren	Mary Ann Hawkins
	💍 1874/11494
Condition	Bachelor	Spinster
Profession	Labourer	Servant
Age	24	21
Dwelling Place	Stanmore Road	Stanmore Road
Length of Residence	3 years	6 weeks
Marriage Place	In the Congregational Chapel, Christchurch
Folio	74/1918
Consent
Date of Certificate	11 February 1874
Officiating Minister	Rev. W. J. Habens

3128

11 February 1874

James Alexander
Isabella Hay

James Alexander
Isabella Hay
💍 1874/6847

Bachelor
Widow

Clerk

52
42

Chrischurch
c

15 months
15 months

In the house of Mrs. Alexander Waltham

74/325

11 February 1874

Rev. A. F. Douglas

No	3128
Date of Notice	11 February 1874
	Groom	Bride
Names of Parties	James Alexander	Isabella Hay
	💍 1874/6847
Condition	Bachelor	Widow
Profession	Clerk
Age	52	42
Dwelling Place	Chrischurch	c
Length of Residence	15 months	15 months
Marriage Place	In the house of Mrs. Alexander Waltham
Folio	74/325
Consent
Date of Certificate	11 February 1874
Officiating Minister	Rev. A. F. Douglas

3129

12 February 1874

William Frederick Barnett
Martha Jane Maria Ridley

William Frederick Barnett
Martha Jane Maria Ridley
💍 1874/6859

Bachelor
Spinster

Gardener
Dressmaker

42
34

Chrischurch
Christchurch

2 years
6 years

In the Roman Catholic Church, Christchurch

74/329

12 February 1874

Rev. J. M. Ecuyer

No	3129
Date of Notice	12 February 1874
	Groom	Bride
Names of Parties	William Frederick Barnett	Martha Jane Maria Ridley
	💍 1874/6859
Condition	Bachelor	Spinster
Profession	Gardener	Dressmaker
Age	42	34
Dwelling Place	Chrischurch	Christchurch
Length of Residence	2 years	6 years
Marriage Place	In the Roman Catholic Church, Christchurch
Folio	74/329
Consent
Date of Certificate	12 February 1874
Officiating Minister	Rev. J. M. Ecuyer

3130

13 February 1874

Robert Anderson Goodman
Barbara Scott

Robert Andrew Goosman
Barbara Scott
💍 1874/7621

Bachelor
Spinster

Labourer
Servant

38
30

Chrischurch
Christchurch

3 days
3 days

In the house of Rev. C. Fraser, Christchurch

74/594

13 February 1874

Rev. C. Fraser

No	3130
Date of Notice	13 February 1874
	Groom	Bride
Names of Parties	Robert Anderson Goodman	Barbara Scott
BDM Match (89%)	Robert Andrew Goosman	Barbara Scott
	💍 1874/7621
Condition	Bachelor	Spinster
Profession	Labourer	Servant
Age	38	30
Dwelling Place	Chrischurch	Christchurch
Length of Residence	3 days	3 days
Marriage Place	In the house of Rev. C. Fraser, Christchurch
Folio	74/594
Consent
Date of Certificate	13 February 1874
Officiating Minister	Rev. C. Fraser

3131

16 February 1874

Martin Burns
Nora Rhyna

Martin Burns
Honorah Ryan
💍 1874/6862

Bachelor
Spinster

Farmer
Servant

34
26

Chrischurch
Christchurch

12 years
7 years

In the Roman Catholic Church, Christchurch

74/330

16 February 1874

Rev. J. M. Ecuyer

No	3131
Date of Notice	16 February 1874
	Groom	Bride
Names of Parties	Martin Burns	Nora Rhyna
BDM Match (71%)	Martin Burns	Honorah Ryan
	💍 1874/6862
Condition	Bachelor	Spinster
Profession	Farmer	Servant
Age	34	26
Dwelling Place	Chrischurch	Christchurch
Length of Residence	12 years	7 years
Marriage Place	In the Roman Catholic Church, Christchurch
Folio	74/330
Consent
Date of Certificate	16 February 1874
Officiating Minister	Rev. J. M. Ecuyer

3132

16 February 1874

Jens Petersen
Marie Dorthe Johanna Witt

Jens Pettersen
Marie Dorth Johanna Witt
💍 1874/7624

Widower
Widow

Labourer

36
33

Burnham
Addington

8 weeks
13 weeks

In the Scotch Church, Tuam Street

74/595

16 February 1874

Rev. C. Fraser

No	3132
Date of Notice	16 February 1874
	Groom	Bride
Names of Parties	Jens Petersen	Marie Dorthe Johanna Witt
BDM Match (94%)	Jens Pettersen	Marie Dorth Johanna Witt
	💍 1874/7624
Condition	Widower	Widow
Profession	Labourer
Age	36	33
Dwelling Place	Burnham	Addington
Length of Residence	8 weeks	13 weeks
Marriage Place	In the Scotch Church, Tuam Street
Folio	74/595
Consent
Date of Certificate	16 February 1874
Officiating Minister	Rev. C. Fraser

3133

16 February 1874

Thomas Townshend Junr.
Mary Ann Collins

Thomas Townshend
Mary Ann Collins
💍 1874/9394

Bachelor
Spinster

Farmer

28
24

Lincoln
Springston

10 years
5 years

In Burnham Church

74/201

16 February 1874

Rev. H. Stocker

No	3133
Date of Notice	16 February 1874
	Groom	Bride
Names of Parties	Thomas Townshend Junr.	Mary Ann Collins
BDM Match (86%)	Thomas Townshend	Mary Ann Collins
	💍 1874/9394
Condition	Bachelor	Spinster
Profession	Farmer
Age	28	24
Dwelling Place	Lincoln	Springston
Length of Residence	10 years	5 years
Marriage Place	In Burnham Church
Folio	74/201
Consent
Date of Certificate	16 February 1874
Officiating Minister	Rev. H. Stocker

3134

17 February 1874

Thomas Smith Hayeward
Mary King

Thomas Smith Hayeward
Mary King
💍 1874/7627

Bachelor
Spinster

Cook
Servant

36
26

Chrischurch
Christchurch

6 months
4 months

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

74/596

17 February 1874

Rev. C. Fraser

No	3134
Date of Notice	17 February 1874
	Groom	Bride
Names of Parties	Thomas Smith Hayeward	Mary King
	💍 1874/7627
Condition	Bachelor	Spinster
Profession	Cook	Servant
Age	36	26
Dwelling Place	Chrischurch	Christchurch
Length of Residence	6 months	4 months
Marriage Place	In the house of Rev. C. Fraser, Tuam Street
Folio	74/596
Consent
Date of Certificate	17 February 1874
Officiating Minister	Rev. C. Fraser

3135

18 February 1874

Hermann Arnst
Catherine Hanson

Hermann Arnst
Catherine Hansen
💍 1874/7633

Bachelor
Spinster

Labourer
Servant

21
23

Papanui
Papanui

3 weeks
2 weeks

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

74/598

18 February 1874

Rev. C. Fraser

No	3135
Date of Notice	18 February 1874
	Groom	Bride
Names of Parties	Hermann Arnst	Catherine Hanson
BDM Match (97%)	Hermann Arnst	Catherine Hansen
	💍 1874/7633
Condition	Bachelor	Spinster
Profession	Labourer	Servant
Age	21	23
Dwelling Place	Papanui	Papanui
Length of Residence	3 weeks	2 weeks
Marriage Place	In the house of Rev. C. Fraser, Tuam Street
Folio	74/598
Consent
Date of Certificate	18 February 1874
Officiating Minister	Rev. C. Fraser

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).