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 583

District of Christchurch Quarter ending 30 September 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

3303

18 July 1874

Harvey William Griffits
Mary Kinsman

Harvey William Griffits
Mary Kinsman
💍 1874/11341

Bachelor
Spinster

Warder
Tailoress

28
21

Lyttelton Road
Christchurch

15 months
11 months

In the house of Rev. C. Fraser, Christchurch

74/1865

18 July 1874

Rev. C. Fraser

No	3303
Date of Notice	18 July 1874
	Groom	Bride
Names of Parties	Harvey William Griffits	Mary Kinsman
	💍 1874/11341
Condition	Bachelor	Spinster
Profession	Warder	Tailoress
Age	28	21
Dwelling Place	Lyttelton Road	Christchurch
Length of Residence	15 months	11 months
Marriage Place	In the house of Rev. C. Fraser, Christchurch
Folio	74/1865
Consent
Date of Certificate	18 July 1874
Officiating Minister	Rev. C. Fraser

3304

18 July 1874

John Kirby Highsted
Mary Ann Codon

John Kerby Highsted
Mary Ann Coudan
💍 1874/10609

Bachelor
Spinster

Farmer
Servant

27
28

Papauni
Christchurch

17 years
10 years

In the Roman Catholic Church, Christchurch

74/1614

18 July 1874

Rev. J. M. Ecuyer

No	3304
Date of Notice	18 July 1874
	Groom	Bride
Names of Parties	John Kirby Highsted	Mary Ann Codon
BDM Match (91%)	John Kerby Highsted	Mary Ann Coudan
	💍 1874/10609
Condition	Bachelor	Spinster
Profession	Farmer	Servant
Age	27	28
Dwelling Place	Papauni	Christchurch
Length of Residence	17 years	10 years
Marriage Place	In the Roman Catholic Church, Christchurch
Folio	74/1614
Consent
Date of Certificate	18 July 1874
Officiating Minister	Rev. J. M. Ecuyer

3305

20 July 1874

James Wilkinson
Ellen McLarky

James Wilkinson
Ellen McLarkey
💍 1874/11137

Bachelor
Spinster

Laborer
Servant

32
27

Timaru, Christchurch
Christchurch

5 days
5 days

In St. Luke's Church Christchurch

74/1793

20 July 1874

Rev. E. A. Lingard

No	3305
Date of Notice	20 July 1874
	Groom	Bride
Names of Parties	James Wilkinson	Ellen McLarky
BDM Match (96%)	James Wilkinson	Ellen McLarkey
	💍 1874/11137
Condition	Bachelor	Spinster
Profession	Laborer	Servant
Age	32	27
Dwelling Place	Timaru, Christchurch	Christchurch
Length of Residence	5 days	5 days
Marriage Place	In St. Luke's Church Christchurch
Folio	74/1793
Consent
Date of Certificate	20 July 1874
Officiating Minister	Rev. E. A. Lingard

3306

20 July 1874

John Gough
Annie Hooey

John Gough
Annie Hooey
💍 1874/10612

Bachelor
Spinster

Saddler
Servant

21
21

Christchurch
Christchurch

11 months
9 months

In the Roman Catholic Church, Christchurch

74/1615

20 July 1874

Rev. J. M. Ecuyer

No	3306
Date of Notice	20 July 1874
	Groom	Bride
Names of Parties	John Gough	Annie Hooey
	💍 1874/10612
Condition	Bachelor	Spinster
Profession	Saddler	Servant
Age	21	21
Dwelling Place	Christchurch	Christchurch
Length of Residence	11 months	9 months
Marriage Place	In the Roman Catholic Church, Christchurch
Folio	74/1615
Consent
Date of Certificate	20 July 1874
Officiating Minister	Rev. J. M. Ecuyer

3307

20 July 1874

Thomas Fraser Baldwin
Sarah Barker

Thomas Fraser Baldwin
Sarah Baker
💍 1874/13369

Bachelor
Spinster

Banker

29
29

Christchurch
Christchurch

1 year
2 years

In the Church of St. John, Christchurch

74/2563

20 July 1874

Rev. H. C. M. Watson

No	3307
Date of Notice	20 July 1874
	Groom	Bride
Names of Parties	Thomas Fraser Baldwin	Sarah Barker
BDM Match (96%)	Thomas Fraser Baldwin	Sarah Baker
	💍 1874/13369
Condition	Bachelor	Spinster
Profession	Banker
Age	29	29
Dwelling Place	Christchurch	Christchurch
Length of Residence	1 year	2 years
Marriage Place	In the Church of St. John, Christchurch
Folio	74/2563
Consent
Date of Certificate	20 July 1874
Officiating Minister	Rev. H. C. M. Watson

3308

21 July 1874

Harry Archer
Ellen Maria Willis

Harry Archer
Ellen Maria Willis
💍 1874/11344

Bachelor
Spinster

Miller

30
17

Christchurch
Malvern

3 days
8 years

In the house of Rev. C. Fraser, Christchurch

74/1866

Elizabeth Willis, mother

21 July 1874

Rev. C. Fraser

No	3308
Date of Notice	21 July 1874
	Groom	Bride
Names of Parties	Harry Archer	Ellen Maria Willis
	💍 1874/11344
Condition	Bachelor	Spinster
Profession	Miller
Age	30	17
Dwelling Place	Christchurch	Malvern
Length of Residence	3 days	8 years
Marriage Place	In the house of Rev. C. Fraser, Christchurch
Folio	74/1866
Consent	Elizabeth Willis, mother
Date of Certificate	21 July 1874
Officiating Minister	Rev. C. Fraser

3309

22 July 1874

Edwin James Lush
Rachel Pleasance Taylor

Edwin James Lush
Rachel Pleasance Taylor
💍 1874/11512

Bachelor
Spinster

Coachbuilder

28
26

Christchurch
Christchurch

4 years
19 years

In the house of Mr Taylor, Christchurch

74/1924

22 July 1874

Rev. H. J. Habens

No	3309
Date of Notice	22 July 1874
	Groom	Bride
Names of Parties	Edwin James Lush	Rachel Pleasance Taylor
	💍 1874/11512
Condition	Bachelor	Spinster
Profession	Coachbuilder
Age	28	26
Dwelling Place	Christchurch	Christchurch
Length of Residence	4 years	19 years
Marriage Place	In the house of Mr Taylor, Christchurch
Folio	74/1924
Consent
Date of Certificate	22 July 1874
Officiating Minister	Rev. H. J. Habens

3310

22 July 1874

James Wright
Elizabeth Thomas

James Wright
Elizabeth Thomas
💍 1874/10591

Widower
Spinster

Carpenter
Servant

26
22

Christchurch
Christchurch

18 months
2 years

In the house of Rev. S. Macfarlane, Christchurch

74/1608

22 July 1874

Rev. S. Macfarlane

No	3310
Date of Notice	22 July 1874
	Groom	Bride
Names of Parties	James Wright	Elizabeth Thomas
	💍 1874/10591
Condition	Widower	Spinster
Profession	Carpenter	Servant
Age	26	22
Dwelling Place	Christchurch	Christchurch
Length of Residence	18 months	2 years
Marriage Place	In the house of Rev. S. Macfarlane, Christchurch
Folio	74/1608
Consent
Date of Certificate	22 July 1874
Officiating Minister	Rev. S. Macfarlane

3311

23 July 1874

John Kelly
Mary Welsh

John Kelly
Mary Walsh
💍 1874/8842

Bachelor
Spinster

Clerk

28
25

Christchurch
Christchurch

18 months
3 years

In the Roman Catholic Church, Christchurch

74/1012

22 July 1874

Rev. J. M. Ecuyer

No	3311
Date of Notice	23 July 1874
	Groom	Bride
Names of Parties	John Kelly	Mary Welsh
BDM Match (95%)	John Kelly	Mary Walsh
	💍 1874/8842
Condition	Bachelor	Spinster
Profession	Clerk
Age	28	25
Dwelling Place	Christchurch	Christchurch
Length of Residence	18 months	3 years
Marriage Place	In the Roman Catholic Church, Christchurch
Folio	74/1012
Consent
Date of Certificate	22 July 1874
Officiating Minister	Rev. J. M. Ecuyer

3312

24 July 1874

James Gower
Annie Maria Buchanan

James Gower
Annie Maria Buchanan
💍 1874/10408

Bachelor
Spinster

Laborer
Servant

29
19

Lyttelton, Christchurch
Opawa Bank

5 days
6 months

In the Wesleyan Church, Durham Street

74/1545

Sarah Jane Buchanan, mother

24 July 1874

Rev. J. Buller

No	3312
Date of Notice	24 July 1874
	Groom	Bride
Names of Parties	James Gower	Annie Maria Buchanan
	💍 1874/10408
Condition	Bachelor	Spinster
Profession	Laborer	Servant
Age	29	19
Dwelling Place	Lyttelton, Christchurch	Opawa Bank
Length of Residence	5 days	6 months
Marriage Place	In the Wesleyan Church, Durham Street
Folio	74/1545
Consent	Sarah Jane Buchanan, mother
Date of Certificate	24 July 1874
Officiating Minister	Rev. J. Buller

3313

24 July 1874

George Cooke
Elizabeth Waine

George Cook
Elizabeth Wain
💍 1874/11350

Widower
Spinster

Laborer
Servant

42
22

Christchurch
Christchurch

6 months
3 years

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

74/1868

24 July 1874

Rev. C. Fraser

No	3313
Date of Notice	24 July 1874
	Groom	Bride
Names of Parties	George Cooke	Elizabeth Waine
BDM Match (93%)	George Cook	Elizabeth Wain
	💍 1874/11350
Condition	Widower	Spinster
Profession	Laborer	Servant
Age	42	22
Dwelling Place	Christchurch	Christchurch
Length of Residence	6 months	3 years
Marriage Place	In the house of Rev. C. Fraser, Tuam Street
Folio	74/1868
Consent
Date of Certificate	24 July 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).