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 749

District of Dunedin Quarter ending 30 September 1874 Registrar William Parker Street

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

247

10 August 1874

John Blackie
Jane Berry

John Blaikie
Jane Berry
💍 1874/10225

Bachelor
Spinster

Carpenter

30 years
32 years

Dunedin
Dunedin

8 months
14 days

In the house of Dr Stuart, George Street, Dunedin

74/1480

10 August 1874

Rev Dr Stuart

No	247
Date of Notice	10 August 1874
	Groom	Bride
Names of Parties	John Blackie	Jane Berry
BDM Match (96%)	John Blaikie	Jane Berry
	💍 1874/10225
Condition	Bachelor	Spinster
Profession	Carpenter
Age	30 years	32 years
Dwelling Place	Dunedin	Dunedin
Length of Residence	8 months	14 days
Marriage Place	In the house of Dr Stuart, George Street, Dunedin
Folio	74/1480
Consent
Date of Certificate	10 August 1874
Officiating Minister	Rev Dr Stuart

248

10 August 1874

William McSwan
Sarah Moody

William McSwan
Sarah Moody
💍 1874/10222

Widower
Spinster

Carpenter

40 years
30 years

Dunedin
Dunedin

5 days
5 days

In the house of Dr Stuart, Dunedin

74/1479

10 August 1874

Rev Dr Stuart

No	248
Date of Notice	10 August 1874
	Groom	Bride
Names of Parties	William McSwan	Sarah Moody
	💍 1874/10222
Condition	Widower	Spinster
Profession	Carpenter
Age	40 years	30 years
Dwelling Place	Dunedin	Dunedin
Length of Residence	5 days	5 days
Marriage Place	In the house of Dr Stuart, Dunedin
Folio	74/1479
Consent
Date of Certificate	10 August 1874
Officiating Minister	Rev Dr Stuart

249

11 August 1874

Thomas Gawn
Isabella Clark

Thomas Gawn
Isabella Clarke
💍 1874/9523

Bachelor
Spinster

Saddler
Servant

28 years
26 years

Dunedin
Upper Kaikorai

3 days
6 months

In St Pauls Church, Dunedin

74/1244

11 August 1874

Rev E.G. Edwards

No	249
Date of Notice	11 August 1874
	Groom	Bride
Names of Parties	Thomas Gawn	Isabella Clark
BDM Match (97%)	Thomas Gawn	Isabella Clarke
	💍 1874/9523
Condition	Bachelor	Spinster
Profession	Saddler	Servant
Age	28 years	26 years
Dwelling Place	Dunedin	Upper Kaikorai
Length of Residence	3 days	6 months
Marriage Place	In St Pauls Church, Dunedin
Folio	74/1244
Consent
Date of Certificate	11 August 1874
Officiating Minister	Rev E.G. Edwards

250

11 August 1874

Thomas Stirling Shaw
Helen Watson

Thomas Stirling Shaw
Helen Watson
💍 1874/10228

Bachelor
Spinster

Storeman

23 years
19 years

Dunedin
Dunedin

9 months
9 years

In Knox Church, Dunedin

74/1481

James Watson, father

11 August 1874

Revd. Dr Stuart

No	250
Date of Notice	11 August 1874
	Groom	Bride
Names of Parties	Thomas Stirling Shaw	Helen Watson
	💍 1874/10228
Condition	Bachelor	Spinster
Profession	Storeman
Age	23 years	19 years
Dwelling Place	Dunedin	Dunedin
Length of Residence	9 months	9 years
Marriage Place	In Knox Church, Dunedin
Folio	74/1481
Consent	James Watson, father
Date of Certificate	11 August 1874
Officiating Minister	Revd. Dr Stuart

251

13 August 1874

John Russell
Martha Jackson

John Rupell
Martha Jackson
💍 1874/9529

Bachelor
Widow

General Dealer

45 years
40 years

Dunedin
Dunedin

10 years
7 months

In St Pauls Church, Stuart Street, Dunedin

74/1246

13 August 1874

Rev E.G. Edwards

No	251
Date of Notice	13 August 1874
	Groom	Bride
Names of Parties	John Russell	Martha Jackson
BDM Match (92%)	John Rupell	Martha Jackson
	💍 1874/9529
Condition	Bachelor	Widow
Profession	General Dealer
Age	45 years	40 years
Dwelling Place	Dunedin	Dunedin
Length of Residence	10 years	7 months
Marriage Place	In St Pauls Church, Stuart Street, Dunedin
Folio	74/1246
Consent
Date of Certificate	13 August 1874
Officiating Minister	Rev E.G. Edwards

252

14 August 1874

Francis Mitchell
Fanny Goodall

Frances Mitchell
Fanny Goodall
💍 1874/13318

Bachelor
Spinster

Carrier

31 years
17 years

Dunedin
Dunedin

3 days
3 days

In the house of the Rev John Gow, High Street, Dunedin

74/2546

Charles Goodall, father

14 August 1874

Revd. John Gow

No	252
Date of Notice	14 August 1874
	Groom	Bride
Names of Parties	Francis Mitchell	Fanny Goodall
BDM Match (97%)	Frances Mitchell	Fanny Goodall
	💍 1874/13318
Condition	Bachelor	Spinster
Profession	Carrier
Age	31 years	17 years
Dwelling Place	Dunedin	Dunedin
Length of Residence	3 days	3 days
Marriage Place	In the house of the Rev John Gow, High Street, Dunedin
Folio	74/2546
Consent	Charles Goodall, father
Date of Certificate	14 August 1874
Officiating Minister	Revd. John Gow

253

15 August 1874

Thomas James Gladwin
Helena Louisa Smith

Thomas James Gladwin
Helena Louisa Smitt
💍 1874/10231

Bachelor
Spinster

Gardener
Dressmaker

26 years
24 years

Dunedin
Dunedin

11 weeks
11 weeks

In the house of Mr Newbury, Albany Street, Dunedin

74/1482

15 August 1874

Rev Dr Stuart

No	253
Date of Notice	15 August 1874
	Groom	Bride
Names of Parties	Thomas James Gladwin	Helena Louisa Smith
BDM Match (97%)	Thomas James Gladwin	Helena Louisa Smitt
	💍 1874/10231
Condition	Bachelor	Spinster
Profession	Gardener	Dressmaker
Age	26 years	24 years
Dwelling Place	Dunedin	Dunedin
Length of Residence	11 weeks	11 weeks
Marriage Place	In the house of Mr Newbury, Albany Street, Dunedin
Folio	74/1482
Consent
Date of Certificate	15 August 1874
Officiating Minister	Rev Dr Stuart

254

17 August 1874

John Evans
Lina Griffiths

John Evans
Lena Griffiths
💍 1874/9925

Bachelor
Spinster

Coalminer

25 years
19 years

Fairfield
Caversham

3 days
19 years

In the office of the Registrar of Marriages, Dunedin

74/1380

John Griffiths, father

5 September 1874

Wm Somerville, Dep Regtr

No	254
Date of Notice	17 August 1874
	Groom	Bride
Names of Parties	John Evans	Lina Griffiths
BDM Match (96%)	John Evans	Lena Griffiths
	💍 1874/9925
Condition	Bachelor	Spinster
Profession	Coalminer
Age	25 years	19 years
Dwelling Place	Fairfield	Caversham
Length of Residence	3 days	19 years
Marriage Place	In the office of the Registrar of Marriages, Dunedin
Folio	74/1380
Consent	John Griffiths, father
Date of Certificate	5 September 1874
Officiating Minister	Wm Somerville, Dep Regtr

255

18 August 1874

George Fenwick
Jane Atlantic Proudfoot

George Fenwick
Jane Atlantic Proudfoot
💍 1874/10237

Bachelor
Spinster

Printer

27 years
21 years

Dunedin
Dunedin

19 years
8 years

In the house of Mr David Proudfoot, London Street, Dunedin

74/1484

18 August 1874

Rev Dr Stuart

No	255
Date of Notice	18 August 1874
	Groom	Bride
Names of Parties	George Fenwick	Jane Atlantic Proudfoot
	💍 1874/10237
Condition	Bachelor	Spinster
Profession	Printer
Age	27 years	21 years
Dwelling Place	Dunedin	Dunedin
Length of Residence	19 years	8 years
Marriage Place	In the house of Mr David Proudfoot, London Street, Dunedin
Folio	74/1484
Consent
Date of Certificate	18 August 1874
Officiating Minister	Rev Dr Stuart

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).