Intentions to Marry, 1875

Reference: Registrar-General of Births, Deaths and Marriages, Notices of intention to marry, Series 8937, R2840387, Archives New Zealand Te Rua Mahara o te Kāwanatanga, Wellington

Imaged by Luke at Archives NZ Wellington, May 16 2025.

This register is quite fragile and some of the pages are damaged or even missing.

Page 568

District of Christchurch Quarter ending 30 June 1875 Registrar J. W. 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

3696

28 May 1875

George Armstrong
Mary Jane Francis

George Armstrong
Mary Jane Francis
💍 1875/1052

Bachelor
Spinster

Coachpainter
Servant

25
21

Christchurch
Christchurch

15 months
1 year

St. Lukes Church, Christchurch

75/1122

28 May 1875

Rev. E. A. Lingard

No	3696
Date of Notice	28 May 1875
	Groom	Bride
Names of Parties	George Armstrong	Mary Jane Francis
	💍 1875/1052
Condition	Bachelor	Spinster
Profession	Coachpainter	Servant
Age	25	21
Dwelling Place	Christchurch	Christchurch
Length of Residence	15 months	1 year
Marriage Place	St. Lukes Church, Christchurch
Folio	75/1122
Consent
Date of Certificate	28 May 1875
Officiating Minister	Rev. E. A. Lingard

3697

29 May 1875

James Barnett
Margaret Debnam

James Barnett
Margaret Debnam
💍 1875/1259

Bachelor
Spinster

Gardener
Servant

22
21

Christchurch
Ferry Road

5 years
1 year

In the house of Mr. Barnett, Ferry Road

75/1323

29 May 1875

Rev. W. J. Habens

No	3697
Date of Notice	29 May 1875
	Groom	Bride
Names of Parties	James Barnett	Margaret Debnam
	💍 1875/1259
Condition	Bachelor	Spinster
Profession	Gardener	Servant
Age	22	21
Dwelling Place	Christchurch	Ferry Road
Length of Residence	5 years	1 year
Marriage Place	In the house of Mr. Barnett, Ferry Road
Folio	75/1323
Consent
Date of Certificate	29 May 1875
Officiating Minister	Rev. W. J. Habens

3698

29 May 1875

William Wellbourn
Elizabeth Ward

William Welbourne
Elizabeth Ward
💍 1875/678

Bachelor
Spinster

Blacksmith
Dressmaker

25
23

York Town
West Melton

3 years
4 years

In the house of Mr. Sawle, West Melton

75/805

29 May 1875

Rev. J. W. Sawle

No	3698
Date of Notice	29 May 1875
	Groom	Bride
Names of Parties	William Wellbourn	Elizabeth Ward
BDM Match (94%)	William Welbourne	Elizabeth Ward
	💍 1875/678
Condition	Bachelor	Spinster
Profession	Blacksmith	Dressmaker
Age	25	23
Dwelling Place	York Town	West Melton
Length of Residence	3 years	4 years
Marriage Place	In the house of Mr. Sawle, West Melton
Folio	75/805
Consent
Date of Certificate	29 May 1875
Officiating Minister	Rev. J. W. Sawle

3699

29 May 1875

William George Osborne
Helena Foster Carter

William George Osborne
Helena Foster Carter
💍 1875/1291

Widower
Spinster

Millwright
Dressmaker

29
27

Christchurch
Christchurch

5 years
1 month

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

75/1414

29 May 1875

Rev. C. Fraser

No	3699
Date of Notice	29 May 1875
	Groom	Bride
Names of Parties	William George Osborne	Helena Foster Carter
	💍 1875/1291
Condition	Widower	Spinster
Profession	Millwright	Dressmaker
Age	29	27
Dwelling Place	Christchurch	Christchurch
Length of Residence	5 years	1 month
Marriage Place	In the house of Rev. C. Fraser, Tuam Street
Folio	75/1414
Consent
Date of Certificate	29 May 1875
Officiating Minister	Rev. C. Fraser

3700

31 May 1875

Henry Firmston
Mary Agnes Flynn

Henry Firmeston
Mary Agnes Flynn
💍 1875/1040

Widower
Spinster

Carpenter
Servant

42
25

Christchurch
Christchurch

4 days
1 year

St. Johns Church, Christchurch

75/1102

31 May 1875

Rev. H. C M Watson

No	3700
Date of Notice	31 May 1875
	Groom	Bride
Names of Parties	Henry Firmston	Mary Agnes Flynn
BDM Match (97%)	Henry Firmeston	Mary Agnes Flynn
	💍 1875/1040
Condition	Widower	Spinster
Profession	Carpenter	Servant
Age	42	25
Dwelling Place	Christchurch	Christchurch
Length of Residence	4 days	1 year
Marriage Place	St. Johns Church, Christchurch
Folio	75/1102
Consent
Date of Certificate	31 May 1875
Officiating Minister	Rev. H. C M Watson

3701

31 May 1875

Alexander Brown
Elizabeth Whitley

Alexander Brown
Elizabeth Whitley
💍 1875/1270

Bachelor
Spinster

Cook

23
21

Christchurch
Christchurch

1 year
6 months

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

75/1416

31 May 1875

Rev. C. Fraser

No	3701
Date of Notice	31 May 1875
	Groom	Bride
Names of Parties	Alexander Brown	Elizabeth Whitley
	💍 1875/1270
Condition	Bachelor	Spinster
Profession	Cook
Age	23	21
Dwelling Place	Christchurch	Christchurch
Length of Residence	1 year	6 months
Marriage Place	In the house of Rev. C. Fraser, Tuam Street
Folio	75/1416
Consent
Date of Certificate	31 May 1875
Officiating Minister	Rev. C. Fraser

3702

1 June 1875

Edwin Thomas Augustus Fuller
Mary Ann Hunt

Edwin Thomas Augustus Fuller
Mary Ann Hunt
💍 1875/1292

Bachelor
Spinster

Salesman

25
23

Christchurch
Christchurch

2 years
5 days

In the house of Mr. Fuller, Worcester Street

75/1415

1 June 1875

Rev. C. Fraser

No	3702
Date of Notice	1 June 1875
	Groom	Bride
Names of Parties	Edwin Thomas Augustus Fuller	Mary Ann Hunt
	💍 1875/1292
Condition	Bachelor	Spinster
Profession	Salesman
Age	25	23
Dwelling Place	Christchurch	Christchurch
Length of Residence	2 years	5 days
Marriage Place	In the house of Mr. Fuller, Worcester Street
Folio	75/1415
Consent
Date of Certificate	1 June 1875
Officiating Minister	Rev. C. Fraser

3703

2 June 1875

John Coleman Shere
Eliza Esther Fowles

John Coleman Shere
Eliza Esther Fowles
💍 1875/1050

Bachelor
Spinster

Carter
Servant

25
25

Christchurch
Christchurch

3 days
3 months

In St. Lukes Church, Christchurch

75/1121

2 June 1875

Rev. E. A. Lingard

No	3703
Date of Notice	2 June 1875
	Groom	Bride
Names of Parties	John Coleman Shere	Eliza Esther Fowles
	💍 1875/1050
Condition	Bachelor	Spinster
Profession	Carter	Servant
Age	25	25
Dwelling Place	Christchurch	Christchurch
Length of Residence	3 days	3 months
Marriage Place	In St. Lukes Church, Christchurch
Folio	75/1121
Consent
Date of Certificate	2 June 1875
Officiating Minister	Rev. E. A. Lingard

3704

3 June 1875

George Bond
Annie Robinson

George Bond
Annie Robinson
💍 1875/1043

Bachelor
Spinster

Wesleyan Minister

27
23

Christchurch
Christchurch

2 years
6 days

In th eWesleyan Church, Durham Street

75/1114

3 June 1875

Rev. J. Buller

No	3704
Date of Notice	3 June 1875
	Groom	Bride
Names of Parties	George Bond	Annie Robinson
	💍 1875/1043
Condition	Bachelor	Spinster
Profession	Wesleyan Minister
Age	27	23
Dwelling Place	Christchurch	Christchurch
Length of Residence	2 years	6 days
Marriage Place	In th eWesleyan Church, Durham Street
Folio	75/1114
Consent
Date of Certificate	3 June 1875
Officiating Minister	Rev. J. Buller

3705

3 June 1875

John Tod
Elizabeth Blair

John Tod
Elizabeth Blair
💍 1875/1281

Bachelor
Spinster

Farmer

33
23

Lincoln
Lincoln

16 years
10 years

In the house of Mr. Blair, Lincoln

75/1426

3 June 1875

Rev. C. Fraser

No	3705
Date of Notice	3 June 1875
	Groom	Bride
Names of Parties	John Tod	Elizabeth Blair
	💍 1875/1281
Condition	Bachelor	Spinster
Profession	Farmer
Age	33	23
Dwelling Place	Lincoln	Lincoln
Length of Residence	16 years	10 years
Marriage Place	In the house of Mr. Blair, Lincoln
Folio	75/1426
Consent
Date of Certificate	3 June 1875
Officiating Minister	Rev. C. Fraser

3706

3 June 1875

Edward George Wood
Sarah Pepper

Edward George Wood
Sarah Pepper
💍 1875/1063

Bachelor
Spinster

Tanner

23
19

Woolston
Christchurch

3 years
19 years

In the Wesleyan Church, Durham Street

75/1111

George Pepper, Father

3 June 1875

Rev. J. Buller

No	3706
Date of Notice	3 June 1875
	Groom	Bride
Names of Parties	Edward George Wood	Sarah Pepper
	💍 1875/1063
Condition	Bachelor	Spinster
Profession	Tanner
Age	23	19
Dwelling Place	Woolston	Christchurch
Length of Residence	3 years	19 years
Marriage Place	In the Wesleyan Church, Durham Street
Folio	75/1111
Consent	George Pepper, Father
Date of Certificate	3 June 1875
Officiating Minister	Rev. J. Buller

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).

Primary digitisation of registers between 1855 and 1925 is now complete. Our digitisation volunteers are now working on verifying the currently digitised pages against printed district/page indexes, to identify pages which may have been missed or out of focus. These pages can be re-imaged as required.

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.

How can I help?

You can sign up to correct errors in the transcribed records and match ITMs with registered marriages.

You can also support this project by ☕ Buying us a coffee 🌳

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).