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 550

District of Christchurch Quarter ending 31 March 1875 Registrar B Parkerson Jnr

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

3502

5 January 1875

Thomas Hart
Mary Jane McMillan

Thomas Hart
Mary Jane McMullen
💍 1875/94

Bachelor
Spinster

Cook
Servant

28
26

Christchurch
Christchurch

5 days
5 days

In the Roman Catholic Chapel, Christchurch

75/173

5 January 1875

Rev. H. Belliard

No	3502
Date of Notice	5 January 1875
	Groom	Bride
Names of Parties	Thomas Hart	Mary Jane McMillan
BDM Match (94%)	Thomas Hart	Mary Jane McMullen
	💍 1875/94
Condition	Bachelor	Spinster
Profession	Cook	Servant
Age	28	26
Dwelling Place	Christchurch	Christchurch
Length of Residence	5 days	5 days
Marriage Place	In the Roman Catholic Chapel, Christchurch
Folio	75/173
Consent
Date of Certificate	5 January 1875
Officiating Minister	Rev. H. Belliard

3503

6 January 1875

John Fraser
Elizabeth McVeigh

John Fraser
Elizabeth McVeigh
💍 1875/114

Bachelor
Spinster

Warder
Matron

31
27

Lincoln Road
Lincoln Road

18 months
3 years

In the Roman Catholic Presbytery Christchurch

75/176

6 January 1875

Rev. H. Belliard

No	3503
Date of Notice	6 January 1875
	Groom	Bride
Names of Parties	John Fraser	Elizabeth McVeigh
	💍 1875/114
Condition	Bachelor	Spinster
Profession	Warder	Matron
Age	31	27
Dwelling Place	Lincoln Road	Lincoln Road
Length of Residence	18 months	3 years
Marriage Place	In the Roman Catholic Presbytery Christchurch
Folio	75/176
Consent
Date of Certificate	6 January 1875
Officiating Minister	Rev. H. Belliard

3504

6 January 1875

Walter Wray
Mary Ann Trimbath
Trumbath written in pencil above.

Walter Wray
Mary Ann Trembath
💍 1875/1304

Bachelor
Spinster

Labourer
Servant

24
22

Papanui
Papanui

6 months
9 months

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

75/1327

6 January 1875

Rev. C. Fraser

No	3504
Date of Notice	6 January 1875
	Groom	Bride
Names of Parties	Walter Wray	Mary Ann Trimbath Trumbath written in pencil above.
BDM Match (97%)	Walter Wray	Mary Ann Trembath
	💍 1875/1304
Condition	Bachelor	Spinster
Profession	Labourer	Servant
Age	24	22
Dwelling Place	Papanui	Papanui
Length of Residence	6 months	9 months
Marriage Place	In the house of Rev. C. Fraser, Tuam Street.
Folio	75/1327
Consent
Date of Certificate	6 January 1875
Officiating Minister	Rev. C. Fraser

3505

6 January 1875

James Jeremiah Harding
Catherine Lawrence

James Jeremiah Harding
Catherine Laurence
💍 1875/226

Bachelor
Spinster

Baker
Servant

21
21

Addington
Christchurch

3 years
2 years

In St. Michael's Church, Christchurch

75/233

20 January 1875

Rev. W. J. Edwards

No	3505
Date of Notice	6 January 1875
	Groom	Bride
Names of Parties	James Jeremiah Harding	Catherine Lawrence
BDM Match (97%)	James Jeremiah Harding	Catherine Laurence
	💍 1875/226
Condition	Bachelor	Spinster
Profession	Baker	Servant
Age	21	21
Dwelling Place	Addington	Christchurch
Length of Residence	3 years	2 years
Marriage Place	In St. Michael's Church, Christchurch
Folio	75/233
Consent
Date of Certificate	20 January 1875
Officiating Minister	Rev. W. J. Edwards

3506

8 January 1875

Robert Pepperill
Clara Jane Dewey

Robert Pepperell
Clara Jane Dewey
💍 1875/1168

Bachelor
Spinster

Wool Classer
Servant

26
21

Avonside
Christchurch

12 years
1 year

In St. Luke's Church, Christchurch

75/109

22 January 1875

Rev. H. C. M. Watson

No	3506
Date of Notice	8 January 1875
	Groom	Bride
Names of Parties	Robert Pepperill	Clara Jane Dewey
BDM Match (97%)	Robert Pepperell	Clara Jane Dewey
	💍 1875/1168
Condition	Bachelor	Spinster
Profession	Wool Classer	Servant
Age	26	21
Dwelling Place	Avonside	Christchurch
Length of Residence	12 years	1 year
Marriage Place	In St. Luke's Church, Christchurch
Folio	75/109
Consent
Date of Certificate	22 January 1875
Officiating Minister	Rev. H. C. M. Watson

3507

9 January 1875

Alexander Finlayson
Jane Robertson

Alexander Finlayson
Jane Robertson
💍 1875/1311

Bachelor
Spinster

Ploughman
Servant

31
21

Christchurch
Christchurch

14 days
14 days

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

75/1328

9 January 1875

Rev. C. Fraser

No	3507
Date of Notice	9 January 1875
	Groom	Bride
Names of Parties	Alexander Finlayson	Jane Robertson
	💍 1875/1311
Condition	Bachelor	Spinster
Profession	Ploughman	Servant
Age	31	21
Dwelling Place	Christchurch	Christchurch
Length of Residence	14 days	14 days
Marriage Place	In the house of Rev. C. Fraser, Tuam Street
Folio	75/1328
Consent
Date of Certificate	9 January 1875
Officiating Minister	Rev. C. Fraser

3508

11 January 1875

John Lamb
Margaret Nicol

John Lamb
Margaret Nicol
💍 1875/724

Bachelor
Spinster

Mason
Servant

23
19

Christchurch
Christchurch

3 months
3 months

In the house of Mr. Nicol, St Asaph Street

75/612

Andrew Nicol, Father

11 January 1875

Rev. A. F. Douglas

No	3508
Date of Notice	11 January 1875
	Groom	Bride
Names of Parties	John Lamb	Margaret Nicol
	💍 1875/724
Condition	Bachelor	Spinster
Profession	Mason	Servant
Age	23	19
Dwelling Place	Christchurch	Christchurch
Length of Residence	3 months	3 months
Marriage Place	In the house of Mr. Nicol, St Asaph Street
Folio	75/612
Consent	Andrew Nicol, Father
Date of Certificate	11 January 1875
Officiating Minister	Rev. A. F. Douglas

3509

11 January 1875

George Philpott
Ellen Preston

George Philpott
Ellen Preston
💍 1875/167

Bachelor
Spinster

Blacksmith

25
22

Christchurch
North Road

6 months
20 years

In the Papanui Church

75/222

25 January 1875

Rev. F. G. Brittan

No	3509
Date of Notice	11 January 1875
	Groom	Bride
Names of Parties	George Philpott	Ellen Preston
	💍 1875/167
Condition	Bachelor	Spinster
Profession	Blacksmith
Age	25	22
Dwelling Place	Christchurch	North Road
Length of Residence	6 months	20 years
Marriage Place	In the Papanui Church
Folio	75/222
Consent
Date of Certificate	25 January 1875
Officiating Minister	Rev. F. G. Brittan

3510

11 January 1875

Walter Henry Dixon
Charlotte Campfield

Walter Henry Dixon
Charlotte Campfeild
💍 1875/1315

Bachelor
Spinster

Labourer

27
25

Christchurch
Christchurch

1 year
3 weeks

In the house of Mr. Dixon, High Street

75/1332

25 January 1875

Rev. C. Fraser

No	3510
Date of Notice	11 January 1875
	Groom	Bride
Names of Parties	Walter Henry Dixon	Charlotte Campfield
BDM Match (95%)	Walter Henry Dixon	Charlotte Campfeild
	💍 1875/1315
Condition	Bachelor	Spinster
Profession	Labourer
Age	27	25
Dwelling Place	Christchurch	Christchurch
Length of Residence	1 year	3 weeks
Marriage Place	In the house of Mr. Dixon, High Street
Folio	75/1332
Consent
Date of Certificate	25 January 1875
Officiating Minister	Rev. C. Fraser

3511

11 January 1875

Alexander Murray
Agnes Smith

Alexander Murray
Agnes Smith
💍 1875/1313

Bachelor
Spinster

Carrier
Servant

32
21

Christchurch
Christchurch

9 months
1 year

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

75/1330

11 January 1875

Rev. C. Fraser

No	3511
Date of Notice	11 January 1875
	Groom	Bride
Names of Parties	Alexander Murray	Agnes Smith
	💍 1875/1313
Condition	Bachelor	Spinster
Profession	Carrier	Servant
Age	32	21
Dwelling Place	Christchurch	Christchurch
Length of Residence	9 months	1 year
Marriage Place	In the house of Rev. C. Fraser, Tuam Street
Folio	75/1330
Consent
Date of Certificate	11 January 1875
Officiating Minister	Rev. C. Fraser

3512

13 January 1875

William Munro
Jane Watt

William Munro
Jessie Watt
💍 1875/1312

Bachelor
Spinster

Farmer
Servant

24
22

Christchurch
Christchurch

3 days
3 days

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

75/1329

13 January 1875

Rev. C. Fraser

No	3512
Date of Notice	13 January 1875
	Groom	Bride
Names of Parties	William Munro	Jane Watt
BDM Match (82%)	William Munro	Jessie Watt
	💍 1875/1312
Condition	Bachelor	Spinster
Profession	Farmer	Servant
Age	24	22
Dwelling Place	Christchurch	Christchurch
Length of Residence	3 days	3 days
Marriage Place	In the house of Rev. C. Fraser, Tuam Street
Folio	75/1329
Consent
Date of Certificate	13 January 1875
Officiating Minister	Rev. C. Fraser

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).