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 501

District of Hokitika Quarter ending 30 September 1875 Registrar J. Dermott

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

659

8 July 1875

William Paterson Bell
Flora McIvor

William Paterson Bell
Flora McIver
💍 1875/1719

Bachelor
Spinster

Laborer
Servant

41
30

Hokitika
Hokitika

12 months
5 months

In the private Residence of self, Tancred St, Hokitika

75/1834

8 July 1875

Rev. James Kirkland

No	659
Date of Notice	8 July 1875
	Groom	Bride
Names of Parties	William Paterson Bell	Flora McIvor
BDM Match (96%)	William Paterson Bell	Flora McIver
	💍 1875/1719
Condition	Bachelor	Spinster
Profession	Laborer	Servant
Age	41	30
Dwelling Place	Hokitika	Hokitika
Length of Residence	12 months	5 months
Marriage Place	In the private Residence of self, Tancred St, Hokitika
Folio	75/1834
Consent
Date of Certificate	8 July 1875
Officiating Minister	Rev. James Kirkland

660

19 July 1875

Peter Doonan
Margaret O'Rafferty

Peter Doonan
Margaret O'Rafferty
💍 1875/1620

Bachelor
Spinster

Miner
no occupation

29
26

Hokitika
Hokitika

4 days
4 days

In the church of St Michael, Waimea

75/1846

19 July 1875

Rev'd McIntyre

No	660
Date of Notice	19 July 1875
	Groom	Bride
Names of Parties	Peter Doonan	Margaret O'Rafferty
	💍 1875/1620
Condition	Bachelor	Spinster
Profession	Miner	no occupation
Age	29	26
Dwelling Place	Hokitika	Hokitika
Length of Residence	4 days	4 days
Marriage Place	In the church of St Michael, Waimea
Folio	75/1846
Consent
Date of Certificate	19 July 1875
Officiating Minister	Rev'd McIntyre

661

21 July 1875

John Russell Reid
Mary Spencer Clayton

John Russell Reid
Mary Spencer Clayton
💍 1875/1805

Bachelor
Spinster

Clerk
no occupation

24
24

Hokitika
Hokitika

4 days
9 years

In the church of all Saints, Hokitika

75/1859

21 July 1875

Rev'd Arch'd H. Harper

No	661
Date of Notice	21 July 1875
	Groom	Bride
Names of Parties	John Russell Reid	Mary Spencer Clayton
	💍 1875/1805
Condition	Bachelor	Spinster
Profession	Clerk	no occupation
Age	24	24
Dwelling Place	Hokitika	Hokitika
Length of Residence	4 days	9 years
Marriage Place	In the church of all Saints, Hokitika
Folio	75/1859
Consent
Date of Certificate	21 July 1875
Officiating Minister	Rev'd Arch'd H. Harper

662

31 July 1875

John Jackson
Charlotte Amelia Firth

John Jackson
Charlotte Amelia Firth
💍 1875/1936

Widower
Spinster

Timber Merchant
no occupation

54
39

Hokitika
Hokitika

8 years
8 days

In my private Residence, Gibsons Quay, Hokitika

75/2040

31 July 1875

Rev'd Mr. Rishworth

No	662
Date of Notice	31 July 1875
	Groom	Bride
Names of Parties	John Jackson	Charlotte Amelia Firth
	💍 1875/1936
Condition	Widower	Spinster
Profession	Timber Merchant	no occupation
Age	54	39
Dwelling Place	Hokitika	Hokitika
Length of Residence	8 years	8 days
Marriage Place	In my private Residence, Gibsons Quay, Hokitika
Folio	75/2040
Consent
Date of Certificate	31 July 1875
Officiating Minister	Rev'd Mr. Rishworth

663

4 August 1875

Hugh McDougall
Emma Ward

Hugh McDougall
Emma Ward
💍 1875/1944

Bachelor
Spinster

Carpenter
no occupation

29
17

Hokitika
Hokitika

2 months
2 months

In the private Residence of McD. McKay George, Park St. Hokitika

75/2041

Bentinck Gore Ward, The father

4 August 1875

Rev'd Mr. Rishworth

No	663
Date of Notice	4 August 1875
	Groom	Bride
Names of Parties	Hugh McDougall	Emma Ward
	💍 1875/1944
Condition	Bachelor	Spinster
Profession	Carpenter	no occupation
Age	29	17
Dwelling Place	Hokitika	Hokitika
Length of Residence	2 months	2 months
Marriage Place	In the private Residence of McD. McKay George, Park St. Hokitika
Folio	75/2041
Consent	Bentinck Gore Ward, The father
Date of Certificate	4 August 1875
Officiating Minister	Rev'd Mr. Rishworth

664

6 August 1875

Thomas Paterson
Annie Hardie Forsyth

Thomas Paterson
Annie Hardie Forsyth
💍 1875/1720

Bachelor
Spinster

Coffee Merchant
Milliner

23
18

Hokitika
Hokitika

8 years
15 months

In the private residence of Res. Mr. Kirkland, Park St. Hokitika

75/1838

Adam Forsyth, The father of Annie Hardie Forsyth

6 August 1875

Rev. James Kirkland

No	664
Date of Notice	6 August 1875
	Groom	Bride
Names of Parties	Thomas Paterson	Annie Hardie Forsyth
	💍 1875/1720
Condition	Bachelor	Spinster
Profession	Coffee Merchant	Milliner
Age	23	18
Dwelling Place	Hokitika	Hokitika
Length of Residence	8 years	15 months
Marriage Place	In the private residence of Res. Mr. Kirkland, Park St. Hokitika
Folio	75/1838
Consent	Adam Forsyth, The father of Annie Hardie Forsyth
Date of Certificate	6 August 1875
Officiating Minister	Rev. James Kirkland

665

31 August 1875

James Midgley Higgin
Maria Hope Nicol

James Medgley Higgin
Maria Hope Nicol
💍 1875/1711

Bachelor
Spinster

Chemist

43
28

Hokitika
Hokitika

9 years
2 years

In the private Residence of Capt. Turnbull, Fitzherbert St. Hokitika

75/1839

31 August 1875

Rev. James Kirkland

No	665
Date of Notice	31 August 1875
	Groom	Bride
Names of Parties	James Midgley Higgin	Maria Hope Nicol
BDM Match (98%)	James Medgley Higgin	Maria Hope Nicol
	💍 1875/1711
Condition	Bachelor	Spinster
Profession	Chemist
Age	43	28
Dwelling Place	Hokitika	Hokitika
Length of Residence	9 years	2 years
Marriage Place	In the private Residence of Capt. Turnbull, Fitzherbert St. Hokitika
Folio	75/1839
Consent
Date of Certificate	31 August 1875
Officiating Minister	Rev. James Kirkland

666

25 September 1875

John Gray
Francis Mary Batchell

John Gray
Frances Mary Satchell
💍 1875/1807

Bachelor
Spinster

Laborer
Servant

39
24

3 mile Creek Arahura
3 mile Creek Arahura

18 months
7 months

Church of England, all Saints, Hokitika

75/1860

25 September 1875

Ven'd Arch'd H. Harper

No	666
Date of Notice	25 September 1875
	Groom	Bride
Names of Parties	John Gray	Francis Mary Batchell
BDM Match (95%)	John Gray	Frances Mary Satchell
	💍 1875/1807
Condition	Bachelor	Spinster
Profession	Laborer	Servant
Age	39	24
Dwelling Place	3 mile Creek Arahura	3 mile Creek Arahura
Length of Residence	18 months	7 months
Marriage Place	Church of England, all Saints, Hokitika
Folio	75/1860
Consent
Date of Certificate	25 September 1875
Officiating Minister	Ven'd Arch'd H. Harper

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).

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).