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 553

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

3535

29 January 1875

Charles Evin Curtis
Eliza Westgate

Charles Evin Curtis
Eliza Westgate
💍 1875/133

Bachelor
Spinster

Clerk

28
21

Christchurch
Christchurch

5 months
13 months

In the Wesleyan Church, Durham Street

75/138

29 January 1875

Rev. J. Buller

No	3535
Date of Notice	29 January 1875
	Groom	Bride
Names of Parties	Charles Evin Curtis	Eliza Westgate
	💍 1875/133
Condition	Bachelor	Spinster
Profession	Clerk
Age	28	21
Dwelling Place	Christchurch	Christchurch
Length of Residence	5 months	13 months
Marriage Place	In the Wesleyan Church, Durham Street
Folio	75/138
Consent
Date of Certificate	29 January 1875
Officiating Minister	Rev. J. Buller

3536

1 February 1875

William Buckeridge
Mary Walker

William Buckeridge
Mary Walker
💍 1875/612

Bachelor
Spinster

Labourer

24
18

Halswell
Halswell

3 years
11 years

In Riccarton Church

75/714

John Walker, Father

1 February 1875

Rev. C. Bowen

No	3536
Date of Notice	1 February 1875
	Groom	Bride
Names of Parties	William Buckeridge	Mary Walker
	💍 1875/612
Condition	Bachelor	Spinster
Profession	Labourer
Age	24	18
Dwelling Place	Halswell	Halswell
Length of Residence	3 years	11 years
Marriage Place	In Riccarton Church
Folio	75/714
Consent	John Walker, Father
Date of Certificate	1 February 1875
Officiating Minister	Rev. C. Bowen

3537

1 February 1875

Herbert Cook
Mette Katrina Petersen

Herbert Cook
Mette Katrina Paterson
💍 1875/1303

Bachelor
Spinster

Labourer
Servant

25
29

Christchurch
Christchurch

6 months
2 years

In the house of Rev C Fraser, Tuam Street

75/1344

17 February 1875

Rev. C Fraser

No	3537
Date of Notice	1 February 1875
	Groom	Bride
Names of Parties	Herbert Cook	Mette Katrina Petersen
BDM Match (95%)	Herbert Cook	Mette Katrina Paterson
	💍 1875/1303
Condition	Bachelor	Spinster
Profession	Labourer	Servant
Age	25	29
Dwelling Place	Christchurch	Christchurch
Length of Residence	6 months	2 years
Marriage Place	In the house of Rev C Fraser, Tuam Street
Folio	75/1344
Consent
Date of Certificate	17 February 1875
Officiating Minister	Rev. C Fraser

3538

1 February 1875

Philip Deibert
Mary Chirnitska

Philip Deibert
Mary Chernitska
💍 1875/1295

Widower
Spinster

Farmer
Servant

40
30

North Road
Papanni

10 years
1 month

In the house of Rev C Fraser, Tuam Street

75/1336

1 February 1875

Rev. C Fraser

No	3538
Date of Notice	1 February 1875
	Groom	Bride
Names of Parties	Philip Deibert	Mary Chirnitska
BDM Match (97%)	Philip Deibert	Mary Chernitska
	💍 1875/1295
Condition	Widower	Spinster
Profession	Farmer	Servant
Age	40	30
Dwelling Place	North Road	Papanni
Length of Residence	10 years	1 month
Marriage Place	In the house of Rev C Fraser, Tuam Street
Folio	75/1336
Consent
Date of Certificate	1 February 1875
Officiating Minister	Rev. C Fraser

3539

2 February 1875

Alexander Forbes
Agnes Wilson

Alexander Forbes
Agnes Wilson
💍 1875/1297

Bachelor
Spinster

Waggoner
Servant

30
22

Christchurch
Christchurch

6 years
1 year

In the house of Rev C Fraser, Tuam Street

75/1338

2 February 1875

Rev. C Fraser

No	3539
Date of Notice	2 February 1875
	Groom	Bride
Names of Parties	Alexander Forbes	Agnes Wilson
	💍 1875/1297
Condition	Bachelor	Spinster
Profession	Waggoner	Servant
Age	30	22
Dwelling Place	Christchurch	Christchurch
Length of Residence	6 years	1 year
Marriage Place	In the house of Rev C Fraser, Tuam Street
Folio	75/1338
Consent
Date of Certificate	2 February 1875
Officiating Minister	Rev. C Fraser

3540

3 February 1875

Richard Sullivan
Mary Shanahan

Richard Sullivan
Mary Shanahan
💍 1875/123

Widower
Spinster

Cook
Servant

29
23

Christchurch
Christchurch

2 years
5 years

In the Roman Catholic Church Christchurch

75/179

3 February 1875

Rev. H. Belliard

No	3540
Date of Notice	3 February 1875
	Groom	Bride
Names of Parties	Richard Sullivan	Mary Shanahan
	💍 1875/123
Condition	Widower	Spinster
Profession	Cook	Servant
Age	29	23
Dwelling Place	Christchurch	Christchurch
Length of Residence	2 years	5 years
Marriage Place	In the Roman Catholic Church Christchurch
Folio	75/179
Consent
Date of Certificate	3 February 1875
Officiating Minister	Rev. H. Belliard

3541

6 February 1875

William Taylor
Martha Twigg

William Taylor
Martha Twigg
💍 1875/225

Bachelor
Spinster

Shepherd
Servant

33
33

Porters Pass
Porters Pass

1 year
7 months

In the Church of St. Michael, Christchurch

75/232

6 February 1875

Rev. H. J. Edwards

No	3541
Date of Notice	6 February 1875
	Groom	Bride
Names of Parties	William Taylor	Martha Twigg
	💍 1875/225
Condition	Bachelor	Spinster
Profession	Shepherd	Servant
Age	33	33
Dwelling Place	Porters Pass	Porters Pass
Length of Residence	1 year	7 months
Marriage Place	In the Church of St. Michael, Christchurch
Folio	75/232
Consent
Date of Certificate	6 February 1875
Officiating Minister	Rev. H. J. Edwards

3542

6 February 1875

George Robinson
Sarah Edwards

George Robinson
Sarah Edwards
💍 1875/532

Bachelor
Spinster

Accountant

39
26

Christchurch
Christchurch

10 months
10 months

In Merivale Church

75/655

6 February 1875

Rev. F. Knowles

No	3542
Date of Notice	6 February 1875
	Groom	Bride
Names of Parties	George Robinson	Sarah Edwards
	💍 1875/532
Condition	Bachelor	Spinster
Profession	Accountant
Age	39	26
Dwelling Place	Christchurch	Christchurch
Length of Residence	10 months	10 months
Marriage Place	In Merivale Church
Folio	75/655
Consent
Date of Certificate	6 February 1875
Officiating Minister	Rev. F. Knowles

3543

6 February 1875

John Francis Wyatt
Maria Aldred Vontom

John Francis Wyatt
Maria Aldred Vontom
💍 1875/203

Bachelor
Spinster

Baker
Dressmaker

20
21

Christchurch
Christchurch

1 year
2 months

In St. Michael's Church, Christchurch

75/234

Elizabeth Wyatt, Mother

6 February 1875

Rev. H. J. Edwards

No	3543
Date of Notice	6 February 1875
	Groom	Bride
Names of Parties	John Francis Wyatt	Maria Aldred Vontom
	💍 1875/203
Condition	Bachelor	Spinster
Profession	Baker	Dressmaker
Age	20	21
Dwelling Place	Christchurch	Christchurch
Length of Residence	1 year	2 months
Marriage Place	In St. Michael's Church, Christchurch
Folio	75/234
Consent	Elizabeth Wyatt, Mother
Date of Certificate	6 February 1875
Officiating Minister	Rev. H. J. Edwards

3544

8 February 1875

Robert Jones
Ann McCracken

Robert Jones
Ann McCracken
💍 1875/1301

Bachelor
Spinster

Cook
Cook

39
37

Christchurch
Christchurch

3 days
3 days

In the house of Rev C Fraser, Tuam Street

75/1342

8 February 1875

Rev. C Fraser

No	3544
Date of Notice	8 February 1875
	Groom	Bride
Names of Parties	Robert Jones	Ann McCracken
	💍 1875/1301
Condition	Bachelor	Spinster
Profession	Cook	Cook
Age	39	37
Dwelling Place	Christchurch	Christchurch
Length of Residence	3 days	3 days
Marriage Place	In the house of Rev C Fraser, Tuam Street
Folio	75/1342
Consent
Date of Certificate	8 February 1875
Officiating Minister	Rev. C Fraser

3545

8 February 1875

Thomas Donad
Margaret Fraser

Thomas Donald
Margaret Fraser
💍 1875/135

Bachelor
Spinster

Brickmaker
Servant

30
23

Waltham
Waltham

4 months
1 year

In the house of Mr A Scott, Waltham

75/140

8 February 1875

Rev. G. Bond

No	3545
Date of Notice	8 February 1875
	Groom	Bride
Names of Parties	Thomas Donad	Margaret Fraser
BDM Match (96%)	Thomas Donald	Margaret Fraser
	💍 1875/135
Condition	Bachelor	Spinster
Profession	Brickmaker	Servant
Age	30	23
Dwelling Place	Waltham	Waltham
Length of Residence	4 months	1 year
Marriage Place	In the house of Mr A Scott, Waltham
Folio	75/140
Consent
Date of Certificate	8 February 1875
Officiating Minister	Rev. G. Bond

These records have been automatically transcribed and must be verified using the page image (below)

100% Contrast

100% Brightness

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).