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 579

District of Christchurch Quarter ending 30 September 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

3807

9 September 1875

Alfred Sharland
Jane Cox

Alfred Sharland
Jane Cox
💍 1875/2755

Bachelor
Spinster

Draper

24
22

Christchurch
Christchurch

5 years
9 years

In the Church of St John, Christchurch

75/2352

9 September 1875

Rev. H. C M. Watson

No	3807
Date of Notice	9 September 1875
	Groom	Bride
Names of Parties	Alfred Sharland	Jane Cox
	💍 1875/2755
Condition	Bachelor	Spinster
Profession	Draper
Age	24	22
Dwelling Place	Christchurch	Christchurch
Length of Residence	5 years	9 years
Marriage Place	In the Church of St John, Christchurch
Folio	75/2352
Consent
Date of Certificate	9 September 1875
Officiating Minister	Rev. H. C M. Watson

3808

10 September 1875

William Bruce
Matilda Young

William Bruce
Martha Young
💍 1875/2834

Bachelor
Spinster

Labourer
Servant

23
23

Christchurch
Christchurch

3 days
3 days

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

75/3087

10 September 1875

Rev. C. Fraser

No	3808
Date of Notice	10 September 1875
	Groom	Bride
Names of Parties	William Bruce	Matilda Young
BDM Match (85%)	William Bruce	Martha Young
	💍 1875/2834
Condition	Bachelor	Spinster
Profession	Labourer	Servant
Age	23	23
Dwelling Place	Christchurch	Christchurch
Length of Residence	3 days	3 days
Marriage Place	In the house of Rev. C. Fraser, Tuam Street
Folio	75/3087
Consent
Date of Certificate	10 September 1875
Officiating Minister	Rev. C. Fraser

3809

13 September 1875

Thomas Cleary
Grace Taylor

[No matching marriage registration has been located]

Bachelor
Spinster

Carter

30
22

Christchurch
Christchurch

17 years
6 weeks

In the Roman Catholic Church, Christchurch

13 September 1875

Rev. J. P. Chareyre

No	3809
Date of Notice	13 September 1875
	Groom	Bride
Names of Parties	Thomas Cleary	Grace Taylor
BDM Match (8%)
	💍 [No matching marriage registration has been located]
Condition	Bachelor	Spinster
Profession	Carter
Age	30	22
Dwelling Place	Christchurch	Christchurch
Length of Residence	17 years	6 weeks
Marriage Place	In the Roman Catholic Church, Christchurch
Folio
Consent
Date of Certificate	13 September 1875
Officiating Minister	Rev. J. P. Chareyre

3810

14 September 1875

Thomas Bain
Fanny Laws

Thomas Bain
Fanny Laws
💍 1875/2077

Widower
Spinster

Clerk

35
33

Waltham
Waltham

8 months
8 months

In the Church of St Paul, Lichfield Street

75/2082

14 September 1875

Rev. A. F. Douglas

No	3810
Date of Notice	14 September 1875
	Groom	Bride
Names of Parties	Thomas Bain	Fanny Laws
	💍 1875/2077
Condition	Widower	Spinster
Profession	Clerk
Age	35	33
Dwelling Place	Waltham	Waltham
Length of Residence	8 months	8 months
Marriage Place	In the Church of St Paul, Lichfield Street
Folio	75/2082
Consent
Date of Certificate	14 September 1875
Officiating Minister	Rev. A. F. Douglas

3811

14 September 1875

Jonah Turner
Mary Miller

Jonah Turner
Mary Miller
💍 1875/2835

Bachelor
Spinster

Labourer

24
21

Harewood Road
Harewood Road

16 years
21 years

In the house of Rev C. Fraser, Tuam Street

75/3088

14 September 1875

Rev. C. Fraser

No	3811
Date of Notice	14 September 1875
	Groom	Bride
Names of Parties	Jonah Turner	Mary Miller
	💍 1875/2835
Condition	Bachelor	Spinster
Profession	Labourer
Age	24	21
Dwelling Place	Harewood Road	Harewood Road
Length of Residence	16 years	21 years
Marriage Place	In the house of Rev C. Fraser, Tuam Street
Folio	75/3088
Consent
Date of Certificate	14 September 1875
Officiating Minister	Rev. C. Fraser

3812

14 September 1875

Arthur William Sellars
Elizabeth Walker

Arthur William Sellars
Elizabeth Walker
💍 1875/2086

Bachelor
Spinster

Butcher

21
22

Christchurch
Christchurch

10 years
22 years

In the Church of St Luke, Christchurch

75/2090

14 September 1875

Rev. E. A. Lingard

No	3812
Date of Notice	14 September 1875
	Groom	Bride
Names of Parties	Arthur William Sellars	Elizabeth Walker
	💍 1875/2086
Condition	Bachelor	Spinster
Profession	Butcher
Age	21	22
Dwelling Place	Christchurch	Christchurch
Length of Residence	10 years	22 years
Marriage Place	In the Church of St Luke, Christchurch
Folio	75/2090
Consent
Date of Certificate	14 September 1875
Officiating Minister	Rev. E. A. Lingard

3813

18 September 1875

Clement Wilson
Cecile Sophia Jones

Clement Wilson
Cecile Sophia Jones
💍 1875/2195

Bachelor
Spinster

Draper

27
22

Christchurch
Christchurch

13 months
2 years

In Avonside Church

75/1990

18 September 1875

Rev. H. Glasson

No	3813
Date of Notice	18 September 1875
	Groom	Bride
Names of Parties	Clement Wilson	Cecile Sophia Jones
	💍 1875/2195
Condition	Bachelor	Spinster
Profession	Draper
Age	27	22
Dwelling Place	Christchurch	Christchurch
Length of Residence	13 months	2 years
Marriage Place	In Avonside Church
Folio	75/1990
Consent
Date of Certificate	18 September 1875
Officiating Minister	Rev. H. Glasson

3814

20 September 1875

William Booth
Vuelince Welsh Benlince

William Booth
Valenza Welsh Benjamins
💍 1875/2462

Bachelor
Servant

Labourer
Servant

22
23

Christchurch
Christchurch

8 years
2 years

In the Roman Catholic Church, Christchurch

75/2650

20 September 1875

Rev. J. P. Chareyre

No	3814
Date of Notice	20 September 1875
	Groom	Bride
Names of Parties	William Booth	Vuelince Welsh Benlince
BDM Match (78%)	William Booth	Valenza Welsh Benjamins
	💍 1875/2462
Condition	Bachelor	Servant
Profession	Labourer	Servant
Age	22	23
Dwelling Place	Christchurch	Christchurch
Length of Residence	8 years	2 years
Marriage Place	In the Roman Catholic Church, Christchurch
Folio	75/2650
Consent
Date of Certificate	20 September 1875
Officiating Minister	Rev. J. P. Chareyre

3815

21 September 1875

John Wills
Margaret Husband

John Wilis
Margaret Husband
💍 1875/2840

Bachelor
Spinster

Painter
Servant

29
21

Bingsland
Christchurch

2 years
2 years

In Avonside Church

75/3070

21 September 1875

Rev. H. Glasson

No	3815
Date of Notice	21 September 1875
	Groom	Bride
Names of Parties	John Wills	Margaret Husband
BDM Match (95%)	John Wilis	Margaret Husband
	💍 1875/2840
Condition	Bachelor	Spinster
Profession	Painter	Servant
Age	29	21
Dwelling Place	Bingsland	Christchurch
Length of Residence	2 years	2 years
Marriage Place	In Avonside Church
Folio	75/3070
Consent
Date of Certificate	21 September 1875
Officiating Minister	Rev. H. Glasson

3816

21 September 1875

Alfred Henry Oakley
Oately written below in pencil.
Louisa Ann Turner

Alfred Henry Oakey
Louisa Annie Turner
💍 1875/2342

Bachelor
Spinster

Tobacconist
Servant

25
22

Christchurch
Christchurch

3 years
21 years

In St. Michael's Church, Christchurch

75/2449

21 September 1875

Rev. H. J. Edwards

No	3816
Date of Notice	21 September 1875
	Groom	Bride
Names of Parties	Alfred Henry Oakley Oately written below in pencil.	Louisa Ann Turner
BDM Match (92%)	Alfred Henry Oakey	Louisa Annie Turner
	💍 1875/2342
Condition	Bachelor	Spinster
Profession	Tobacconist	Servant
Age	25	22
Dwelling Place	Christchurch	Christchurch
Length of Residence	3 years	21 years
Marriage Place	In St. Michael's Church, Christchurch
Folio	75/2449
Consent
Date of Certificate	21 September 1875
Officiating Minister	Rev. H. J. Edwards

3817

22 September 1875

John Bort
Mary Waite

John Bott
Mary Waite
💍 1875/2836

Bachelor
Widow

Labourer

34
35

Lincoln Road
Lincoln Road

9 years
1 year

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

75/3089

22 September 1875

Rev. C. Fraser

No	3817
Date of Notice	22 September 1875
	Groom	Bride
Names of Parties	John Bort	Mary Waite
BDM Match (94%)	John Bott	Mary Waite
	💍 1875/2836
Condition	Bachelor	Widow
Profession	Labourer
Age	34	35
Dwelling Place	Lincoln Road	Lincoln Road
Length of Residence	9 years	1 year
Marriage Place	In the house of Rev. C. Fraser, Tuam Street
Folio	75/3089
Consent
Date of Certificate	22 September 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).