Intentions to Marry, 1876

Reference: Registrar-General of Births, Deaths and Marriages, Notices of intention to marry, Series 8937, R2840388, Archives New Zealand Te Rua Mahara o te Kāwanatanga, Wellington

Imaged by Alexandra at Archives NZ Wellington, January 31 2025

A few of the pages are missing.

Page 563

District of Hokitika Quarter ending 31 March 1876

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

677

6 January 1876

John Moore
Margaret Kennelly

John Moore
Margaret Kennelly
💍 1876/506

Widower
Widow

Miner

40 years
37 years

Hokitika
Hokitika

10 days
6 years

St. Mary's Church, Hokitika

76/431

6 January 1876

Rev. P.A. Martin

No	677
Date of Notice	6 January 1876
	Groom	Bride
Names of Parties	John Moore	Margaret Kennelly
	💍 1876/506
Condition	Widower	Widow
Profession	Miner
Age	40 years	37 years
Dwelling Place	Hokitika	Hokitika
Length of Residence	10 days	6 years
Marriage Place	St. Mary's Church, Hokitika
Folio	76/431
Consent
Date of Certificate	6 January 1876
Officiating Minister	Rev. P.A. Martin

678

8 January 1876

George Bradh
Grace Lorden

George Bradt
Grace Louden
💍 1876/487

Bachelor
Widow

Miner
No occupation

48 years
35 years

Blue Spur
Blue Spur

6 months
8 years

The office of The Registrar, Hokitika

76/436

8 January 1876

The Registrar

No	678
Date of Notice	8 January 1876
	Groom	Bride
Names of Parties	George Bradh	Grace Lorden
BDM Match (92%)	George Bradt	Grace Louden
	💍 1876/487
Condition	Bachelor	Widow
Profession	Miner	No occupation
Age	48 years	35 years
Dwelling Place	Blue Spur	Blue Spur
Length of Residence	6 months	8 years
Marriage Place	The office of The Registrar, Hokitika
Folio	76/436
Consent
Date of Certificate	8 January 1876
Officiating Minister	The Registrar

679

18 January 1876

William Kearns
Mary Smith

William Kearns
Mary Smith
💍 1876/489

Bachelor
Spinster

Laborer
No occupation

25 years
32 years

Hokitika
Hokitika

9 years
9 years

The office of The Registrar, Hokitika

76/438

18 January 1876

The Registrar

No	679
Date of Notice	18 January 1876
	Groom	Bride
Names of Parties	William Kearns	Mary Smith
	💍 1876/489
Condition	Bachelor	Spinster
Profession	Laborer	No occupation
Age	25 years	32 years
Dwelling Place	Hokitika	Hokitika
Length of Residence	9 years	9 years
Marriage Place	The office of The Registrar, Hokitika
Folio	76/438
Consent
Date of Certificate	18 January 1876
Officiating Minister	The Registrar

680

20 January 1876

John O'Neill
Mary Barberry

John O'Neill
Mary Carbery
💍 1876/507

Bachelor
Widow

Sailmaker

39 years
34 years

Hokitika
Hokitika

8 years
9 years

The Church of St Mary, Hokitika

76/432

20 January 1876

Rev. P.A. Martin

No	680
Date of Notice	20 January 1876
	Groom	Bride
Names of Parties	John O'Neill	Mary Barberry
BDM Match (92%)	John O'Neill	Mary Carbery
	💍 1876/507
Condition	Bachelor	Widow
Profession	Sailmaker
Age	39 years	34 years
Dwelling Place	Hokitika	Hokitika
Length of Residence	8 years	9 years
Marriage Place	The Church of St Mary, Hokitika
Folio	76/432
Consent
Date of Certificate	20 January 1876
Officiating Minister	Rev. P.A. Martin

681

26 January 1876

William Buchanan
Emma Bock

William Buchanan
Emma Bock
💍 1876/497

Bachelor
Spinster

Bank official

43 years
19 years

Greymouth
Hokitika

5 years
6 months

The Church of All Saints, Greymouth

76/428

Alfred Bock, The father of Emma Bock

26 January 1876

Rev. W.A. Pascoe

No	681
Date of Notice	26 January 1876
	Groom	Bride
Names of Parties	William Buchanan	Emma Bock
	💍 1876/497
Condition	Bachelor	Spinster
Profession	Bank official
Age	43 years	19 years
Dwelling Place	Greymouth	Hokitika
Length of Residence	5 years	6 months
Marriage Place	The Church of All Saints, Greymouth
Folio	76/428
Consent	Alfred Bock, The father of Emma Bock
Date of Certificate	26 January 1876
Officiating Minister	Rev. W.A. Pascoe

682

4 February 1876

William Pearson
Emma Duncan

William Pearson
Emma Duncan
💍 1876/490

Bachelor
Spinster

Miner
Servant

30 years
18 years

Woodstock
South Spit, a minor District of Hokitika

9 years
17 years

The office of The Registrar, Revell St, Hokitika

76/439

John Duncan, The father of Emma Duncan

4 February 1876

The Registrar

No	682
Date of Notice	4 February 1876
	Groom	Bride
Names of Parties	William Pearson	Emma Duncan
	💍 1876/490
Condition	Bachelor	Spinster
Profession	Miner	Servant
Age	30 years	18 years
Dwelling Place	Woodstock	South Spit, a minor District of Hokitika
Length of Residence	9 years	17 years
Marriage Place	The office of The Registrar, Revell St, Hokitika
Folio	76/439
Consent	John Duncan, The father of Emma Duncan
Date of Certificate	4 February 1876
Officiating Minister	The Registrar

683

7 February 1876

William Nancekivell
Mary Breeze

William Nancekivell
Mary Breeze
💍 1876/504

Bachelor
Spinster

Miner

33 years
22 years

Hokitika
Hokitika

9 months
2 months

The Church of England, Hokitika

76/429

7 February 1876

Rev. W.A. Pascoe

No	683
Date of Notice	7 February 1876
	Groom	Bride
Names of Parties	William Nancekivell	Mary Breeze
	💍 1876/504
Condition	Bachelor	Spinster
Profession	Miner
Age	33 years	22 years
Dwelling Place	Hokitika	Hokitika
Length of Residence	9 months	2 months
Marriage Place	The Church of England, Hokitika
Folio	76/429
Consent
Date of Certificate	7 February 1876
Officiating Minister	Rev. W.A. Pascoe

684

18 February 1876

William Joseph Stringer
Isabella Woodifield Turnbull

William Joseph Stringer
Isabella Woodfield Turnbull
💍 1876/99

Bachelor
Spinster

Telegraphist
No Occupation

24 years
20 years

Hokitika
Hokitika

3 years
8 years

The private residence of Capt. Turnbull, Fitzherbert St

76/427

Thomas Turnbull, The father of Isabella Turnbull

19 February 1876

Rev. James Galloway

No	684
Date of Notice	18 February 1876
	Groom	Bride
Names of Parties	William Joseph Stringer	Isabella Woodifield Turnbull
BDM Match (98%)	William Joseph Stringer	Isabella Woodfield Turnbull
	💍 1876/99
Condition	Bachelor	Spinster
Profession	Telegraphist	No Occupation
Age	24 years	20 years
Dwelling Place	Hokitika	Hokitika
Length of Residence	3 years	8 years
Marriage Place	The private residence of Capt. Turnbull, Fitzherbert St
Folio	76/427
Consent	Thomas Turnbull, The father of Isabella Turnbull
Date of Certificate	19 February 1876
Officiating Minister	Rev. James Galloway

685

19 February 1876

John Henry Fredrick Eisfelder
Margaret Upham

John Henry Frederick Eisfelder
Margaret Upham
💍 1876/508

Bachelor
Widow

Butcher
Hotelkeeper

39 years
27 years

Hokitika
Hokitika

10 years
9 years

The Manchester Unity Hall, Revell St, Hokitika

76/433

19 February 1876

Rev. P.A. Martin

No	685
Date of Notice	19 February 1876
	Groom	Bride
Names of Parties	John Henry Fredrick Eisfelder	Margaret Upham
BDM Match (98%)	John Henry Frederick Eisfelder	Margaret Upham
	💍 1876/508
Condition	Bachelor	Widow
Profession	Butcher	Hotelkeeper
Age	39 years	27 years
Dwelling Place	Hokitika	Hokitika
Length of Residence	10 years	9 years
Marriage Place	The Manchester Unity Hall, Revell St, Hokitika
Folio	76/433
Consent
Date of Certificate	19 February 1876
Officiating Minister	Rev. P.A. Martin

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).