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 0322

District of Wellington 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

14 February 1876

Edward Draper
Mary de Nash

Edward Draper
Mary De Nash
💍 1876/232

Bachelor
Spinster

Farmer
Spinster

30
21

Pahautanui
Pahautanui

2 years
12 months

Roman Catholic Cathedral, Hill Street, Wellington

76/69

14 February 1876

Rev. Father Petit Jean

No	39
Date of Notice	14 February 1876
	Groom	Bride
Names of Parties	Edward Draper	Mary de Nash
BDM Match (96%)	Edward Draper	Mary De Nash
	💍 1876/232
Condition	Bachelor	Spinster
Profession	Farmer	Spinster
Age	30	21
Dwelling Place	Pahautanui	Pahautanui
Length of Residence	2 years	12 months
Marriage Place	Roman Catholic Cathedral, Hill Street, Wellington
Folio	76/69
Consent
Date of Certificate	14 February 1876
Officiating Minister	Rev. Father Petit Jean

15 February 1876

Reuben Johnson
Betsy Neilson

Peter Johnson
Betsy Nilson
💍 1876/93

Bachelor
Spinster

Mariner

28
22

Wellington
Wellington

4 days
1 month

Registrar's Office, Wellington

76/49

15 February 1876

Registrar of Wellington

No	40
Date of Notice	15 February 1876
	Groom	Bride
Names of Parties	Reuben Johnson	Betsy Neilson
BDM Match (82%)	Peter Johnson	Betsy Nilson
	💍 1876/93
Condition	Bachelor	Spinster
Profession	Mariner
Age	28	22
Dwelling Place	Wellington	Wellington
Length of Residence	4 days	1 month
Marriage Place	Registrar's Office, Wellington
Folio	76/49
Consent
Date of Certificate	15 February 1876
Officiating Minister	Registrar of Wellington

13 February 1876

Benjamin Robbins
Mary Ann Hearn

Benjamin Hobbins
Mary Ann Hearn
💍 1876/92

Bachelor
Spinster

Labourer
Domestic Servant

25
25

Wellington
Wellington

4 years
6 months

Registrar's Office, Wellington

76/48

15 February 1876

Registrar Wellington

No	41
Date of Notice	13 February 1876
	Groom	Bride
Names of Parties	Benjamin Robbins	Mary Ann Hearn
BDM Match (97%)	Benjamin Hobbins	Mary Ann Hearn
	💍 1876/92
Condition	Bachelor	Spinster
Profession	Labourer	Domestic Servant
Age	25	25
Dwelling Place	Wellington	Wellington
Length of Residence	4 years	6 months
Marriage Place	Registrar's Office, Wellington
Folio	76/48
Consent
Date of Certificate	15 February 1876
Officiating Minister	Registrar Wellington

19 February 1876

John Callaghan
Mary Ann Enright

John Callaghan
Marian Enright
💍 1876/474

Bachelor
Spinster

[illegible]
Domestic Servant

33
24

Wellington
Wellington

9 years
2.5 years

St Mary of the Angels, Boulcott Street

76/347

19 February 1876

Rev. M. Kearney

No	42
Date of Notice	19 February 1876
	Groom	Bride
Names of Parties	John Callaghan	Mary Ann Enright
BDM Match (88%)	John Callaghan	Marian Enright
	💍 1876/474
Condition	Bachelor	Spinster
Profession	[illegible]	Domestic Servant
Age	33	24
Dwelling Place	Wellington	Wellington
Length of Residence	9 years	2.5 years
Marriage Place	St Mary of the Angels, Boulcott Street
Folio	76/347
Consent
Date of Certificate	19 February 1876
Officiating Minister	Rev. M. Kearney

22 February 1876

Ralph Scales
Kezia Monk

Ralph Scholes
Kezia Monk
💍 1876/95

Bachelor
Spinster

Labourer

23
23

North Makara
North Makara

2 years
20 years

Registrar's Office, Wellington

76/81

22 February 1876

Registrar Wellington

No	43
Date of Notice	22 February 1876
	Groom	Bride
Names of Parties	Ralph Scales	Kezia Monk
BDM Match (92%)	Ralph Scholes	Kezia Monk
	💍 1876/95
Condition	Bachelor	Spinster
Profession	Labourer
Age	23	23
Dwelling Place	North Makara	North Makara
Length of Residence	2 years	20 years
Marriage Place	Registrar's Office, Wellington
Folio	76/81
Consent
Date of Certificate	22 February 1876
Officiating Minister	Registrar Wellington

22 February 1876

Johan Hanson
Christina Neilsen

Bachelor
Spinster

Mariner
Domestic Servant

28
22

Port of Wellington
Wellington

in and out for 2 years
2 years

Registrar's Office, Wellington

76/80

22 February 1876

Registrar Wellington

No	44
Date of Notice	22 February 1876
	Groom	Bride
Names of Parties	Johan Hanson	Christina Neilsen
Condition	Bachelor	Spinster
Profession	Mariner	Domestic Servant
Age	28	22
Dwelling Place	Port of Wellington	Wellington
Length of Residence	in and out for 2 years	2 years
Marriage Place	Registrar's Office, Wellington
Folio	76/80
Consent
Date of Certificate	22 February 1876
Officiating Minister	Registrar Wellington

23 February 1876

John Henry Schult
Caroline McCoy

John Henry Smith
Caroline McCoy
💍 1876/600

Bachelor
Spinster

Mariner
Stewardess

25
31

Port of Wellington
Wellington

3 years
3 weeks

St Mary of the Angels, Boulcott Street, Wellington

76/6863

23 February 1876

Rev. M. D. O'Reilly

No	45
Date of Notice	23 February 1876
	Groom	Bride
Names of Parties	John Henry Schult	Caroline McCoy
BDM Match (85%)	John Henry Smith	Caroline McCoy
	💍 1876/600
Condition	Bachelor	Spinster
Profession	Mariner	Stewardess
Age	25	31
Dwelling Place	Port of Wellington	Wellington
Length of Residence	3 years	3 weeks
Marriage Place	St Mary of the Angels, Boulcott Street, Wellington
Folio	76/6863
Consent
Date of Certificate	23 February 1876
Officiating Minister	Rev. M. D. O'Reilly

28 February 1876

William Graham
Margaret Moire

William Graham
Margaret Moir
💍 1876/478

William Graham
Ellen Lee
💍 1876/2226

Bachelor
Spinster

Settler

44
33

Wellington
Wellington

10 years
over 5 years

House of Mr Barry's residence, Molesworth Street, Wellington

76/357

24 February 1876

Rev. C. S. Ogg.

No	46
Date of Notice	28 February 1876
	Groom	Bride
Names of Parties	William Graham	Margaret Moire
BDM Match (96%)	William Graham	Margaret Moir
	💍 1876/478
BDM Match (61%)	William Graham	Ellen Lee
	💍 1876/2226
Condition	Bachelor	Spinster
Profession	Settler
Age	44	33
Dwelling Place	Wellington	Wellington
Length of Residence	10 years	over 5 years
Marriage Place	House of Mr Barry's residence, Molesworth Street, Wellington
Folio	76/357
Consent
Date of Certificate	24 February 1876
Officiating Minister	Rev. C. S. Ogg.

28 February 1876

Jens Jeysen
Louisa Jensen

Jens Jensen
Louisa Jensen
💍 1876/222

Bachelor
Spinster

Labourer
Dressmaker

23
20

Wellington
Wellington

4 months
4 months

House of Peter Hansen, Paraparaumu Street

[illegible]

Declaration of one of the parties to the Colony

28 February 1876

Rev. John [illegible]

No	47
Date of Notice	28 February 1876
	Groom	Bride
Names of Parties	Jens Jeysen	Louisa Jensen
BDM Match (95%)	Jens Jensen	Louisa Jensen
	💍 1876/222
Condition	Bachelor	Spinster
Profession	Labourer	Dressmaker
Age	23	20
Dwelling Place	Wellington	Wellington
Length of Residence	4 months	4 months
Marriage Place	House of Peter Hansen, Paraparaumu Street
Folio	[illegible]
Consent	Declaration of one of the parties to the Colony
Date of Certificate	28 February 1876
Officiating Minister	Rev. John [illegible]

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).