Intentions to Marry, 1877

Reference: Registrar-General of Births, Deaths and Marriages, Notices of intention to marry, Series 8937, R2840389, Archives New Zealand Te Rua Mahara o te Kāwanatanga, Wellington

Imaged by Luke at Archives NZ Wellington, April 16 2025

Page 451

District of Nelson Quarter ending 31 March 1877 Registrar Robert Pickett

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

02 January 1877

Edward Collins
Mary O'Marah

Edwards Colling
Mary O'Marah
💍 1877/1751

Bachelor
Spinster

Labourer
NIL

23
20

Lunatic Asylum Nelson
Waimea Street Nelson

2 years
2 years

At St. Marys Catholic Church, Nelson

77/1707

02 January 1877

Rev. Ant: M. Garin

No	1
Date of Notice	02 January 1877
	Groom	Bride
Names of Parties	Edward Collins	Mary O'Marah
BDM Match (93%)	Edwards Colling	Mary O'Marah
	💍 1877/1751
Condition	Bachelor	Spinster
Profession	Labourer	NIL
Age	23	20
Dwelling Place	Lunatic Asylum Nelson	Waimea Street Nelson
Length of Residence	2 years	2 years
Marriage Place	At St. Marys Catholic Church, Nelson
Folio	77/1707
Consent
Date of Certificate	02 January 1877
Officiating Minister	Rev. Ant: M. Garin

05 January 1877

George Stephens
Emily Prideaux

George Stephens
Emily Prideaux
💍 1877/396

Bachelor
Spinster

Labourer
Dressmaker

22
22

St. Vincent Street Nelson
Gloucester Street Nelson

2 years
2 years

At the residence of James Penney, cabdriver, Gloucester Street, Nelson

77/301

Declaration: no person in N.Z. authorised to give consent

05 January 1877

Rev. Jno. Beckenham

No	2
Date of Notice	05 January 1877
	Groom	Bride
Names of Parties	George Stephens	Emily Prideaux
	💍 1877/396
Condition	Bachelor	Spinster
Profession	Labourer	Dressmaker
Age	22	22
Dwelling Place	St. Vincent Street Nelson	Gloucester Street Nelson
Length of Residence	2 years	2 years
Marriage Place	At the residence of James Penney, cabdriver, Gloucester Street, Nelson
Folio	77/301
Consent	Declaration: no person in N.Z. authorised to give consent
Date of Certificate	05 January 1877
Officiating Minister	Rev. Jno. Beckenham

05 January 1877

Thomas Scott
Rosa Caroline Harris

Thomas Scott
Rosa Caroline Harris
💍 1877/394

Widower
Spinster

Accountant
Governess

55
34

Brook Street Nelson
Brook Street Nelson

10 months
3 days

At Christ Church, Nelson

77/299

05 January 1877

The Bishop of Nelson

No	3
Date of Notice	05 January 1877
	Groom	Bride
Names of Parties	Thomas Scott	Rosa Caroline Harris
	💍 1877/394
Condition	Widower	Spinster
Profession	Accountant	Governess
Age	55	34
Dwelling Place	Brook Street Nelson	Brook Street Nelson
Length of Residence	10 months	3 days
Marriage Place	At Christ Church, Nelson
Folio	77/299
Consent
Date of Certificate	05 January 1877
Officiating Minister	The Bishop of Nelson

09 January 1877

Joseph Busch
Christina Wakefield

Joseph Busch
Christina Wakefield
💍 1877/427

Widower
Widow

Farmer
NIL

36
41

Aniseed Valley Waimea East
Waimea East

32 years
32 years

At the Office of the Registrar of Marriages, Nelson

77/309

09 January 1877

The Registrar of Marriages Nelson Rob. Pickett

No	4
Date of Notice	09 January 1877
	Groom	Bride
Names of Parties	Joseph Busch	Christina Wakefield
	💍 1877/427
Condition	Widower	Widow
Profession	Farmer	NIL
Age	36	41
Dwelling Place	Aniseed Valley Waimea East	Waimea East
Length of Residence	32 years	32 years
Marriage Place	At the Office of the Registrar of Marriages, Nelson
Folio	77/309
Consent
Date of Certificate	09 January 1877
Officiating Minister	The Registrar of Marriages Nelson Rob. Pickett

11 January 1877

Thomas Skallie
Ellen Aldridge

Thomas Skallie
Ellen Aldridge
💍 1877/404

Bachelor
Spinster

Cook
Domestic Servant

22
19

P.S. Lady Barkly Nelson
Van Dieman Street Nelson

2 years
19 years

At the residence of Job Aldridge, farmer, Van Dieman St., Nelson

77/302

Job Aldridge, Father

11 January 1877

Rev. John Beckenham

No	5
Date of Notice	11 January 1877
	Groom	Bride
Names of Parties	Thomas Skallie	Ellen Aldridge
	💍 1877/404
Condition	Bachelor	Spinster
Profession	Cook	Domestic Servant
Age	22	19
Dwelling Place	P.S. Lady Barkly Nelson	Van Dieman Street Nelson
Length of Residence	2 years	19 years
Marriage Place	At the residence of Job Aldridge, farmer, Van Dieman St., Nelson
Folio	77/302
Consent	Job Aldridge, Father
Date of Certificate	11 January 1877
Officiating Minister	Rev. John Beckenham

12 January 1877

George Meluish Beer
Lucy Pickering

George Meluish Beer
Lucy Pickering
💍 1877/410

Bachelor
Spinster

Cabinetmaker
NIL

21
21

Willis Street Wellington
Richmond Waimea East

6 weeks
20 years

At the Wesleyan Church, Richmond, Waimea East

77/316

12 January 1877

Rev. Geo. S. Harper

No	6
Date of Notice	12 January 1877
	Groom	Bride
Names of Parties	George Meluish Beer	Lucy Pickering
	💍 1877/410
Condition	Bachelor	Spinster
Profession	Cabinetmaker	NIL
Age	21	21
Dwelling Place	Willis Street Wellington	Richmond Waimea East
Length of Residence	6 weeks	20 years
Marriage Place	At the Wesleyan Church, Richmond, Waimea East
Folio	77/316
Consent
Date of Certificate	12 January 1877
Officiating Minister	Rev. Geo. S. Harper

13 January 1877

Thomas Edmund Small
Elizabeth Jane Bellingham

Thomas Edmond Small
Eliz Jane Bellingham
💍 1877/757

Bachelor
Spinster

Farmer
NIL

27
26

Suburban North
Suburban North

27 years
2 years

At St. Peters Church, Suburban North

77/673

13 January 1877

Rev. Tho. Saml. Grace

No	7
Date of Notice	13 January 1877
	Groom	Bride
Names of Parties	Thomas Edmund Small	Elizabeth Jane Bellingham
BDM Match (87%)	Thomas Edmond Small	Eliz Jane Bellingham
	💍 1877/757
Condition	Bachelor	Spinster
Profession	Farmer	NIL
Age	27	26
Dwelling Place	Suburban North	Suburban North
Length of Residence	27 years	2 years
Marriage Place	At St. Peters Church, Suburban North
Folio	77/673
Consent
Date of Certificate	13 January 1877
Officiating Minister	Rev. Tho. Saml. Grace

19 January 1877

George Meluish Beer
Lucy Pickering

George Meluish Beer
Lucy Pickering
💍 1877/410

Bachelor
Spinster

Cabinetmaker
NIL

21
21

Richmond Waimea East
Richmond Waimea East

3 days
20 years

At the Wesleyan Church, Richmond

77/632

19 January 1877

Rev. George S. Harper

No	8
Date of Notice	19 January 1877
	Groom	Bride
Names of Parties	George Meluish Beer	Lucy Pickering
	💍 1877/410
Condition	Bachelor	Spinster
Profession	Cabinetmaker	NIL
Age	21	21
Dwelling Place	Richmond Waimea East	Richmond Waimea East
Length of Residence	3 days	20 years
Marriage Place	At the Wesleyan Church, Richmond
Folio	77/632
Consent
Date of Certificate	19 January 1877
Officiating Minister	Rev. George S. Harper

19 January 1877

Allaby William Hobbs
Sarah Marks

Allaby William Hobbs
Sarah Marks
💍 1877/739

Bachelor
Spinster

Mariner
NIL

60
47

Haven Road Nelson
Haven Road Nelson

20 years
16 years

At the Presbyterian Church, Nelson

77/632

19 January 1877

Rev. Patrick Calder

No	9
Date of Notice	19 January 1877
	Groom	Bride
Names of Parties	Allaby William Hobbs	Sarah Marks
	💍 1877/739
Condition	Bachelor	Spinster
Profession	Mariner	NIL
Age	60	47
Dwelling Place	Haven Road Nelson	Haven Road Nelson
Length of Residence	20 years	16 years
Marriage Place	At the Presbyterian Church, Nelson
Folio	77/632
Consent
Date of Certificate	19 January 1877
Officiating Minister	Rev. Patrick Calder

20 January 1877

Edward Harvey
Abbe Johanna Turner

Edward Harvey
Abbe Johanna Turner
💍 1877/736

Bachelor
Spinster

Bushman
NIL

28
19

Bridge Street Nelson
Bridge Street Nelson

4 days
4 days

At the Presbyterian Church, Nelson

77/629

Robert King Turner, Father

20 January 1877

Rev. Patrick Calder

No	10
Date of Notice	20 January 1877
	Groom	Bride
Names of Parties	Edward Harvey	Abbe Johanna Turner
	💍 1877/736
Condition	Bachelor	Spinster
Profession	Bushman	NIL
Age	28	19
Dwelling Place	Bridge Street Nelson	Bridge Street Nelson
Length of Residence	4 days	4 days
Marriage Place	At the Presbyterian Church, Nelson
Folio	77/629
Consent	Robert King Turner, Father
Date of Certificate	20 January 1877
Officiating Minister	Rev. Patrick Calder

27 January 1877

George Moss
Sarah Hounsell

George Moss
Sarah Hounsell
💍 1877/415

Bachelor
Spinster

Barman
NIL

23
21

Tasman Street Nelson
Tasman Street Nelson

1 week
1 week

At the Congregational Church, Nelson

77/303

27 January 1877

Rev. John Beckenham

No	11
Date of Notice	27 January 1877
	Groom	Bride
Names of Parties	George Moss	Sarah Hounsell
	💍 1877/415
Condition	Bachelor	Spinster
Profession	Barman	NIL
Age	23	21
Dwelling Place	Tasman Street Nelson	Tasman Street Nelson
Length of Residence	1 week	1 week
Marriage Place	At the Congregational Church, Nelson
Folio	77/303
Consent
Date of Certificate	27 January 1877
Officiating Minister	Rev. John Beckenham

31 January 1877

Robert Brown
Amelia Moore

Robert Brown
Milly Moore
💍 1877/737

Widower
Spinster

Miner
Domestic Servant

41
23

Collingwood Street Nelson
Collingwood Street Nelson

14 days
14 days

At St. Marys Catholic Church, Nelson

31 January 1877

Rev. Antoine M. Garin

No	12
Date of Notice	31 January 1877
	Groom	Bride
Names of Parties	Robert Brown	Amelia Moore
BDM Match (79%)	Robert Brown	Milly Moore
	💍 1877/737
Condition	Widower	Spinster
Profession	Miner	Domestic Servant
Age	41	23
Dwelling Place	Collingwood Street Nelson	Collingwood Street Nelson
Length of Residence	14 days	14 days
Marriage Place	At St. Marys Catholic Church, Nelson
Folio
Consent
Date of Certificate	31 January 1877
Officiating Minister	Rev. Antoine M. Garin

02 February 1877

Robert Brown
Milly Moore

Robert Brown
Milly Moore
💍 1877/737

Widower
Spinster

Miner
Domestic Servant

41
23

Collingwood Street Nelson
Collingwood Street Nelson

16 days
16 days

At Charles McGee's Hotel, Collingwood Street, Nelson

77/630

02 February 1877

Rev. Patrick Calder

No	13
Date of Notice	02 February 1877
	Groom	Bride
Names of Parties	Robert Brown	Milly Moore
	💍 1877/737
Condition	Widower	Spinster
Profession	Miner	Domestic Servant
Age	41	23
Dwelling Place	Collingwood Street Nelson	Collingwood Street Nelson
Length of Residence	16 days	16 days
Marriage Place	At Charles McGee's Hotel, Collingwood Street, Nelson
Folio	77/630
Consent
Date of Certificate	02 February 1877
Officiating Minister	Rev. Patrick Calder

05 February 1877

John Bray
Mary Ann Clark

John Bray
Mary Ann Clark
💍 1877/422

Bachelor
Spinster

Contractor
Domestic Servant

33
29

St. Vincent Street Nelson
Brough Street Nelson

10 years
3 months

At the residence of John Bray, contractor, Tasman Street, Nelson

77/304

05 February 1877

Rev. John Beckenham

No	14
Date of Notice	05 February 1877
	Groom	Bride
Names of Parties	John Bray	Mary Ann Clark
	💍 1877/422
Condition	Bachelor	Spinster
Profession	Contractor	Domestic Servant
Age	33	29
Dwelling Place	St. Vincent Street Nelson	Brough Street Nelson
Length of Residence	10 years	3 months
Marriage Place	At the residence of John Bray, contractor, Tasman Street, Nelson
Folio	77/304
Consent
Date of Certificate	05 February 1877
Officiating Minister	Rev. John Beckenham

07 February 1877

Lewis Henry Chittenden
Mary Ann Macey

Lewis Henry Chittenden
Mary Ann Macey
💍 1877/424

Bachelor
Spinster

Writing Clerk
NIL

20
18

Alma Street Nelson
Nile Street East Nelson

5 years
1 year

At the Congregational Church, Nelson

77/306

George Chittenden, Father, William Macey, Father

08 February 1877

Rev. John Beckenham

No	15
Date of Notice	07 February 1877
	Groom	Bride
Names of Parties	Lewis Henry Chittenden	Mary Ann Macey
	💍 1877/424
Condition	Bachelor	Spinster
Profession	Writing Clerk	NIL
Age	20	18
Dwelling Place	Alma Street Nelson	Nile Street East Nelson
Length of Residence	5 years	1 year
Marriage Place	At the Congregational Church, Nelson
Folio	77/306
Consent	George Chittenden, Father, William Macey, Father
Date of Certificate	08 February 1877
Officiating Minister	Rev. John Beckenham

07 February 1877

William Avery
Eleanor Rose

William Avery
Eleanor Rose
💍 1877/395

Widower
Spinster

Farmer
NIL

33
25

Shelburne Street Nelson
Shelburne Street Nelson

5 days
6 months

At the residence of John Rose, storeman, Shelburne Street, Nelson

77/300

07 February 1877

Rev. George S. Harper

No	16
Date of Notice	07 February 1877
	Groom	Bride
Names of Parties	William Avery	Eleanor Rose
	💍 1877/395
Condition	Widower	Spinster
Profession	Farmer	NIL
Age	33	25
Dwelling Place	Shelburne Street Nelson	Shelburne Street Nelson
Length of Residence	5 days	6 months
Marriage Place	At the residence of John Rose, storeman, Shelburne Street, Nelson
Folio	77/300
Consent
Date of Certificate	07 February 1877
Officiating Minister	Rev. George S. Harper

12 February 1877

Samuel Dickinson
Matilda Gibbs

Samuel Dickinson
Matilda Gibbs
💍 1877/428

Bachelor
Spinster

Engineer
NIL

26
23

Hardy Street Nelson
Waimea Road Nelson

6 months
5 days

At the Office of the Registrar of Marriages, Nelson

77/310

12 February 1877

The Registrar of Marriages Nelson

No	17
Date of Notice	12 February 1877
	Groom	Bride
Names of Parties	Samuel Dickinson	Matilda Gibbs
	💍 1877/428
Condition	Bachelor	Spinster
Profession	Engineer	NIL
Age	26	23
Dwelling Place	Hardy Street Nelson	Waimea Road Nelson
Length of Residence	6 months	5 days
Marriage Place	At the Office of the Registrar of Marriages, Nelson
Folio	77/310
Consent
Date of Certificate	12 February 1877
Officiating Minister	The Registrar of Marriages Nelson

21 February 1877

Francis Roach
Catherine Leaty

Francis Roach
Catherine Leahy
💍 1877/411

Widower
Spinster

Farmer
NIL

35
37

Bridge Street Nelson
Waimea West

4 days
20 years

At the Catholic Church, Waimea West

77/317

21 February 1877

Rev. Antoine Marie Garin

No	18
Date of Notice	21 February 1877
	Groom	Bride
Names of Parties	Francis Roach	Catherine Leaty
BDM Match (97%)	Francis Roach	Catherine Leahy
	💍 1877/411
Condition	Widower	Spinster
Profession	Farmer	NIL
Age	35	37
Dwelling Place	Bridge Street Nelson	Waimea West
Length of Residence	4 days	20 years
Marriage Place	At the Catholic Church, Waimea West
Folio	77/317
Consent
Date of Certificate	21 February 1877
Officiating Minister	Rev. Antoine Marie Garin

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).