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 599

District of Christchurch Quarter ending 31 March 1877 Registrar 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

4452

12 March 1877

James Robertson
Clara Foulkes

James Robertson
Clara Foulkes
💍 1877/482

Bachelor
Spinster

Driver
Servant

26
22

Christchurch
Christchurch

6 years
7 years

In the house of Capn. Alexander, Montreal[?] Road

77/388

12 March 1877

Rev. W. Morley

No	4452
Date of Notice	12 March 1877
	Groom	Bride
Names of Parties	James Robertson	Clara Foulkes
	💍 1877/482
Condition	Bachelor	Spinster
Profession	Driver	Servant
Age	26	22
Dwelling Place	Christchurch	Christchurch
Length of Residence	6 years	7 years
Marriage Place	In the house of Capn. Alexander, Montreal[?] Road
Folio	77/388
Consent
Date of Certificate	12 March 1877
Officiating Minister	Rev. W. Morley

4453

13 March 1877

Thomas Squires Tucker
Mary Ann Clarke

Thomas Squires Tucker
Mary Ann Clarke
💍 1877/484

Bachelor
spinster

Painter

24
25

St. Albans
St. Albans

6 months
6 months

In the house of Mrs Drummond, Tuam Street

77/390

13 March 1877

Rev. W. Morley

No	4453
Date of Notice	13 March 1877
	Groom	Bride
Names of Parties	Thomas Squires Tucker	Mary Ann Clarke
	💍 1877/484
Condition	Bachelor	spinster
Profession	Painter
Age	24	25
Dwelling Place	St. Albans	St. Albans
Length of Residence	6 months	6 months
Marriage Place	In the house of Mrs Drummond, Tuam Street
Folio	77/390
Consent
Date of Certificate	13 March 1877
Officiating Minister	Rev. W. Morley

4454

13 March 1877

David Souter
Sarah Annie Hughes

David Souter
Sarah Annie Hughes
💍 1877/495

Bachelor
Spinster

Clerk

24
25

Christchurch
Christchurch

13 years
22 years

In the Avonside Church

77/401

13 March 1877

Rev. H. Glasson

No	4454
Date of Notice	13 March 1877
	Groom	Bride
Names of Parties	David Souter	Sarah Annie Hughes
	💍 1877/495
Condition	Bachelor	Spinster
Profession	Clerk
Age	24	25
Dwelling Place	Christchurch	Christchurch
Length of Residence	13 years	22 years
Marriage Place	In the Avonside Church
Folio	77/401
Consent
Date of Certificate	13 March 1877
Officiating Minister	Rev. H. Glasson

4455

14 March 1877

George Ferguson
Sarah Ferguson

George Ferguson
Sarah Ferguson
💍 1877/494

Bachelor
Spinster

Farmer

40
40

Lincoln Road
Lincoln Road

3 years
10 months

In the Prersbyterian Church, Lichfield Street

77/399

14 March 1877

Rev. J. Elmslie

No	4455
Date of Notice	14 March 1877
	Groom	Bride
Names of Parties	George Ferguson	Sarah Ferguson
BDM Match (97%)	George Ferguson	Sarah Ferguson
	💍 1877/494
Condition	Bachelor	Spinster
Profession	Farmer
Age	40	40
Dwelling Place	Lincoln Road	Lincoln Road
Length of Residence	3 years	10 months
Marriage Place	In the Prersbyterian Church, Lichfield Street
Folio	77/399
Consent
Date of Certificate	14 March 1877
Officiating Minister	Rev. J. Elmslie

4456

16 March 1877

Henry Jupp
Helen Maria Cunningham

Henry Jupp
Helen Maria Cunningham
💍 1877/1486

Bachelor
Spinster

Carrier
servant

30
30

Christchurch
Christchurch

4 years
4 years

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

77/418

16 March 1877

Rev. C. Fraser

No	4456
Date of Notice	16 March 1877
	Groom	Bride
Names of Parties	Henry Jupp	Helen Maria Cunningham
	💍 1877/1486
Condition	Bachelor	Spinster
Profession	Carrier	servant
Age	30	30
Dwelling Place	Christchurch	Christchurch
Length of Residence	4 years	4 years
Marriage Place	In the house of Rev. C. Fraser, Tuam Street
Folio	77/418
Consent
Date of Certificate	16 March 1877
Officiating Minister	Rev. C. Fraser

4457

16 March 1877

John William Hills
Annie Laura Craddock

John William Hills
Annie Laura Craddock
💍 1877/769

Bachelor
Spinster

Coachdriver

22
17

Christchurch
Christchurch

22 years
16 years

In St Michael's Church, Christchurch

77/686

Michael Craddock, Father

16 March 1877

Rev. E. S. Penny

No	4457
Date of Notice	16 March 1877
	Groom	Bride
Names of Parties	John William Hills	Annie Laura Craddock
	💍 1877/769
Condition	Bachelor	Spinster
Profession	Coachdriver
Age	22	17
Dwelling Place	Christchurch	Christchurch
Length of Residence	22 years	16 years
Marriage Place	In St Michael's Church, Christchurch
Folio	77/686
Consent	Michael Craddock, Father
Date of Certificate	16 March 1877
Officiating Minister	Rev. E. S. Penny

4458

16 March 1877

Thomas Tubman
Margaret Ward

Thomas Tulman
Margaret Ward
💍 1877/88

Bachelor
Spinster

Farmer

40
24

Papanui
Papanui

4 years
5 years

In the Addinghton Church

77/423

16 March 1877

Rev. H E East

No	4458
Date of Notice	16 March 1877
	Groom	Bride
Names of Parties	Thomas Tubman	Margaret Ward
BDM Match (96%)	Thomas Tulman	Margaret Ward
	💍 1877/88
Condition	Bachelor	Spinster
Profession	Farmer
Age	40	24
Dwelling Place	Papanui	Papanui
Length of Residence	4 years	5 years
Marriage Place	In the Addinghton Church
Folio	77/423
Consent
Date of Certificate	16 March 1877
Officiating Minister	Rev. H E East

4459

16 March 1877

Thomas Motley Brook
Mary Hudson

Thomas Motley Brook
Mary Hudson
💍 1877/1095

Bachelor
Spinster

Gentleman

28
24

Papanui
Papanui

10 days
6 years

In Papanui Church

77/1014

16 March 1877

Rev. F. G. Brittan

No	4459
Date of Notice	16 March 1877
	Groom	Bride
Names of Parties	Thomas Motley Brook	Mary Hudson
	💍 1877/1095
Condition	Bachelor	Spinster
Profession	Gentleman
Age	28	24
Dwelling Place	Papanui	Papanui
Length of Residence	10 days	6 years
Marriage Place	In Papanui Church
Folio	77/1014
Consent
Date of Certificate	16 March 1877
Officiating Minister	Rev. F. G. Brittan

4460

17 March 1877

John Charles Howard Bristow
Alice Mary STannard

John Charles Howard Bristow
Alice Mary Stennnard
💍 1877/524

Bachelor
Spinster

Clerk

26
17

Christchurch
Christchurch

2 months
2 months

St. John's Church, Christchurch

77/410

Alfred George Stannard, Father

17 March 1877

Rev. H C M Watson

No	4460
Date of Notice	17 March 1877
	Groom	Bride
Names of Parties	John Charles Howard Bristow	Alice Mary STannard
BDM Match (93%)	John Charles Howard Bristow	Alice Mary Stennnard
	💍 1877/524
Condition	Bachelor	Spinster
Profession	Clerk
Age	26	17
Dwelling Place	Christchurch	Christchurch
Length of Residence	2 months	2 months
Marriage Place	St. John's Church, Christchurch
Folio	77/410
Consent	Alfred George Stannard, Father
Date of Certificate	17 March 1877
Officiating Minister	Rev. H C M Watson

4461

19 March 1877

Thomas Simpson
Ellen Brown

Thomas Simpson
Ellen Brown
💍 1877/1494

Bachelor
Spinster

Farmer

26
21

Christchurch
Rolleston

4 days
5 years

In the Scotch Church, Tuam Street, Christchurch

77/420

19 March 1877

Rev. C. Fraser

No	4461
Date of Notice	19 March 1877
	Groom	Bride
Names of Parties	Thomas Simpson	Ellen Brown
	💍 1877/1494
Condition	Bachelor	Spinster
Profession	Farmer
Age	26	21
Dwelling Place	Christchurch	Rolleston
Length of Residence	4 days	5 years
Marriage Place	In the Scotch Church, Tuam Street, Christchurch
Folio	77/420
Consent
Date of Certificate	19 March 1877
Officiating Minister	Rev. C. Fraser

4462

20 March 1877

John Dalzell
Jessie Clark

John Dalzell
Jessie Clark
💍 1877/1493

Bachelor
Spinster

Farmer

32
33

Christchurch
Christchurch

3 days
3 days

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

77/419

20 March 1877

Rev. C. Fraser

No	4462
Date of Notice	20 March 1877
	Groom	Bride
Names of Parties	John Dalzell	Jessie Clark
	💍 1877/1493
Condition	Bachelor	Spinster
Profession	Farmer
Age	32	33
Dwelling Place	Christchurch	Christchurch
Length of Residence	3 days	3 days
Marriage Place	In the house of Rev. C. Fraser, Tuam Street
Folio	77/419
Consent
Date of Certificate	20 March 1877
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).

Currently we have almost all records between 1855 and 1908. 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).