Intentions to Marry, 1878

Reference: Registrar-General of Births, Deaths and Marriages, Notices of intention to marry, Series 8937, R2840390, Archives New Zealand Te Rua Mahara o te Kāwanatanga, Wellington

Imaged by Luke at Archives NZ Wellington, March 5 2025

Page 269

District of Cambridge Quarter ending 31 March 1878

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

12 January 1878

Henry Thomas Hughes
Fanny Bourman

Henry Thomas Hughes
Fanny Bowman
💍 1878/247

Widower
Widow

Settler

38
33

Ohaupo
Ohaupo

2 years
2 weeks

In house of H. T. Hughes

78/176

12 January 1878

Rev. T. L. Brady

No	29
Date of Notice	12 January 1878
	Groom	Bride
Names of Parties	Henry Thomas Hughes	Fanny Bourman
BDM Match (92%)	Henry Thomas Hughes	Fanny Bowman
	💍 1878/247
Condition	Widower	Widow
Profession	Settler
Age	38	33
Dwelling Place	Ohaupo	Ohaupo
Length of Residence	2 years	2 weeks
Marriage Place	In house of H. T. Hughes
Folio	78/176
Consent
Date of Certificate	12 January 1878
Officiating Minister	Rev. T. L. Brady

12 January 1878

Francis Dyer Rich
Lilley May Wright

Francis Dyer Rich Smale
Lilly May Wright
💍 1878/248

Bachelor
Spinster

Farmer

26
19

Cambridge
Cambridge

5 years
7 years

Episcopalian Church

78/177

William Wright, Father

12 January 1878

Rev. W. N. de L. Willis

No	30
Date of Notice	12 January 1878
	Groom	Bride
Names of Parties	Francis Dyer Rich	Lilley May Wright
BDM Match (84%)	Francis Dyer Rich Smale	Lilly May Wright
	💍 1878/248
Condition	Bachelor	Spinster
Profession	Farmer
Age	26	19
Dwelling Place	Cambridge	Cambridge
Length of Residence	5 years	7 years
Marriage Place	Episcopalian Church
Folio	78/177
Consent	William Wright, Father
Date of Certificate	12 January 1878
Officiating Minister	Rev. W. N. de L. Willis

14 January 1878

James Dunnett
Emma Hall

James Annett
Emma Hall
💍 1878/250

Bachelor
Widow

Labourer

21
24

Hamilton
Hamilton

2.5 years
14 years

At the office of the Registrar

78/178

14 January 1878

B. C. Beale, Registrar

No	31
Date of Notice	14 January 1878
	Groom	Bride
Names of Parties	James Dunnett	Emma Hall
BDM Match (92%)	James Annett	Emma Hall
	💍 1878/250
Condition	Bachelor	Widow
Profession	Labourer
Age	21	24
Dwelling Place	Hamilton	Hamilton
Length of Residence	2.5 years	14 years
Marriage Place	At the office of the Registrar
Folio	78/178
Consent
Date of Certificate	14 January 1878
Officiating Minister	B. C. Beale, Registrar

14 January 1878

Edmund Fitzpatrick
Caroline Powlesland

Edmund Fitzpatrick
Caroline Powlesland
💍 1878/216

Bachelor
Spinster

Storekeeper

37
25

Newcastle
Newcastle

12 years
4 months

At the Roman Catholic Chapel

78/168

14 January 1878

Rev. J. Golden

No	32
Date of Notice	14 January 1878
	Groom	Bride
Names of Parties	Edmund Fitzpatrick	Caroline Powlesland
	💍 1878/216
Condition	Bachelor	Spinster
Profession	Storekeeper
Age	37	25
Dwelling Place	Newcastle	Newcastle
Length of Residence	12 years	4 months
Marriage Place	At the Roman Catholic Chapel
Folio	78/168
Consent
Date of Certificate	14 January 1878
Officiating Minister	Rev. J. Golden

21 January 1878

Burton John Daveney
Emily Matilda Abbott

Burton John Daveney
Emily Matilda Abbott
💍 1878/249

Widower
Spinster

Late H.M.S.

43
24

Auckland
Cambridge

9 years
14 days

At the Episcopalian Church

78/178

21 January 1878

Rev. W. N. de L. Willis

No	33
Date of Notice	21 January 1878
	Groom	Bride
Names of Parties	Burton John Daveney	Emily Matilda Abbott
	💍 1878/249
Condition	Widower	Spinster
Profession	Late H.M.S.
Age	43	24
Dwelling Place	Auckland	Cambridge
Length of Residence	9 years	14 days
Marriage Place	At the Episcopalian Church
Folio	78/178
Consent
Date of Certificate	21 January 1878
Officiating Minister	Rev. W. N. de L. Willis

21 January 1878

John O'Brien
Armenella Lawson

John O'Brien
Armenella Lawson
💍 1878/218

Bachelor
Spinster

Farmer

24
21

Cambridge
Cambridge

10 years
10 years

At the Roman Catholic Chapel

78/170

21 January 1878

Rev. J. Golden

No	34
Date of Notice	21 January 1878
	Groom	Bride
Names of Parties	John O'Brien	Armenella Lawson
	💍 1878/218
Condition	Bachelor	Spinster
Profession	Farmer
Age	24	21
Dwelling Place	Cambridge	Cambridge
Length of Residence	10 years	10 years
Marriage Place	At the Roman Catholic Chapel
Folio	78/170
Consent
Date of Certificate	21 January 1878
Officiating Minister	Rev. J. Golden

22 January 1878

Alexander Jackson
Lydia Ripley

Alexander Jackson
Lydia Ripley
💍 1878/217

Bachelor
Spinster

Porter

33
35

Hamilton
Hamilton

2 months
5 years

At the Roman Catholic Chapel

78/169

22 January 1878

Rev. J. Golden

No	35
Date of Notice	22 January 1878
	Groom	Bride
Names of Parties	Alexander Jackson	Lydia Ripley
	💍 1878/217
Condition	Bachelor	Spinster
Profession	Porter
Age	33	35
Dwelling Place	Hamilton	Hamilton
Length of Residence	2 months	5 years
Marriage Place	At the Roman Catholic Chapel
Folio	78/169
Consent
Date of Certificate	22 January 1878
Officiating Minister	Rev. J. Golden

20 February 1878

William Kerr
Mary Thompson

William Kerr
Mary Thompson
💍 1878/219

William Vaughan
Jane Thompson
💍 1878/466

William Williams
Jane Thompson
💍 1878/2253

Bachelor
Spinster

Labourer

23
19

Cambridge
Cambridge

3 years
13 years

At the Roman Catholic Chapel

78/171

Peter Thompson, Father

20 February 1878

Rev. J. Golden

No	36
Date of Notice	20 February 1878
	Groom	Bride
Names of Parties	William Kerr	Mary Thompson
	💍 1878/219
BDM Match (65%)	William Vaughan	Jane Thompson
	💍 1878/466
BDM Match (63%)	William Williams	Jane Thompson
	💍 1878/2253
Condition	Bachelor	Spinster
Profession	Labourer
Age	23	19
Dwelling Place	Cambridge	Cambridge
Length of Residence	3 years	13 years
Marriage Place	At the Roman Catholic Chapel
Folio	78/171
Consent	Peter Thompson, Father
Date of Certificate	20 February 1878
Officiating Minister	Rev. J. Golden

3 March 1878

Edmond Healy
Harriett Lockley

Edmond Healy
Harriett Lockley
💍 1878/251

Bachelor
Spinster

Bushman

40
22

Newcastle
Hamilton

7 years
3 days

At the office of the Registrar

78/180

3 March 1878

B. C. Beale, Registrar

No	37
Date of Notice	3 March 1878
	Groom	Bride
Names of Parties	Edmond Healy	Harriett Lockley
	💍 1878/251
Condition	Bachelor	Spinster
Profession	Bushman
Age	40	22
Dwelling Place	Newcastle	Hamilton
Length of Residence	7 years	3 days
Marriage Place	At the office of the Registrar
Folio	78/180
Consent
Date of Certificate	3 March 1878
Officiating Minister	B. C. Beale, Registrar

5 March 1878

Herbert Brunton
Mary Ann McKearney

[No matching marriage registration has been located]

Bachelor
Spinster

Veterinary Surgeon

24
22

Cambridge
Cambridge

3 months
13 years

At the office of the Registrar Hamilton

5 March 1878

B. C. Beale, Registrar

No	38
Date of Notice	5 March 1878
	Groom	Bride
Names of Parties	Herbert Brunton	Mary Ann McKearney
	💍 [No matching marriage registration has been located]
Condition	Bachelor	Spinster
Profession	Veterinary Surgeon
Age	24	22
Dwelling Place	Cambridge	Cambridge
Length of Residence	3 months	13 years
Marriage Place	At the office of the Registrar Hamilton
Folio
Consent
Date of Certificate	5 March 1878
Officiating Minister	B. C. Beale, Registrar

7 March 1878

John Joseph Shanaghan
Frances Caroline McKearney

John Joseph Shanaghan
Frances Caroline McKearney
💍 1878/252

Bachelor
Spinster

Constable
Domestic Servant

24
17

Cambridge
Cambridge

6 months
13 years

At the office of the Registrar

78/181

Mary Ann McKearney, Mother

7 March 1878

B. C. Beale, Registrar

No	39
Date of Notice	7 March 1878
	Groom	Bride
Names of Parties	John Joseph Shanaghan	Frances Caroline McKearney
	💍 1878/252
Condition	Bachelor	Spinster
Profession	Constable	Domestic Servant
Age	24	17
Dwelling Place	Cambridge	Cambridge
Length of Residence	6 months	13 years
Marriage Place	At the office of the Registrar
Folio	78/181
Consent	Mary Ann McKearney, Mother
Date of Certificate	7 March 1878
Officiating Minister	B. C. Beale, Registrar

These records have been automatically transcribed and must be verified using the page image (below)

100% Contrast

100% Brightness

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).