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 527

District of Nelson Quarter ending 30 June 1878 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

3 April 1878

William Norton
Margaret Fitzsimons

William Norton
Margaret Fitzsimmons
💍 1878/1136

Bachelor
Widow

Labourer
NIL

40
38

St Vincent Street Nelson
St Vincent Street Nelson

14 years
11 years

St Mary's Catholic Church, Nelson

78/1159

3 April 1878

Rev. Willm. Jos. Mahoney

No	17
Date of Notice	3 April 1878
	Groom	Bride
Names of Parties	William Norton	Margaret Fitzsimons
BDM Match (98%)	William Norton	Margaret Fitzsimmons
	💍 1878/1136
Condition	Bachelor	Widow
Profession	Labourer	NIL
Age	40	38
Dwelling Place	St Vincent Street Nelson	St Vincent Street Nelson
Length of Residence	14 years	11 years
Marriage Place	St Mary's Catholic Church, Nelson
Folio	78/1159
Consent
Date of Certificate	3 April 1878
Officiating Minister	Rev. Willm. Jos. Mahoney

5 April 1878

Charles Andrew Ogilvie
Lucy Lucas

Charles Andrew Ogilvie
Lucy Lucas
💍 1878/3285

Bachelor
Spinster

Music Teacher
NIL

25
24

Alton Street Nelson
Brook Street Nelson

4 months
20 years

All Saints Church, Nelson

78/3345

5 April 1878

Venble. Archdeacon R. J. Thorpe

No	18
Date of Notice	5 April 1878
	Groom	Bride
Names of Parties	Charles Andrew Ogilvie	Lucy Lucas
	💍 1878/3285
Condition	Bachelor	Spinster
Profession	Music Teacher	NIL
Age	25	24
Dwelling Place	Alton Street Nelson	Brook Street Nelson
Length of Residence	4 months	20 years
Marriage Place	All Saints Church, Nelson
Folio	78/3345
Consent
Date of Certificate	5 April 1878
Officiating Minister	Venble. Archdeacon R. J. Thorpe

15 April 1878

George Robertson
Ada Margaret Freeman

George Robertson
Ada Margaret Freeman
💍 1878/3274

Bachelor
Spinster

Carpenter
NIL

22
19

Manuka Street Nelson
Russell Street Nelson

22 years
19 years

At the residence of Thomas Freeman shipwright, Russell St,

78/3334

Thomas Freeman, Father

15 April 1878

Rev. A. J. Hamilton

No	19
Date of Notice	15 April 1878
	Groom	Bride
Names of Parties	George Robertson	Ada Margaret Freeman
	💍 1878/3274
Condition	Bachelor	Spinster
Profession	Carpenter	NIL
Age	22	19
Dwelling Place	Manuka Street Nelson	Russell Street Nelson
Length of Residence	22 years	19 years
Marriage Place	At the residence of Thomas Freeman shipwright, Russell St,
Folio	78/3334
Consent	Thomas Freeman, Father
Date of Certificate	15 April 1878
Officiating Minister	Rev. A. J. Hamilton

16 April 1878

Thomas Hutchison Nicholson
Jessie Wells

Thomas Hutchison Nicholson
Jessie Wells
💍 1878/1153

Bachelor
Spinster

Farmer
NIL

25
22

Stoke Suburban South
Suburban North

25 years
22 years

At the residence of William Wells Esquire, Suburban North

78/1168

16 April 1878

Rev. Patrick Calder

No	20
Date of Notice	16 April 1878
	Groom	Bride
Names of Parties	Thomas Hutchison Nicholson	Jessie Wells
	💍 1878/1153
Condition	Bachelor	Spinster
Profession	Farmer	NIL
Age	25	22
Dwelling Place	Stoke Suburban South	Suburban North
Length of Residence	25 years	22 years
Marriage Place	At the residence of William Wells Esquire, Suburban North
Folio	78/1168
Consent
Date of Certificate	16 April 1878
Officiating Minister	Rev. Patrick Calder

18 April 1878

George Holt Miller
Margaret Julia Lewis

George Holt Miller
Margaret Julia Lewis
💍 1878/1131

Widower
Widow

Coach Maker
House Keeper

44
23

Vanguard Street Nelson
Vanguard Street Nelson

13 years
3 1/2 years

At the Office of the Registrar of Marriages, Nelson

78/1154

18 April 1878

Registrar of Marriages Nelson

No	21
Date of Notice	18 April 1878
	Groom	Bride
Names of Parties	George Holt Miller	Margaret Julia Lewis
	💍 1878/1131
Condition	Widower	Widow
Profession	Coach Maker	House Keeper
Age	44	23
Dwelling Place	Vanguard Street Nelson	Vanguard Street Nelson
Length of Residence	13 years	3 1/2 years
Marriage Place	At the Office of the Registrar of Marriages, Nelson
Folio	78/1154
Consent
Date of Certificate	18 April 1878
Officiating Minister	Registrar of Marriages Nelson

18 April 1878

Richard Adams
Elizabeth Snow

Richard Adams
Elizabeth Snow
💍 1878/1164

Widower
Widow

Tailor
NIL

54
47

Alma Street Nelson
Hardy Street Nelson

18 years
20 years

At the residence of Elizabeth Snow, widow, Hardy Street, Nelson

78/1169

18 April 1878

Rev. Patrick Calder

No	22
Date of Notice	18 April 1878
	Groom	Bride
Names of Parties	Richard Adams	Elizabeth Snow
	💍 1878/1164
Condition	Widower	Widow
Profession	Tailor	NIL
Age	54	47
Dwelling Place	Alma Street Nelson	Hardy Street Nelson
Length of Residence	18 years	20 years
Marriage Place	At the residence of Elizabeth Snow, widow, Hardy Street, Nelson
Folio	78/1169
Consent
Date of Certificate	18 April 1878
Officiating Minister	Rev. Patrick Calder

20 April 1878

Frederick Henry Augustus Sproule
Mary Frances Frank

Frederick Henry A Sproule
Mary Frances Frank
💍 1878/1137

Bachelor
Spinster

Dentist
NIL

22
22

Collingwood Street Nelson
Brook Street Nelson

21 months
22 years

St Mary's Catholic Church, Nelson

78/1160

20 April 1878

Rev. Antoine M. Garin

No	23
Date of Notice	20 April 1878
	Groom	Bride
Names of Parties	Frederick Henry Augustus Sproule	Mary Frances Frank
BDM Match (89%)	Frederick Henry A Sproule	Mary Frances Frank
	💍 1878/1137
Condition	Bachelor	Spinster
Profession	Dentist	NIL
Age	22	22
Dwelling Place	Collingwood Street Nelson	Brook Street Nelson
Length of Residence	21 months	22 years
Marriage Place	St Mary's Catholic Church, Nelson
Folio	78/1160
Consent
Date of Certificate	20 April 1878
Officiating Minister	Rev. Antoine M. Garin

23 April 1878

Arthur Augustus Winterburn
Ada Lucas

Arthur Agustus Winterburn
Ada Lucas
💍 1878/1148

Bachelor
Spinster

Telegraphist and Postmaster
NIL

23
17

Tory Street Nelson
Stepneyville, Haven Road Nelson

3 months
9 years

At the residence of Frank Hill, commission agent, Vanguard Street, Nelson

78/1147

Charles Lucas, Father

23 April 1878

Rev. John Beckenham

No	24
Date of Notice	23 April 1878
	Groom	Bride
Names of Parties	Arthur Augustus Winterburn	Ada Lucas
BDM Match (98%)	Arthur Agustus Winterburn	Ada Lucas
	💍 1878/1148
Condition	Bachelor	Spinster
Profession	Telegraphist and Postmaster	NIL
Age	23	17
Dwelling Place	Tory Street Nelson	Stepneyville, Haven Road Nelson
Length of Residence	3 months	9 years
Marriage Place	At the residence of Frank Hill, commission agent, Vanguard Street, Nelson
Folio	78/1147
Consent	Charles Lucas, Father
Date of Certificate	23 April 1878
Officiating Minister	Rev. John Beckenham

23 April 1878

Jeremiah Mahoney
Catherine Horan

Jeremiah Mahoney
Catherine Horan
💍 1878/1138

Bachelor
Spinster

Miner
NIL

33
22

St Vincent Street Nelson
St Vincent Street Nelson

3 days
9 weeks

St Mary's Catholic Church, Nelson

78/1161

23 April 1878

Rev. Antoine Marie Garin

No	25
Date of Notice	23 April 1878
	Groom	Bride
Names of Parties	Jeremiah Mahoney	Catherine Horan
	💍 1878/1138
Condition	Bachelor	Spinster
Profession	Miner	NIL
Age	33	22
Dwelling Place	St Vincent Street Nelson	St Vincent Street Nelson
Length of Residence	3 days	9 weeks
Marriage Place	St Mary's Catholic Church, Nelson
Folio	78/1161
Consent
Date of Certificate	23 April 1878
Officiating Minister	Rev. Antoine Marie Garin

23 April 1878

Floyd Collins
Sarah Elizabeth Foy

Floyd Collins
Sarah Elizabeth Foy
💍 1878/1141

Bachelor
Spinster

Physician and Surgeon
NIL

27
22

Collingwood Street Nelson
Milton Grove Nelson

10 days
4 years

At Christ Church, Nelson

78/1163

23 April 1878

Rev. A. B. Suter, Bp. of Nelson

No	26
Date of Notice	23 April 1878
	Groom	Bride
Names of Parties	Floyd Collins	Sarah Elizabeth Foy
	💍 1878/1141
Condition	Bachelor	Spinster
Profession	Physician and Surgeon	NIL
Age	27	22
Dwelling Place	Collingwood Street Nelson	Milton Grove Nelson
Length of Residence	10 days	4 years
Marriage Place	At Christ Church, Nelson
Folio	78/1163
Consent
Date of Certificate	23 April 1878
Officiating Minister	Rev. A. B. Suter, Bp. of Nelson

24 April 1878

John Downie
Sarah Stott

John Downie
Sarah Stott
💍 1878/1132

Bachelor
Spinster

Labourer
NIL

34
22

Collingwood Street Nelson
Washington Valley Nelson

8 months
5 weeks

At the Office of the Registrar of Marriages, Nelson

78/1155

24 April 1878

Registrar of Marriages Nelson

No	27
Date of Notice	24 April 1878
	Groom	Bride
Names of Parties	John Downie	Sarah Stott
	💍 1878/1132
Condition	Bachelor	Spinster
Profession	Labourer	NIL
Age	34	22
Dwelling Place	Collingwood Street Nelson	Washington Valley Nelson
Length of Residence	8 months	5 weeks
Marriage Place	At the Office of the Registrar of Marriages, Nelson
Folio	78/1155
Consent
Date of Certificate	24 April 1878
Officiating Minister	Registrar of Marriages Nelson

26 April 1878

Adam Leggat Adam
Annie MacLean Dunn

Adam Leggal Adam
Annie MacLean Dunn
💍 1878/1149

Bachelor
Spinster

Grocer
Milliner

22
25

Washington Valley Nelson
Washington Valley Nelson

2 weeks
2 years

At the residence of George Dunn, labourer, Washington Valley, Nelson

78/1148

26 April 1878

Rev. John Beckenham

No	28
Date of Notice	26 April 1878
	Groom	Bride
Names of Parties	Adam Leggat Adam	Annie MacLean Dunn
BDM Match (97%)	Adam Leggal Adam	Annie MacLean Dunn
	💍 1878/1149
Condition	Bachelor	Spinster
Profession	Grocer	Milliner
Age	22	25
Dwelling Place	Washington Valley Nelson	Washington Valley Nelson
Length of Residence	2 weeks	2 years
Marriage Place	At the residence of George Dunn, labourer, Washington Valley, Nelson
Folio	78/1148
Consent
Date of Certificate	26 April 1878
Officiating Minister	Rev. John Beckenham

1 May 1878

Edwin Harry Lewis Limond
Annie Osborne

Edwin Harry Lewis Limond
Annie Osborne
💍 1878/1133

Bachelor
Spinster

Saddler
NIL

35
30

Bridge Street Nelson
St Vincent Street Nelson

2 years
1 year

At the Office of the Registrar of Marriages, Nelson

78/1156

1 May 1878

Registrar of Marriages Nelson

No	29
Date of Notice	1 May 1878
	Groom	Bride
Names of Parties	Edwin Harry Lewis Limond	Annie Osborne
	💍 1878/1133
Condition	Bachelor	Spinster
Profession	Saddler	NIL
Age	35	30
Dwelling Place	Bridge Street Nelson	St Vincent Street Nelson
Length of Residence	2 years	1 year
Marriage Place	At the Office of the Registrar of Marriages, Nelson
Folio	78/1156
Consent
Date of Certificate	1 May 1878
Officiating Minister	Registrar of Marriages Nelson

6 May 1878

James Palmer Black
Eliza Scadden

James Palmer Black
Eliza Scadden
💍 1878/1171

Widower
Spinster

Draper (retired)
NIL

72
28

Kawia Street Nelson
Grove Street Nelson

28 years
14 years

At the residence of James Palmer Black retired teacher, Kawia Street, Nelson

78/1170

6 May 1878

Rev. Patrick Calder

No	30
Date of Notice	6 May 1878
	Groom	Bride
Names of Parties	James Palmer Black	Eliza Scadden
	💍 1878/1171
Condition	Widower	Spinster
Profession	Draper (retired)	NIL
Age	72	28
Dwelling Place	Kawia Street Nelson	Grove Street Nelson
Length of Residence	28 years	14 years
Marriage Place	At the residence of James Palmer Black retired teacher, Kawia Street, Nelson
Folio	78/1170
Consent
Date of Certificate	6 May 1878
Officiating Minister	Rev. Patrick Calder

13 May 1878

William John Higgins
Sarah Quinn

William John Higgins
Sarah Quinn
💍 1878/1139

Bachelor
Spinster

Sailor
NIL

38
30

Brook Street Nelson
Brook Street Nelson

5 years
5 years

St Mary's Catholic Church, Nelson

78/1162

13 May 1878

Rev. A. M. Garin

No	31
Date of Notice	13 May 1878
	Groom	Bride
Names of Parties	William John Higgins	Sarah Quinn
	💍 1878/1139
Condition	Bachelor	Spinster
Profession	Sailor	NIL
Age	38	30
Dwelling Place	Brook Street Nelson	Brook Street Nelson
Length of Residence	5 years	5 years
Marriage Place	St Mary's Catholic Church, Nelson
Folio	78/1162
Consent
Date of Certificate	13 May 1878
Officiating Minister	Rev. A. M. Garin

14 May 1878

Robert Henry
Ann Watt

Robert Henry
Ann Watt
💍 1878/3344

Bachelor
Spinster

Mariner
Dressmaker

25
23

Stepneyville Nelson
Stepneyville Nelson

18 months
2 weeks

At the residence of Robert Henry, Stepneyville, Nelson

78/1149

14 May 1878

Rev. John Beckenham

No	32
Date of Notice	14 May 1878
	Groom	Bride
Names of Parties	Robert Henry	Ann Watt
	💍 1878/3344
Condition	Bachelor	Spinster
Profession	Mariner	Dressmaker
Age	25	23
Dwelling Place	Stepneyville Nelson	Stepneyville Nelson
Length of Residence	18 months	2 weeks
Marriage Place	At the residence of Robert Henry, Stepneyville, Nelson
Folio	78/1149
Consent
Date of Certificate	14 May 1878
Officiating Minister	Rev. John Beckenham

20 May 1878

Francis Hayter
Eugenie Elizabeth Huddleston

Francis Hayter
Eugenie Elizabeth Huddleston
💍 1878/1142

Bachelor
Spinster

Retired Commander R.N.
NIL

34
23

Tasman Street Nelson
Nile Street East Nelson

1 week
20 years

At Christ Church, Nelson

78/1164

20 May 1878

Venble. Archdeacon Thorpe

No	33
Date of Notice	20 May 1878
	Groom	Bride
Names of Parties	Francis Hayter	Eugenie Elizabeth Huddleston
	💍 1878/1142
Condition	Bachelor	Spinster
Profession	Retired Commander R.N.	NIL
Age	34	23
Dwelling Place	Tasman Street Nelson	Nile Street East Nelson
Length of Residence	1 week	20 years
Marriage Place	At Christ Church, Nelson
Folio	78/1164
Consent
Date of Certificate	20 May 1878
Officiating Minister	Venble. Archdeacon Thorpe

20 May 1878

Charles Edward Bunny
Louise Alice Croft Huddleston

Charles Edward Bunny
Louise Alice Croft Huddleston
💍 1878/1143

Bachelor
Spinster

Solicitor
NIL

23
21

Milton Grove Nelson
Nile Street East Nelson

3 years
21 years

At Christ Church, Nelson

78/1165

20 May 1878

Venble. Archdeacon Thorpe

No	34
Date of Notice	20 May 1878
	Groom	Bride
Names of Parties	Charles Edward Bunny	Louise Alice Croft Huddleston
	💍 1878/1143
Condition	Bachelor	Spinster
Profession	Solicitor	NIL
Age	23	21
Dwelling Place	Milton Grove Nelson	Nile Street East Nelson
Length of Residence	3 years	21 years
Marriage Place	At Christ Church, Nelson
Folio	78/1165
Consent
Date of Certificate	20 May 1878
Officiating Minister	Venble. Archdeacon Thorpe

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).