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 529

District of Nelson Quarter ending 30 September 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 July 1878

Thomas James Gibson
Martha Thomas

Thomas James Gibson
Martha Thomas
💍 1878/1984

Bachelor
Spinster

Plaster layer
Domestic Servant

30
24

Richmond Waimea East
Waimea Street Nelson

2 years
8 months

At the residence of William Williams miner, Saint Vincent St., Nelson

78/1934

3 July 1878

Rev. John Beckenham

No	45
Date of Notice	3 July 1878
	Groom	Bride
Names of Parties	Thomas James Gibson	Martha Thomas
	💍 1878/1984
Condition	Bachelor	Spinster
Profession	Plaster layer	Domestic Servant
Age	30	24
Dwelling Place	Richmond Waimea East	Waimea Street Nelson
Length of Residence	2 years	8 months
Marriage Place	At the residence of William Williams miner, Saint Vincent St., Nelson
Folio	78/1934
Consent
Date of Certificate	3 July 1878
Officiating Minister	Rev. John Beckenham

3 July 1878

Gustav Christop Frederick Spierling
Maria Frederika Anna Lankow

Gustav Christoph Friedrich Spierling
Maria Friedricka Anna Lankow
💍 1878/3276

Bachelor
Spinster

Mariner
Nil

34
23

Steamboat 'Murray' of Nelson
Hope Waimea East

4 years
23 years

At the Lutheran Church, Hope, Waimea East

78/5336

8 July 1878

Rev. Christian F. Meyer

No	46
Date of Notice	3 July 1878
	Groom	Bride
Names of Parties	Gustav Christop Frederick Spierling	Maria Frederika Anna Lankow
BDM Match (89%)	Gustav Christoph Friedrich Spierling	Maria Friedricka Anna Lankow
	💍 1878/3276
Condition	Bachelor	Spinster
Profession	Mariner	Nil
Age	34	23
Dwelling Place	Steamboat 'Murray' of Nelson	Hope Waimea East
Length of Residence	4 years	23 years
Marriage Place	At the Lutheran Church, Hope, Waimea East
Folio	78/5336
Consent
Date of Certificate	8 July 1878
Officiating Minister	Rev. Christian F. Meyer

16 July 1878

John Henry Salmon
Mary Felicia Beatrice Russell Walmsley

John Henry Salmon
Mary Felicia Beatrice Rupell Walmsley
💍 1878/1990

Bachelor
Spinster

Merchant
Nil

40
25

Trafalgar Street Nelson
Kawia Street Nelson

3 weeks
25 years

At Christ Church, Nelson

78/1928

16 July 1878

Rev. James Leighton

No	47
Date of Notice	16 July 1878
	Groom	Bride
Names of Parties	John Henry Salmon	Mary Felicia Beatrice Russell Walmsley
BDM Match (97%)	John Henry Salmon	Mary Felicia Beatrice Rupell Walmsley
	💍 1878/1990
Condition	Bachelor	Spinster
Profession	Merchant	Nil
Age	40	25
Dwelling Place	Trafalgar Street Nelson	Kawia Street Nelson
Length of Residence	3 weeks	25 years
Marriage Place	At Christ Church, Nelson
Folio	78/1928
Consent
Date of Certificate	16 July 1878
Officiating Minister	Rev. James Leighton

26 July 1878

Edward George Keighly Marks
Kathleen Cameron

Edward George Keighly Marks
Kathleen Cameron
💍 1878/1991

Bachelor
Spinster

M. D.
Nil

24
26

Waimea Street Nelson
Waimea Street Nelson

2 months
3 days

At Christ Church, Nelson

78/1929

26 July 1878

Rev. James Leighton

No	48
Date of Notice	26 July 1878
	Groom	Bride
Names of Parties	Edward George Keighly Marks	Kathleen Cameron
	💍 1878/1991
Condition	Bachelor	Spinster
Profession	M. D.	Nil
Age	24	26
Dwelling Place	Waimea Street Nelson	Waimea Street Nelson
Length of Residence	2 months	3 days
Marriage Place	At Christ Church, Nelson
Folio	78/1929
Consent
Date of Certificate	26 July 1878
Officiating Minister	Rev. James Leighton

31 July 1878

Joseph Bamforth
Ellen O'Connel

Joseph Bamforth
Ellena OConnell
💍 1878/1983

Bachelor
Spinster

Blacksmith
Dressmaker

30
20

Trafalgar Street Nelson
Collingwood Street Nelson

3 days
3 days

St. Marys Catholic Station, Nelson

78/1933

Margaret Armstrong, mother

31 July 1878

Rev. William J. Mahoney

No	49
Date of Notice	31 July 1878
	Groom	Bride
Names of Parties	Joseph Bamforth	Ellen O'Connel
BDM Match (90%)	Joseph Bamforth	Ellena OConnell
	💍 1878/1983
Condition	Bachelor	Spinster
Profession	Blacksmith	Dressmaker
Age	30	20
Dwelling Place	Trafalgar Street Nelson	Collingwood Street Nelson
Length of Residence	3 days	3 days
Marriage Place	St. Marys Catholic Station, Nelson
Folio	78/1933
Consent	Margaret Armstrong, mother
Date of Certificate	31 July 1878
Officiating Minister	Rev. William J. Mahoney

2 August 1878

Samuel Willard Nicholls
Rosina Hill

Samuel Willard Nicholls
Rosina Hill
💍 1878/2006

Widower
Spinster

Hotel Keeper
Domestic Servant

42
24

Haven Road Nelson
Haven Road Nelson

3 years
6 months

At the Office of the Registrar of Marriages, Nelson

78/1938

2 August 1878

Registrar of Marriages Nelson

No	50
Date of Notice	2 August 1878
	Groom	Bride
Names of Parties	Samuel Willard Nicholls	Rosina Hill
	💍 1878/2006
Condition	Widower	Spinster
Profession	Hotel Keeper	Domestic Servant
Age	42	24
Dwelling Place	Haven Road Nelson	Haven Road Nelson
Length of Residence	3 years	6 months
Marriage Place	At the Office of the Registrar of Marriages, Nelson
Folio	78/1938
Consent
Date of Certificate	2 August 1878
Officiating Minister	Registrar of Marriages Nelson

3 August 1878

Mark Daniel Davies
Annie Win

Mark Daniel Davies
Annie Win
💍 1878/1982

Bachelor
Spinster

Farmer
Nil

30
20

Dove Dale Waimea West
Dove Dale Waimea West

8 years
10 years

At the Wesleyan Church, Dove Dale

78/1924

William Win, Father

3 August 1878

Rev. William Rowse

No	51
Date of Notice	3 August 1878
	Groom	Bride
Names of Parties	Mark Daniel Davies	Annie Win
	💍 1878/1982
Condition	Bachelor	Spinster
Profession	Farmer	Nil
Age	30	20
Dwelling Place	Dove Dale Waimea West	Dove Dale Waimea West
Length of Residence	8 years	10 years
Marriage Place	At the Wesleyan Church, Dove Dale
Folio	78/1924
Consent	William Win, Father
Date of Certificate	3 August 1878
Officiating Minister	Rev. William Rowse

6 August 1878

John Draghicarvich
Mary Ann Moriarty

John Draghicarvich
Mary-Ann Moriarty
💍 1878/1994

Bachelor
Spinster

Publican
Nil

38
22

Collingwood Street Nelson
Collingwood Street Nelson

3 days
6 days

St. Marys Catholic Church, Nelson

78/1932

6 August 1878

Rev. Antoine M. Garin

No	52
Date of Notice	6 August 1878
	Groom	Bride
Names of Parties	John Draghicarvich	Mary Ann Moriarty
BDM Match (97%)	John Draghicarvich	Mary-Ann Moriarty
	💍 1878/1994
Condition	Bachelor	Spinster
Profession	Publican	Nil
Age	38	22
Dwelling Place	Collingwood Street Nelson	Collingwood Street Nelson
Length of Residence	3 days	6 days
Marriage Place	St. Marys Catholic Church, Nelson
Folio	78/1932
Consent
Date of Certificate	6 August 1878
Officiating Minister	Rev. Antoine M. Garin

7 August 1878

August Frederick Christian Siggelkow
Magdalena Catharina Malosiner Bergmann

August Fredrick Christian Siggelkow
Magdalena Catherine Malliner Bergmann
💍 1878/1988

Bachelor
Spinster

Farmer
Nil

21
19

Ranzau Waimea East
Upper Moutere

21 years
18 years

At the Lutheran Church, Ranzau, Waimea East

78/1926

William Henry Dick Bergmann, Father

7 August 1878

Rev. Christian F. Meyer

No	53
Date of Notice	7 August 1878
	Groom	Bride
Names of Parties	August Frederick Christian Siggelkow	Magdalena Catharina Malosiner Bergmann
BDM Match (93%)	August Fredrick Christian Siggelkow	Magdalena Catherine Malliner Bergmann
	💍 1878/1988
Condition	Bachelor	Spinster
Profession	Farmer	Nil
Age	21	19
Dwelling Place	Ranzau Waimea East	Upper Moutere
Length of Residence	21 years	18 years
Marriage Place	At the Lutheran Church, Ranzau, Waimea East
Folio	78/1926
Consent	William Henry Dick Bergmann, Father
Date of Certificate	7 August 1878
Officiating Minister	Rev. Christian F. Meyer

8 August 1878

Thomas Roch Burnett
Ellen Davies

Thomas Roch Burnett
Ellen Davies
💍 1878/1992

James Tidswell
Ellen Davies
💍 1879/409

Bachelor
Spinster

Farmer
Nil

24
26

Dove Dale Waimea West
Dove Dale Waimea West

10 years
2 years

At the Wesleyan Church, Nelson

78/1930

8 August 1878

Rev. Rainsford Bavin

No	54
Date of Notice	8 August 1878
	Groom	Bride
Names of Parties	Thomas Roch Burnett	Ellen Davies
	💍 1878/1992
BDM Match (61%)	James Tidswell	Ellen Davies
	💍 1879/409
Condition	Bachelor	Spinster
Profession	Farmer	Nil
Age	24	26
Dwelling Place	Dove Dale Waimea West	Dove Dale Waimea West
Length of Residence	10 years	2 years
Marriage Place	At the Wesleyan Church, Nelson
Folio	78/1930
Consent
Date of Certificate	8 August 1878
Officiating Minister	Rev. Rainsford Bavin

17 August 1878

Samuel Blight
Annie German

Samuel Blight
Annie German
💍 1878/3298

Bachelor
Spinster

Maltster
Lace maker

31
25

Bridge Street Nelson
Bridge Street Nelson

4 years
4 years

At the residence of The Rev. A. J. Hamilton, Bridge Street, Nelson

78/3359

17 August 1878

Rev. A. J. Hamilton

No	55
Date of Notice	17 August 1878
	Groom	Bride
Names of Parties	Samuel Blight	Annie German
	💍 1878/3298
Condition	Bachelor	Spinster
Profession	Maltster	Lace maker
Age	31	25
Dwelling Place	Bridge Street Nelson	Bridge Street Nelson
Length of Residence	4 years	4 years
Marriage Place	At the residence of The Rev. A. J. Hamilton, Bridge Street, Nelson
Folio	78/3359
Consent
Date of Certificate	17 August 1878
Officiating Minister	Rev. A. J. Hamilton

19 August 1878

William Arthur Wildman
Ann Kidson

William Arthur Wildman
Ann Kidson
💍 1878/1985

Bachelor
Spinster

Mariner
Nil

25
20

Russell Street Nelson
Russell Street Nelson

10 years
20 years

At the residence of Amelia Kidson widow, Russell Street, Nelson

78/1935

Amelia Kidson, Mother

19 August 1878

Rev. John Beckenham

No	56
Date of Notice	19 August 1878
	Groom	Bride
Names of Parties	William Arthur Wildman	Ann Kidson
	💍 1878/1985
Condition	Bachelor	Spinster
Profession	Mariner	Nil
Age	25	20
Dwelling Place	Russell Street Nelson	Russell Street Nelson
Length of Residence	10 years	20 years
Marriage Place	At the residence of Amelia Kidson widow, Russell Street, Nelson
Folio	78/1935
Consent	Amelia Kidson, Mother
Date of Certificate	19 August 1878
Officiating Minister	Rev. John Beckenham

19 August 1878

George John Charles
Annie Amelia Lukins

George John Charles
Amelia Ann Lukins
💍 1878/2014

Bachelor
Spinster

Mariner
Governess

24
22

Haven Road Nelson
Haven Road Nelson

24 years
20 years

At All Saints Church, Nelson

78/1940

19 August 1878

Rev. James Aldridge Newth

No	57
Date of Notice	19 August 1878
	Groom	Bride
Names of Parties	George John Charles	Annie Amelia Lukins
BDM Match (76%)	George John Charles	Amelia Ann Lukins
	💍 1878/2014
Condition	Bachelor	Spinster
Profession	Mariner	Governess
Age	24	22
Dwelling Place	Haven Road Nelson	Haven Road Nelson
Length of Residence	24 years	20 years
Marriage Place	At All Saints Church, Nelson
Folio	78/1940
Consent
Date of Certificate	19 August 1878
Officiating Minister	Rev. James Aldridge Newth

23 August 1878

Edward Hudson
Esther Ann Mundy

Edward Hudson
Esther Ann Mundy
💍 1878/2013

Bachelor
Spinster

Miner
Domestic Servant

28
28

Waimea Street Nelson
Brougham Street Nelson

9 weeks
3 years

At All Saints Church, Nelson

78/1939

23 August 1878

Rev. James Aldridge Newth

No	58
Date of Notice	23 August 1878
	Groom	Bride
Names of Parties	Edward Hudson	Esther Ann Mundy
	💍 1878/2013
Condition	Bachelor	Spinster
Profession	Miner	Domestic Servant
Age	28	28
Dwelling Place	Waimea Street Nelson	Brougham Street Nelson
Length of Residence	9 weeks	3 years
Marriage Place	At All Saints Church, Nelson
Folio	78/1939
Consent
Date of Certificate	23 August 1878
Officiating Minister	Rev. James Aldridge Newth

24 August 1878

James Robson
the younger
Clara Newth

James Robson Junior
Clara Newth
💍 1878/1995

Bachelor
Spinster

Schoolmaster
Nil

23
18

Waimea West
Waimea West

3 years
18 years

At St. Michaels Church, Waimea West

78/1939

Mark Newth, Father

24 August 1878

Rev. Charles O. Mules

No	59
Date of Notice	24 August 1878
	Groom	Bride
Names of Parties	James Robson the younger	Clara Newth
BDM Match (82%)	James Robson Junior	Clara Newth
	💍 1878/1995
Condition	Bachelor	Spinster
Profession	Schoolmaster	Nil
Age	23	18
Dwelling Place	Waimea West	Waimea West
Length of Residence	3 years	18 years
Marriage Place	At St. Michaels Church, Waimea West
Folio	78/1939
Consent	Mark Newth, Father
Date of Certificate	24 August 1878
Officiating Minister	Rev. Charles O. Mules

26 August 1878

Charles Ward
Annie McKie

Charles Ward
Annie McKir
💍 1878/3145

Bachelor
Widow

Engineer
Nil

42
23

Haven Road Nelson
Washington Valley Nelson

14 days
3 days

At the Presbyterian Church, Nelson

78/1937

26 August 1878

Rev. Patrick Calder

No	60
Date of Notice	26 August 1878
	Groom	Bride
Names of Parties	Charles Ward	Annie McKie
BDM Match (95%)	Charles Ward	Annie McKir
	💍 1878/3145
Condition	Bachelor	Widow
Profession	Engineer	Nil
Age	42	23
Dwelling Place	Haven Road Nelson	Washington Valley Nelson
Length of Residence	14 days	3 days
Marriage Place	At the Presbyterian Church, Nelson
Folio	78/1937
Consent
Date of Certificate	26 August 1878
Officiating Minister	Rev. Patrick Calder

27 August 1878

Harry Roodhouse Hadfield
Mary Anna Reynolds

Harry Roodhouse Hadfield
Mary Anna Reynolds
💍 1878/1993

Bachelor
Spinster

Farmer
Nil

31
21

Waimea Road Nelson
Shelbourne Street Nelson

3 days
9 years

At the Wesleyan Church, Nelson

78/1931

27 August 1878

Rev. Rainsford Bavin

No	61
Date of Notice	27 August 1878
	Groom	Bride
Names of Parties	Harry Roodhouse Hadfield	Mary Anna Reynolds
	💍 1878/1993
Condition	Bachelor	Spinster
Profession	Farmer	Nil
Age	31	21
Dwelling Place	Waimea Road Nelson	Shelbourne Street Nelson
Length of Residence	3 days	9 years
Marriage Place	At the Wesleyan Church, Nelson
Folio	78/1931
Consent
Date of Certificate	27 August 1878
Officiating Minister	Rev. Rainsford Bavin

9 September 1878

Alfred Ball
Ellen Noble

Alfred Ball
Ellen Noble
💍 1878/3146

Bachelor
Spinster

Farmer
Nil

23
18

Washington Valley Nelson
Washington Valley Nelson

20 years
5 years

At the residence of William Ball, carpenter, Washington Valley, Nelson

78/3200

Charles Noble, Father

9 September 1878

Rev. Patrick Calder

No	62
Date of Notice	9 September 1878
	Groom	Bride
Names of Parties	Alfred Ball	Ellen Noble
	💍 1878/3146
Condition	Bachelor	Spinster
Profession	Farmer	Nil
Age	23	18
Dwelling Place	Washington Valley Nelson	Washington Valley Nelson
Length of Residence	20 years	5 years
Marriage Place	At the residence of William Ball, carpenter, Washington Valley, Nelson
Folio	78/3200
Consent	Charles Noble, Father
Date of Certificate	9 September 1878
Officiating Minister	Rev. Patrick Calder

18 September 1878

Arthur Henry Hunt
Mary Ann Sowman

Arthur Henry Hunt
Mary Ann Sowman
💍 1878/1986

Bachelor
Spinster

Mariner
Domestic Servant

23
23

Bishopdale Nelson
Bishopdale Nelson

13 months
23 years

At the residence of Sarah Sowman, widow Tasman Street, Nelson

78/1936

18 September 1878

Rev. John Beckenham

No	63
Date of Notice	18 September 1878
	Groom	Bride
Names of Parties	Arthur Henry Hunt	Mary Ann Sowman
	💍 1878/1986
Condition	Bachelor	Spinster
Profession	Mariner	Domestic Servant
Age	23	23
Dwelling Place	Bishopdale Nelson	Bishopdale Nelson
Length of Residence	13 months	23 years
Marriage Place	At the residence of Sarah Sowman, widow Tasman Street, Nelson
Folio	78/1936
Consent
Date of Certificate	18 September 1878
Officiating Minister	Rev. John Beckenham

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).