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 0685

District of Christchurch Quarter ending 31 March 1898

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

4819

18 January 1898

William Bowlen
Susan McCallawa

William Bowlen
Susan McCullum
💍 1878/495

Bachelor
Spinster

Labourer
Servant

36
26

Christchurch
Christchurch

14 Years
6 months

Roman Catholic Church

78/476

18 January 1898

Rev. R. S. [illegible]

No	4819
Date of Notice	18 January 1898
	Groom	Bride
Names of Parties	William Bowlen	Susan McCallawa
BDM Match (87%)	William Bowlen	Susan McCullum
	💍 1878/495
Condition	Bachelor	Spinster
Profession	Labourer	Servant
Age	36	26
Dwelling Place	Christchurch	Christchurch
Length of Residence	14 Years	6 months
Marriage Place	Roman Catholic Church
Folio	78/476
Consent
Date of Certificate	18 January 1898
Officiating Minister	Rev. R. S. [illegible]

4820

18 January 1898

Henry George Young
Margaret Lucy Cave

Henry George Gould
Margaret Lucy Cane
💍 1878/531

Bachelor
Spinster

Clerk in Holy orders

27
24

Christchurch
Woodend

3 days
Woodend

St Michaels Church

78/488

18 January 1898

Rev. R. S. Penny

No	4820
Date of Notice	18 January 1898
	Groom	Bride
Names of Parties	Henry George Young	Margaret Lucy Cave
BDM Match (89%)	Henry George Gould	Margaret Lucy Cane
	💍 1878/531
Condition	Bachelor	Spinster
Profession	Clerk in Holy orders
Age	27	24
Dwelling Place	Christchurch	Woodend
Length of Residence	3 days	Woodend
Marriage Place	St Michaels Church
Folio	78/488
Consent
Date of Certificate	18 January 1898
Officiating Minister	Rev. R. S. Penny

4821

19 January 1898

James Munro
Sophia Bean

James Munro
Sophia Dean
💍 1878/517

Bachelor
Spinster

Labourer
Servant

22
21

Christchurch
Christchurch

4 Years
In the house of Rev. C. Fraser

In the house of Rev. C. Fraser

78/499

19 January 1898

Rev. C. Fraser

No	4821
Date of Notice	19 January 1898
	Groom	Bride
Names of Parties	James Munro	Sophia Bean
BDM Match (95%)	James Munro	Sophia Dean
	💍 1878/517
Condition	Bachelor	Spinster
Profession	Labourer	Servant
Age	22	21
Dwelling Place	Christchurch	Christchurch
Length of Residence	4 Years	In the house of Rev. C. Fraser
Marriage Place	In the house of Rev. C. Fraser
Folio	78/499
Consent
Date of Certificate	19 January 1898
Officiating Minister	Rev. C. Fraser

4822

19 January 1898

Robert Todd
Eliza Jane Armstrong

Robert Todd
Eliza Jane Armstrong
💍 1878/518

Bachelor
[illegible]

Farmer
[illegible]

24
[illegible]

Christchurch
Lincoln Street

14 days
In the house of Rev. C. Fraser

In the house of Rev. C. Fraser

78/502

19 January 1898

Rev. C. Fraser

No	4822
Date of Notice	19 January 1898
	Groom	Bride
Names of Parties	Robert Todd	Eliza Jane Armstrong
	💍 1878/518
Condition	Bachelor	[illegible]
Profession	Farmer	[illegible]
Age	24	[illegible]
Dwelling Place	Christchurch	Lincoln Street
Length of Residence	14 days	In the house of Rev. C. Fraser
Marriage Place	In the house of Rev. C. Fraser
Folio	78/502
Consent
Date of Certificate	19 January 1898
Officiating Minister	Rev. C. Fraser

4823

21 January 1898

Thomas Morgan
Mary Ann Davies

Thomas Morgan
Mary Ann Davies
💍 1878/521

Bachelor
Spinster

[illegible]

23
22

Christchurch
Waltham Terrace

1 week
3 months

In the house of Rev. Macdonald

78/503

21 January 1898

Rev. C. Fraser

No	4823
Date of Notice	21 January 1898
	Groom	Bride
Names of Parties	Thomas Morgan	Mary Ann Davies
	💍 1878/521
Condition	Bachelor	Spinster
Profession	[illegible]
Age	23	22
Dwelling Place	Christchurch	Waltham Terrace
Length of Residence	1 week	3 months
Marriage Place	In the house of Rev. Macdonald
Folio	78/503
Consent
Date of Certificate	21 January 1898
Officiating Minister	Rev. C. Fraser

4824

22 January 1898

George Thomas
Isabella Macdonald

George Thomas Smart
Isabella McDonald
💍 1878/522

Bachelor
Spinster

Shepherd

24
22

Christchurch
Lincoln Street

4 days
3 months

St Michaels Church

78/489

Thomas Morris, Father

22 January 1898

Rev. R. S. Penny

No	4824
Date of Notice	22 January 1898
	Groom	Bride
Names of Parties	George Thomas	Isabella Macdonald
BDM Match (79%)	George Thomas Smart	Isabella McDonald
	💍 1878/522
Condition	Bachelor	Spinster
Profession	Shepherd
Age	24	22
Dwelling Place	Christchurch	Lincoln Street
Length of Residence	4 days	3 months
Marriage Place	St Michaels Church
Folio	78/489
Consent	Thomas Morris, Father
Date of Certificate	22 January 1898
Officiating Minister	Rev. R. S. Penny

4825

22 January 1898

George Morrison
Annie Harris

George Morrison
Fanny Novis
💍 1878/532

Bachelor
Spinster

Farmer

28
22

Christchurch
Aldred Street

3 days
Cust

Christchurch

[illegible]

22 January 1898

Registrar of Marriages, J. W. A. Marchant

No	4825
Date of Notice	22 January 1898
	Groom	Bride
Names of Parties	George Morrison	Annie Harris
BDM Match (67%)	George Morrison	Fanny Novis
	💍 1878/532
Condition	Bachelor	Spinster
Profession	Farmer
Age	28	22
Dwelling Place	Christchurch	Aldred Street
Length of Residence	3 days	Cust
Marriage Place	Christchurch
Folio	[illegible]
Consent
Date of Certificate	22 January 1898
Officiating Minister	Registrar of Marriages, J. W. A. Marchant

4826

22 January 1898

Henry John
Elizabeth Greenhead

Henry John Winchester
Elizabeth Greenhead
💍 1878/585

Bachelor
Spinster

Printer

24
22

Christchurch
Manchester

11 Years
Christchurch

Registrars Office

78/544

22 January 1898

Rev. W. A. Pascoe

No	4826
Date of Notice	22 January 1898
	Groom	Bride
Names of Parties	Henry John	Elizabeth Greenhead
BDM Match (74%)	Henry John Winchester	Elizabeth Greenhead
	💍 1878/585
Condition	Bachelor	Spinster
Profession	Printer
Age	24	22
Dwelling Place	Christchurch	Manchester
Length of Residence	11 Years	Christchurch
Marriage Place	Registrars Office
Folio	78/544
Consent
Date of Certificate	22 January 1898
Officiating Minister	Rev. W. A. Pascoe

4827

22 January 1898

Laurence Vivian
Mary Little

Lawrence Vivian Desborough
Mary Ann Little
💍 1878/81

Bachelor
Spinster

Accountant

34
26

Christchurch
Desborough

5 Years
3 days

Christchurch

78/567

22 January 1898

Rev. W. J. Habens

No	4827
Date of Notice	22 January 1898
	Groom	Bride
Names of Parties	Laurence Vivian	Mary Little
BDM Match (64%)	Lawrence Vivian Desborough	Mary Ann Little
	💍 1878/81
Condition	Bachelor	Spinster
Profession	Accountant
Age	34	26
Dwelling Place	Christchurch	Desborough
Length of Residence	5 Years	3 days
Marriage Place	Christchurch
Folio	78/567
Consent
Date of Certificate	22 January 1898
Officiating Minister	Rev. W. J. Habens

4828

24 January 1898

Richard Edison Beckett
Martha Faulkner

Richard Edward Beckett
Martha Falkner
💍 1878/475

Bachelor
Spinster

Bookbinder
Servant

22
21

Christchurch
Christchurch

Christchurch
10 Years

Congregational Church

78/456

24 January 1898

Rev. J. B. [illegible]

No	4828
Date of Notice	24 January 1898
	Groom	Bride
Names of Parties	Richard Edison Beckett	Martha Faulkner
BDM Match (88%)	Richard Edward Beckett	Martha Falkner
	💍 1878/475
Condition	Bachelor	Spinster
Profession	Bookbinder	Servant
Age	22	21
Dwelling Place	Christchurch	Christchurch
Length of Residence	Christchurch	10 Years
Marriage Place	Congregational Church
Folio	78/456
Consent
Date of Certificate	24 January 1898
Officiating Minister	Rev. J. B. [illegible]

4829

24 January 1898

Edgar Herbert Lovatt
Clara Harriet Fisher

Edgar Herbert Wyatt
Clara Harriet Fisher
💍 1878/547

Bachelor
Spinster

Clerk in Holy orders

25
21

Christchurch
Christchurch

3 Years
2 Years

Corner Road

78/529

24 January 1898

[illegible]

No	4829
Date of Notice	24 January 1898
	Groom	Bride
Names of Parties	Edgar Herbert Lovatt	Clara Harriet Fisher
BDM Match (93%)	Edgar Herbert Wyatt	Clara Harriet Fisher
	💍 1878/547
Condition	Bachelor	Spinster
Profession	Clerk in Holy orders
Age	25	21
Dwelling Place	Christchurch	Christchurch
Length of Residence	3 Years	2 Years
Marriage Place	Corner Road
Folio	78/529
Consent
Date of Certificate	24 January 1898
Officiating Minister	[illegible]

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).