Intentions to Marry, 1884

Reference: Registrar-General of Births, Deaths and Marriages, Notices of intention to marry, Series 8937, R2840396, Archives New Zealand Te Rua Mahara o te Kāwanatanga, Wellington

Imaged by Luke at Archives NZ Wellington, April 30 2025

Page 630

District of Nelson Quarter ending 31 March 1884 Registrar Robert Kirton

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

8 January 1884

Alexander Hendry
Priscilla Patching

Alexander Hindry
Priscilla Patching
💍 1884/384

Bachelor
Spinster

Draper
Nil

24
22

St Vincent Street Nelson
St Vincent Street Nelson

4 1/2 years
22 years

Residence of James Patching, St Vincent Street, Nelson

84/408

8 January 1884

Rev. John Beckenham, Congregational Church

No	1
Date of Notice	8 January 1884
	Groom	Bride
Names of Parties	Alexander Hendry	Priscilla Patching
BDM Match (97%)	Alexander Hindry	Priscilla Patching
	💍 1884/384
Condition	Bachelor	Spinster
Profession	Draper	Nil
Age	24	22
Dwelling Place	St Vincent Street Nelson	St Vincent Street Nelson
Length of Residence	4 1/2 years	22 years
Marriage Place	Residence of James Patching, St Vincent Street, Nelson
Folio	84/408
Consent
Date of Certificate	8 January 1884
Officiating Minister	Rev. John Beckenham, Congregational Church

9 January 1884

William Strange
Elizabeth Rowe

William Strange
Elizabeth Rowe
💍 1884/385

Bachelor
Spinster

Driver
Nil

21
20

Milton Street Nelson
Vanguard Street Nelson

9 years
20 years

Residence of James Strange, Milton Street, Nelson

84/409

Ann Rowe mother

9 January 1884

Rev. John Beckenham, Congregational Church

No	2
Date of Notice	9 January 1884
	Groom	Bride
Names of Parties	William Strange	Elizabeth Rowe
	💍 1884/385
Condition	Bachelor	Spinster
Profession	Driver	Nil
Age	21	20
Dwelling Place	Milton Street Nelson	Vanguard Street Nelson
Length of Residence	9 years	20 years
Marriage Place	Residence of James Strange, Milton Street, Nelson
Folio	84/409
Consent	Ann Rowe mother
Date of Certificate	9 January 1884
Officiating Minister	Rev. John Beckenham, Congregational Church

10 January 1884

James Disher
Eliza Wise

James Disher
Eliza Wise
💍 1884/380

Bachelor
Spinster

Hotel Manager
Servant

31
25

Trafalgar Street Nelson
Trafalgar Street Nelson

25 years
6 years

Presbyterian Church, Nelson

84/405

10 January 1884

Rev. Patrick Calder, Presbyterian Church

No	3
Date of Notice	10 January 1884
	Groom	Bride
Names of Parties	James Disher	Eliza Wise
	💍 1884/380
Condition	Bachelor	Spinster
Profession	Hotel Manager	Servant
Age	31	25
Dwelling Place	Trafalgar Street Nelson	Trafalgar Street Nelson
Length of Residence	25 years	6 years
Marriage Place	Presbyterian Church, Nelson
Folio	84/405
Consent
Date of Certificate	10 January 1884
Officiating Minister	Rev. Patrick Calder, Presbyterian Church

4 February 1884

Ernest Henry Godolphin Quicke
Adelaide Mary Collins

Ernest Henry Godolphin Quicke
Adelaide Mary Collins
💍 1884/387

Bachelor
Spinster

Gentleman
Nil

29
22

Wakapuaka Nelson
Wakapuaka Nelson

3 days
22 years

Hillside Church, Wakapuaka

84/411

4 February 1884

Rev. John Chapman Andrew Vicar Church of England

No	4
Date of Notice	4 February 1884
	Groom	Bride
Names of Parties	Ernest Henry Godolphin Quicke	Adelaide Mary Collins
	💍 1884/387
Condition	Bachelor	Spinster
Profession	Gentleman	Nil
Age	29	22
Dwelling Place	Wakapuaka Nelson	Wakapuaka Nelson
Length of Residence	3 days	22 years
Marriage Place	Hillside Church, Wakapuaka
Folio	84/411
Consent
Date of Certificate	4 February 1884
Officiating Minister	Rev. John Chapman Andrew Vicar Church of England

4 February 1884

George William Neuman
Lilian Emily Williams

George William Remnant
Lilian Emily Williams
💍 1884/395

Bachelor
Spinster

Farmer
Nil

27
22

Bridge Street Nelson
Alton Street Nelson

4 days
4 days

Office of Registrar of Marriages, Nelson

84/396

4 February 1884

Robert Kirton Registrar

No	5
Date of Notice	4 February 1884
	Groom	Bride
Names of Parties	George William Neuman	Lilian Emily Williams
BDM Match (91%)	George William Remnant	Lilian Emily Williams
	💍 1884/395
Condition	Bachelor	Spinster
Profession	Farmer	Nil
Age	27	22
Dwelling Place	Bridge Street Nelson	Alton Street Nelson
Length of Residence	4 days	4 days
Marriage Place	Office of Registrar of Marriages, Nelson
Folio	84/396
Consent
Date of Certificate	4 February 1884
Officiating Minister	Robert Kirton Registrar

6 February 1884

Joseph Pearson
Alice Emily Browning

Joseph Pearson
Alice Emily Browning
💍 1884/383

Bachelor
Spinster

Timber Merchant
Nil

27
20

Oxford Canterbury
Maitai Bank Nelson

27 years
4 years

Chapel of Holy Evangelists, Nelson

84/390

John Samuel Browning father

6 February 1884

Rev. Edward Nightingale, Church of England

No	6
Date of Notice	6 February 1884
	Groom	Bride
Names of Parties	Joseph Pearson	Alice Emily Browning
	💍 1884/383
Condition	Bachelor	Spinster
Profession	Timber Merchant	Nil
Age	27	20
Dwelling Place	Oxford Canterbury	Maitai Bank Nelson
Length of Residence	27 years	4 years
Marriage Place	Chapel of Holy Evangelists, Nelson
Folio	84/390
Consent	John Samuel Browning father
Date of Certificate	6 February 1884
Officiating Minister	Rev. Edward Nightingale, Church of England

11 February 1884

Arthur Pritchard Lucas
Fanny Louisa Spooner

Arthur Pritchard Lucas
Fanny Louisa Spooner
💍 1884/392

Bachelor
Widow

Printer
Nil

20
30

Britannia Heights Nelson
Wellington Terrace Nelson

20 years
2 years

Wesleyan Church, Nelson

84/393

Elizabeth Anne Lucas, mother (widow)

11 February 1884

Rev. William Lee, Wesleyan Minister

No	7
Date of Notice	11 February 1884
	Groom	Bride
Names of Parties	Arthur Pritchard Lucas	Fanny Louisa Spooner
	💍 1884/392
Condition	Bachelor	Widow
Profession	Printer	Nil
Age	20	30
Dwelling Place	Britannia Heights Nelson	Wellington Terrace Nelson
Length of Residence	20 years	2 years
Marriage Place	Wesleyan Church, Nelson
Folio	84/393
Consent	Elizabeth Anne Lucas, mother (widow)
Date of Certificate	11 February 1884
Officiating Minister	Rev. William Lee, Wesleyan Minister

12 February 1884

Charles Philip Harford
Alice Mary Robinson

Charles Philip Harford
Alice Mary Robinson
💍 1884/386

Bachelor
Spinster

Farmer
Nil

23
23

Richmond Waimea
Richmond Waimea

4 days
6 days

Residence of Robert Robinson, farmer, Richmond

84/410

12 February 1884

Rev. William Kirk, Wesleyan Minister

No	8
Date of Notice	12 February 1884
	Groom	Bride
Names of Parties	Charles Philip Harford	Alice Mary Robinson
	💍 1884/386
Condition	Bachelor	Spinster
Profession	Farmer	Nil
Age	23	23
Dwelling Place	Richmond Waimea	Richmond Waimea
Length of Residence	4 days	6 days
Marriage Place	Residence of Robert Robinson, farmer, Richmond
Folio	84/410
Consent
Date of Certificate	12 February 1884
Officiating Minister	Rev. William Kirk, Wesleyan Minister

14 February 1884

Charles Truman
Anne Jennings

Charles Truman
Anne Jennings
💍 1884/393

Bachelor
Spinster

Overseer
Dressmaker

47
44

Cambria Street Nelson
Collingwood Street Nelson

18 years
20 years

Residence of Mrs. Wm. Jennings, Collingwood Street, Nelson

84/394

14 February 1884

Rev. William Lee, Wesleyan Minister

No	9
Date of Notice	14 February 1884
	Groom	Bride
Names of Parties	Charles Truman	Anne Jennings
	💍 1884/393
Condition	Bachelor	Spinster
Profession	Overseer	Dressmaker
Age	47	44
Dwelling Place	Cambria Street Nelson	Collingwood Street Nelson
Length of Residence	18 years	20 years
Marriage Place	Residence of Mrs. Wm. Jennings, Collingwood Street, Nelson
Folio	84/394
Consent
Date of Certificate	14 February 1884
Officiating Minister	Rev. William Lee, Wesleyan Minister

18 February 1884

James Galvin
Johannah OConnell

James Galvin
Johannah OConnell
💍 1884/374

Bachelor
Spinster

Farmer
Nil

26
28

Richmond Waimea
Richmond Waimea

4 days
14 days

St Mary's Catholic Church, Nelson

84/399

18 February 1884

Rev. William Joseph Mahony, Roman Catholic Church

No	10
Date of Notice	18 February 1884
	Groom	Bride
Names of Parties	James Galvin	Johannah OConnell
	💍 1884/374
Condition	Bachelor	Spinster
Profession	Farmer	Nil
Age	26	28
Dwelling Place	Richmond Waimea	Richmond Waimea
Length of Residence	4 days	14 days
Marriage Place	St Mary's Catholic Church, Nelson
Folio	84/399
Consent
Date of Certificate	18 February 1884
Officiating Minister	Rev. William Joseph Mahony, Roman Catholic Church

20 February 1884

Arthur Stock
Marsha Adelia Clara Elemina Ruffell

Arthur Stock
Menelia Adelin Clara Elmira Ruffell
💍 1884/375

Bachelor
Spinster

Shoe maker
Nil

21
19

Haven Road Nelson
Richmond Waimea

21 years
19 years

Residence of Charles McLean, Haven Rd., Nelson

84/400

Henry Ruffell father

20 February 1884

Rev. Patrick Calder, Presbyterian Church

No	11
Date of Notice	20 February 1884
	Groom	Bride
Names of Parties	Arthur Stock	Marsha Adelia Clara Elemina Ruffell
BDM Match (89%)	Arthur Stock	Menelia Adelin Clara Elmira Ruffell
	💍 1884/375
Condition	Bachelor	Spinster
Profession	Shoe maker	Nil
Age	21	19
Dwelling Place	Haven Road Nelson	Richmond Waimea
Length of Residence	21 years	19 years
Marriage Place	Residence of Charles McLean, Haven Rd., Nelson
Folio	84/400
Consent	Henry Ruffell father
Date of Certificate	20 February 1884
Officiating Minister	Rev. Patrick Calder, Presbyterian Church

23 February 1884

Thomas Sutton
Ellen Mercer

Thomas Sutton
Ellen Mercer
💍 1884/381

Bachelor
Spinster

Farmer
Nil

25
17

Richmond Waimea
Grove Street Nelson

25 years
10 years

All Saints Church, Nelson

84/406

George Mercer father

23 February 1884

Rev. Francis Innes Jones, Church of England

No	12
Date of Notice	23 February 1884
	Groom	Bride
Names of Parties	Thomas Sutton	Ellen Mercer
	💍 1884/381
Condition	Bachelor	Spinster
Profession	Farmer	Nil
Age	25	17
Dwelling Place	Richmond Waimea	Grove Street Nelson
Length of Residence	25 years	10 years
Marriage Place	All Saints Church, Nelson
Folio	84/406
Consent	George Mercer father
Date of Certificate	23 February 1884
Officiating Minister	Rev. Francis Innes Jones, Church of England

27 February 1884

Nathaniel Longney
Louisa Bateman

Nathaniel Longney
Louisa Bateman
💍 1884/396

Bachelor
Spinster

Sheep Farmer
Nil

25
21

Stoke Waimea
Stoke Waimea

4 days
4 days

Office of Registrar of Marriages, Nelson

84/397

27 February 1884

Robert Kirton Registrar

No	13
Date of Notice	27 February 1884
	Groom	Bride
Names of Parties	Nathaniel Longney	Louisa Bateman
	💍 1884/396
Condition	Bachelor	Spinster
Profession	Sheep Farmer	Nil
Age	25	21
Dwelling Place	Stoke Waimea	Stoke Waimea
Length of Residence	4 days	4 days
Marriage Place	Office of Registrar of Marriages, Nelson
Folio	84/397
Consent
Date of Certificate	27 February 1884
Officiating Minister	Robert Kirton Registrar

10 March 1884

Alfred Holland
Caroline Trent

Alfred Holland
Caroline Trent
💍 1884/373

Bachelor
Widow

Gentleman
Nil

59
44

Bridge Street Nelson
Collingwood Street Nelson

7 days
7 days

Office of Registrar of Marriages, Nelson

84/398

10 March 1884

Robert Kirton Registrar

No	14
Date of Notice	10 March 1884
	Groom	Bride
Names of Parties	Alfred Holland	Caroline Trent
	💍 1884/373
Condition	Bachelor	Widow
Profession	Gentleman	Nil
Age	59	44
Dwelling Place	Bridge Street Nelson	Collingwood Street Nelson
Length of Residence	7 days	7 days
Marriage Place	Office of Registrar of Marriages, Nelson
Folio	84/398
Consent
Date of Certificate	10 March 1884
Officiating Minister	Robert Kirton Registrar

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).