Intentions to Marry, 1885

Reference: Registrar-General of Births, Deaths and Marriages, Notices of intention to marry, Series 8937, R2840397, Archives New Zealand Te Rua Mahara o te Kāwanatanga, Wellington

Imaged by Carole at Archives NZ Wellington, April 30 2025

Page 788

District of Nelson Quarter ending 30 September 1885 Registrar Robert Nelson

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 1885

James Bell
Alice Wasney

James Bell
Alice Wastney
💍 1885/2278

James Bell
Annie Catherine Carne Groube
💍 1886/431

Bachelor
Spinster

Station Holder
Nil

29
26

Wakapuaka
Wakapuaka

3 days
26 years

Presbyterian Church Nelson

85/2384

3 July 1885

Rev. Patrick Calder

No	45
Date of Notice	3 July 1885
	Groom	Bride
Names of Parties	James Bell	Alice Wasney
BDM Match (96%)	James Bell	Alice Wastney
	💍 1885/2278
BDM Match (63%)	James Bell	Annie Catherine Carne Groube
	💍 1886/431
Condition	Bachelor	Spinster
Profession	Station Holder	Nil
Age	29	26
Dwelling Place	Wakapuaka	Wakapuaka
Length of Residence	3 days	26 years
Marriage Place	Presbyterian Church Nelson
Folio	85/2384
Consent
Date of Certificate	3 July 1885
Officiating Minister	Rev. Patrick Calder

7 July 1885

Benjamin Grish
Margaret Grannies

Benjamin Crisp
Margaret Grimes
💍 1885/2349

Bachelor
Spinster

Tailor
Nil

27
24

Hardy Street Nelson
Hardy Street Nelson

27 years
2 years

Roman Catholic Church

85/2371

7 July 1885

Rev. William Joseph Mahoney

No	46
Date of Notice	7 July 1885
	Groom	Bride
Names of Parties	Benjamin Grish	Margaret Grannies
BDM Match (81%)	Benjamin Crisp	Margaret Grimes
	💍 1885/2349
Condition	Bachelor	Spinster
Profession	Tailor	Nil
Age	27	24
Dwelling Place	Hardy Street Nelson	Hardy Street Nelson
Length of Residence	27 years	2 years
Marriage Place	Roman Catholic Church
Folio	85/2371
Consent
Date of Certificate	7 July 1885
Officiating Minister	Rev. William Joseph Mahoney

14 July 1885

George William Taylor
Ellen Louisa King

George William Taylor
Ellen Louisa King
💍 1885/2279

Bachelor
Spinster

Coach Smith
Nil

23
21

Washington Valley Nelson
Bridge Street Nelson

4 years
22 years

Residence of William Taylor Washington Valley Nelson

85/2385

14 July 1885

Rev. Patrick Calder

No	47
Date of Notice	14 July 1885
	Groom	Bride
Names of Parties	George William Taylor	Ellen Louisa King
	💍 1885/2279
Condition	Bachelor	Spinster
Profession	Coach Smith	Nil
Age	23	21
Dwelling Place	Washington Valley Nelson	Bridge Street Nelson
Length of Residence	4 years	22 years
Marriage Place	Residence of William Taylor Washington Valley Nelson
Folio	85/2385
Consent
Date of Certificate	14 July 1885
Officiating Minister	Rev. Patrick Calder

14 July 1885

Charles George Satchell
Georgina Sarah Harley

Charles George Satchell
Georgina Sarah Harley
💍 1885/2344

Bachelor
Spinster

Surgeon
Nil

27
20

Richmond
Stoke

4 days
20 years

St Barnabas Church Stoke

85/2365

Alfred Harley, father

14 July 1885

Right Rev. Andrew Suter, Bishop of Nelson

No	48
Date of Notice	14 July 1885
	Groom	Bride
Names of Parties	Charles George Satchell	Georgina Sarah Harley
	💍 1885/2344
Condition	Bachelor	Spinster
Profession	Surgeon	Nil
Age	27	20
Dwelling Place	Richmond	Stoke
Length of Residence	4 days	20 years
Marriage Place	St Barnabas Church Stoke
Folio	85/2365
Consent	Alfred Harley, father
Date of Certificate	14 July 1885
Officiating Minister	Right Rev. Andrew Suter, Bishop of Nelson

18 July 1885

Jesse Ernest Hounsell
Alice Grooby

Bachelor
Spinster

Bookseller
Servant

27
25

Nile Street Nelson
Nile Street Nelson

20 years
5 years

Presbyterian Church Nelson

18 July 1885

Rev. Patrick Calder

No	49
Date of Notice	18 July 1885
	Groom	Bride
Names of Parties	Jesse Ernest Hounsell	Alice Grooby
Condition	Bachelor	Spinster
Profession	Bookseller	Servant
Age	27	25
Dwelling Place	Nile Street Nelson	Nile Street Nelson
Length of Residence	20 years	5 years
Marriage Place	Presbyterian Church Nelson
Folio
Consent
Date of Certificate	18 July 1885
Officiating Minister	Rev. Patrick Calder

21 July 1885

Charles James Huffell
Annie Lockyer

Charles James Ruffell
Annie Lockyer
💍 1885/2280

Bachelor
Spinster

Labourer
Nil

23
20

Brook Street Nelson
Brook Street Nelson

3 days
20 years

Residence of William Lockyer

85/2386

William Lockyer, father

21 July 1885

Rev. Patrick Calder

No	50
Date of Notice	21 July 1885
	Groom	Bride
Names of Parties	Charles James Huffell	Annie Lockyer
BDM Match (98%)	Charles James Ruffell	Annie Lockyer
	💍 1885/2280
Condition	Bachelor	Spinster
Profession	Labourer	Nil
Age	23	20
Dwelling Place	Brook Street Nelson	Brook Street Nelson
Length of Residence	3 days	20 years
Marriage Place	Residence of William Lockyer
Folio	85/2386
Consent	William Lockyer, father
Date of Certificate	21 July 1885
Officiating Minister	Rev. Patrick Calder

22 July 1885

James Bell Calder
Marjory Mary Gilbertson

James Bell Calder
Margory Mary Gilbertson
💍 1885/2346

Bachelor
Spinster

Carpenter
Nil

27
28

Haven Road Nelson
Haven Road Nelson

27 years
10 years

Congregational Church Nelson

85/2367

22 July 1885

Rev. Henry Josiah Lewis, Congregational Church

No	51
Date of Notice	22 July 1885
	Groom	Bride
Names of Parties	James Bell Calder	Marjory Mary Gilbertson
BDM Match (98%)	James Bell Calder	Margory Mary Gilbertson
	💍 1885/2346
Condition	Bachelor	Spinster
Profession	Carpenter	Nil
Age	27	28
Dwelling Place	Haven Road Nelson	Haven Road Nelson
Length of Residence	27 years	10 years
Marriage Place	Congregational Church Nelson
Folio	85/2367
Consent
Date of Certificate	22 July 1885
Officiating Minister	Rev. Henry Josiah Lewis, Congregational Church

25 July 1885

Edwin James Hill
Clara Annie Arntzen

Edwin James Hill
Clara Anita Aitken
💍 1885/2275

Bachelor
Spinster

Miller
Nil

24
23

Trafalgar Street Nelson
Hardy Street Nelson

3 days
23 years

Baptist Church

85/2381

25 July 1885

Rev. Thomas Amsom Cato

No	52
Date of Notice	25 July 1885
	Groom	Bride
Names of Parties	Edwin James Hill	Clara Annie Arntzen
BDM Match (84%)	Edwin James Hill	Clara Anita Aitken
	💍 1885/2275
Condition	Bachelor	Spinster
Profession	Miller	Nil
Age	24	23
Dwelling Place	Trafalgar Street Nelson	Hardy Street Nelson
Length of Residence	3 days	23 years
Marriage Place	Baptist Church
Folio	85/2381
Consent
Date of Certificate	25 July 1885
Officiating Minister	Rev. Thomas Amsom Cato

27 July 1885

John Pain
Louisa Berry

John Pain
Louisa Berry
💍 1885/2351

Bachelor
Spinster

Miller
Dressmaker

33
23

Bridge Street Nelson
Wakapuaka Road

4 months
14 years

At the Residence of W. H. Berry

85/2373

27 July 1885

William Henry Beck

No	53
Date of Notice	27 July 1885
	Groom	Bride
Names of Parties	John Pain	Louisa Berry
	💍 1885/2351
Condition	Bachelor	Spinster
Profession	Miller	Dressmaker
Age	33	23
Dwelling Place	Bridge Street Nelson	Wakapuaka Road
Length of Residence	4 months	14 years
Marriage Place	At the Residence of W. H. Berry
Folio	85/2373
Consent
Date of Certificate	27 July 1885
Officiating Minister	William Henry Beck

29 July 1885

Joseph Webley
Annie Elizabeth Paynter

Joseph Webley
Ann Elizabeth Poynter
💍 1885/2276

Widower
Widow

Cloth Manufacturer
Nil

70
48

Vanguard Street Nelson
Vanguard Street Nelson

27 years
17 years

Residence of Mrs. Paynter Vanguard Street Nelson

85/2382

29 July 1885

Rev. Thomas Amsom Cato

No	54
Date of Notice	29 July 1885
	Groom	Bride
Names of Parties	Joseph Webley	Annie Elizabeth Paynter
BDM Match (94%)	Joseph Webley	Ann Elizabeth Poynter
	💍 1885/2276
Condition	Widower	Widow
Profession	Cloth Manufacturer	Nil
Age	70	48
Dwelling Place	Vanguard Street Nelson	Vanguard Street Nelson
Length of Residence	27 years	17 years
Marriage Place	Residence of Mrs. Paynter Vanguard Street Nelson
Folio	85/2382
Consent
Date of Certificate	29 July 1885
Officiating Minister	Rev. Thomas Amsom Cato

12 August 1885

Mark Furneaux
Catherine Beagley

Mark Furneaux
Catherine Beagley
💍 1885/3574

Bachelor
Spinster

Mariner
Nil

30
22

Russell Street Nelson
Russell Street Nelson

5 days
12 years

Bishopdale Church

85/3785

12 August 1885

Rev. Charles William Jennings, Church of England

No	55
Date of Notice	12 August 1885
	Groom	Bride
Names of Parties	Mark Furneaux	Catherine Beagley
	💍 1885/3574
Condition	Bachelor	Spinster
Profession	Mariner	Nil
Age	30	22
Dwelling Place	Russell Street Nelson	Russell Street Nelson
Length of Residence	5 days	12 years
Marriage Place	Bishopdale Church
Folio	85/3785
Consent
Date of Certificate	12 August 1885
Officiating Minister	Rev. Charles William Jennings, Church of England

17 August 1885

William Saywell
Clara Sutton

William Saywell
Clara Sutton
💍 1885/2352

Bachelor
Spinster

Butcher
Nil

25
25

Richmond
Richmond

4 days
25 years

Wesleyan Parsonage Nelson

85/2374

17 August 1885

Rev. William Henry Beck Wesleyan Church

No	56
Date of Notice	17 August 1885
	Groom	Bride
Names of Parties	William Saywell	Clara Sutton
	💍 1885/2352
Condition	Bachelor	Spinster
Profession	Butcher	Nil
Age	25	25
Dwelling Place	Richmond	Richmond
Length of Residence	4 days	25 years
Marriage Place	Wesleyan Parsonage Nelson
Folio	85/2374
Consent
Date of Certificate	17 August 1885
Officiating Minister	Rev. William Henry Beck Wesleyan Church

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 1903. 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).