Intentions to Marry, 1886

Reference: Registrar-General of Births, Deaths and Marriages, Notices of intention to marry, Series 8937, R2840398, Archives New Zealand Te Rua Mahara o te Kāwanatanga, Wellington

Imaged by Luke at Archives NZ Wellington, May 14 2025

Page 1001

District of Christchurch Quarter ending 30 September 1886 Registrar J. M. Mallinson

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

250

12 July 1886

William Davenport
Elizabeth Kinley

William Dempsey
Elizabeth Kinley
💍 1886/2284

Bachelor
Spinster

Labourer

29
19

Spreydon
St. Albans

11 years
2 years

House of James Kinley

86/2232

James Kinley, father

12 July 1886

Rev. R. Erwin, Presbyterian

No	250
Date of Notice	12 July 1886
	Groom	Bride
Names of Parties	William Davenport	Elizabeth Kinley
BDM Match (82%)	William Dempsey	Elizabeth Kinley
	💍 1886/2284
Condition	Bachelor	Spinster
Profession	Labourer
Age	29	19
Dwelling Place	Spreydon	St. Albans
Length of Residence	11 years	2 years
Marriage Place	House of James Kinley
Folio	86/2232
Consent	James Kinley, father
Date of Certificate	12 July 1886
Officiating Minister	Rev. R. Erwin, Presbyterian

251

12 July 1886

Adams Scott
Amelia Harriet Seifert

Adam Scott
Amelia Harriet Siefert
💍 1886/2564

Widower
Spinster

Shepherd

42
21

Christchurch
Christchurch

2 months
6 weeks

House of Rev. J. Mc. Intosh, Peterboro'

86/2545

Mark Anderson, Mother

12 July 1886

Rev. J. Plunsbie, Presbyterian

No	251
Date of Notice	12 July 1886
	Groom	Bride
Names of Parties	Adams Scott	Amelia Harriet Seifert
BDM Match (91%)	Adam Scott	Amelia Harriet Siefert
	💍 1886/2564
Condition	Widower	Spinster
Profession	Shepherd
Age	42	21
Dwelling Place	Christchurch	Christchurch
Length of Residence	2 months	6 weeks
Marriage Place	House of Rev. J. Mc. Intosh, Peterboro'
Folio	86/2545
Consent	Mark Anderson, Mother
Date of Certificate	12 July 1886
Officiating Minister	Rev. J. Plunsbie, Presbyterian

252

12 July 1886

George Isabella Anderson
Groves Horner

Bachelor
Spinster

Farmer

17
17

Paparua Street
Paparua Street

17 years
17 years

House of Rev. J. Mc. Intosh, Peterboro'

86/2545

William Horner, Father, Mark Anderson, Mother

12 July 1886

Rev. J. Plunsbie, Presbyterian

No	252
Date of Notice	12 July 1886
	Groom	Bride
Names of Parties	George Isabella Anderson	Groves Horner
Condition	Bachelor	Spinster
Profession	Farmer
Age	17	17
Dwelling Place	Paparua Street	Paparua Street
Length of Residence	17 years	17 years
Marriage Place	House of Rev. J. Mc. Intosh, Peterboro'
Folio	86/2545
Consent	William Horner, Father, Mark Anderson, Mother
Date of Certificate	12 July 1886
Officiating Minister	Rev. J. Plunsbie, Presbyterian

253

13 July 1886

Charles Davis Lightband
Margaret Adams

Charles Davis Lightband
Margaret Adams
💍 1886/2308

Bachelor
Spinster

Warehouseman

26
22

Christchurch
Christchurch

13 years
4 years

Registrars Office

86/2256

13 July 1886

J. M. Mallinson

No	253
Date of Notice	13 July 1886
	Groom	Bride
Names of Parties	Charles Davis Lightband	Margaret Adams
	💍 1886/2308
Condition	Bachelor	Spinster
Profession	Warehouseman
Age	26	22
Dwelling Place	Christchurch	Christchurch
Length of Residence	13 years	4 years
Marriage Place	Registrars Office
Folio	86/2256
Consent
Date of Certificate	13 July 1886
Officiating Minister	J. M. Mallinson

254

16 July 1886

Johann Ludwig Felsenfeld
Sophia Diffner

Bachelor
Widow

Labourer
Housekeeper

38
42

Christchurch
Christchurch

1 year
3 years

Registrars Office

86/2257

16 July 1886

J. M. Mallinson

No	254
Date of Notice	16 July 1886
	Groom	Bride
Names of Parties	Johann Ludwig Felsenfeld	Sophia Diffner
Condition	Bachelor	Widow
Profession	Labourer	Housekeeper
Age	38	42
Dwelling Place	Christchurch	Christchurch
Length of Residence	1 year	3 years
Marriage Place	Registrars Office
Folio	86/2257
Consent
Date of Certificate	16 July 1886
Officiating Minister	J. M. Mallinson

255

19 July 1886

Charles Effey
Mary Ann Kemp

Charles Effey
Mary Ann Kemp
💍 1886/2312

Widower
Spinster

Upholsterer
Servant

47
32

Christchurch
Christchurch

7 years
7 years

House of Rev. J. R. Cairns, South Belt

86/2274

19 July 1886

Rev. J. R. Cairns, Presbyterian

No	255
Date of Notice	19 July 1886
	Groom	Bride
Names of Parties	Charles Effey	Mary Ann Kemp
	💍 1886/2312
Condition	Widower	Spinster
Profession	Upholsterer	Servant
Age	47	32
Dwelling Place	Christchurch	Christchurch
Length of Residence	7 years	7 years
Marriage Place	House of Rev. J. R. Cairns, South Belt
Folio	86/2274
Consent
Date of Certificate	19 July 1886
Officiating Minister	Rev. J. R. Cairns, Presbyterian

256

19 July 1886

Montague Wooley
Annie Taylor Hibbert

Montague Mosley
Annie Taylor Hibbert
💍 1886/3427

Divorced
Spinster

Journalist

50
23

Christchurch
Christchurch

5 years
15 years

St. Johns Church

86/3490

19 July 1886

Church of England

No	256
Date of Notice	19 July 1886
	Groom	Bride
Names of Parties	Montague Wooley	Annie Taylor Hibbert
BDM Match (93%)	Montague Mosley	Annie Taylor Hibbert
	💍 1886/3427
Condition	Divorced	Spinster
Profession	Journalist
Age	50	23
Dwelling Place	Christchurch	Christchurch
Length of Residence	5 years	15 years
Marriage Place	St. Johns Church
Folio	86/3490
Consent
Date of Certificate	19 July 1886
Officiating Minister	Church of England

257

20 July 1886

Alfred Henry Britton
Lucy Margaret Carlyle

Alfred Henry Britton
Lucy Margaret Carlyle
💍 1886/2262

Bachelor
Spinster

Blacksmith
Servant

31
25

Christchurch
Christchurch

3 days
3 weeks

House of Rev. W. Reall

86/2246

20 July 1886

Rev. W. Reall, Wesleyan

No	257
Date of Notice	20 July 1886
	Groom	Bride
Names of Parties	Alfred Henry Britton	Lucy Margaret Carlyle
	💍 1886/2262
Condition	Bachelor	Spinster
Profession	Blacksmith	Servant
Age	31	25
Dwelling Place	Christchurch	Christchurch
Length of Residence	3 days	3 weeks
Marriage Place	House of Rev. W. Reall
Folio	86/2246
Consent
Date of Certificate	20 July 1886
Officiating Minister	Rev. W. Reall, Wesleyan

258

23 July 1886

David Wilson Hamilton
Esther Ellis

David Wilson Hamilton
Esther Ellis
💍 1886/2310

Bachelor
Spinster

Coachman
Servant

36
40

Christchurch
Christchurch

20 years
4 years

Registrars Office

86/2258

23 July 1886

J. M. Mallinson

No	258
Date of Notice	23 July 1886
	Groom	Bride
Names of Parties	David Wilson Hamilton	Esther Ellis
	💍 1886/2310
Condition	Bachelor	Spinster
Profession	Coachman	Servant
Age	36	40
Dwelling Place	Christchurch	Christchurch
Length of Residence	20 years	4 years
Marriage Place	Registrars Office
Folio	86/2258
Consent
Date of Certificate	23 July 1886
Officiating Minister	J. M. Mallinson

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).