Intentions to Marry, 1889

Reference: Registrar-General of Births, Deaths and Marriages, Notices of intention to marry, Series 8937, R2840401, Archives New Zealand Te Rua Mahara o te Kāwanatanga, Wellington

Imaged by Carole at Archives NZ Wellington, May 23 2025

Page 909

District of Wellington Quarter ending 30 September 1889

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

191

15 July 1889

S. Clair Goreman
Julia Copeland

St Clair Jounnax
Julia Copeland
💍 1889/2064

Bachelor
Spinster

Storeman

21
24

Lower Hutt
do

years
do

House of Mr Copeland, Waiwetu

89/2095

15 July 1889

Rev. W. J. Gow

No	191
Date of Notice	15 July 1889
	Groom	Bride
Names of Parties	S. Clair Goreman	Julia Copeland
BDM Match (81%)	St Clair Jounnax	Julia Copeland
	💍 1889/2064
Condition	Bachelor	Spinster
Profession	Storeman
Age	21	24
Dwelling Place	Lower Hutt	do
Length of Residence	years	do
Marriage Place	House of Mr Copeland, Waiwetu
Folio	89/2095
Consent
Date of Certificate	15 July 1889
Officiating Minister	Rev. W. J. Gow

192

17 July 1889

Frederick William Beats
Emma Grace Faithfull

Frederick William Beale
Emma Grace Faithfull
💍 1889/1994

Bachelor
Widow

Clerk

29
32

Wellington
Lower Hutt

years
do

St. James Church, Lower Hutt

89/2095

17 July 1889

Rev. Joshua Jones

No	192
Date of Notice	17 July 1889
	Groom	Bride
Names of Parties	Frederick William Beats	Emma Grace Faithfull
BDM Match (96%)	Frederick William Beale	Emma Grace Faithfull
	💍 1889/1994
Condition	Bachelor	Widow
Profession	Clerk
Age	29	32
Dwelling Place	Wellington	Lower Hutt
Length of Residence	years	do
Marriage Place	St. James Church, Lower Hutt
Folio	89/2095
Consent
Date of Certificate	17 July 1889
Officiating Minister	Rev. Joshua Jones

193

17 July 1889

James Milne
Helen Gordon Howitt

James Milne
Helen Gordon Howett
💍 1889/3530

Bachelor
Spinster

Teacher

34
26

Wellington
do

5 days
3 do

House of the Rev. G. S. Hogg

89/3605

17 July 1889

Rev. G. S. Hogg

No	193
Date of Notice	17 July 1889
	Groom	Bride
Names of Parties	James Milne	Helen Gordon Howitt
BDM Match (97%)	James Milne	Helen Gordon Howett
	💍 1889/3530
Condition	Bachelor	Spinster
Profession	Teacher
Age	34	26
Dwelling Place	Wellington	do
Length of Residence	5 days	3 do
Marriage Place	House of the Rev. G. S. Hogg
Folio	89/3605
Consent
Date of Certificate	17 July 1889
Officiating Minister	Rev. G. S. Hogg

194

18 July 1889

James Reid Hamill
Bridget Denny

James Reid Hamill
Bridget Denny
💍 1889/2002

Bachelor
Spinster

Mariner

30
25

Wellington
do

years
7 months

St. Mary of the Angels

89/2061

16 July 1889

Rev. P. Kennedy

No	194
Date of Notice	18 July 1889
	Groom	Bride
Names of Parties	James Reid Hamill	Bridget Denny
	💍 1889/2002
Condition	Bachelor	Spinster
Profession	Mariner
Age	30	25
Dwelling Place	Wellington	do
Length of Residence	years	7 months
Marriage Place	St. Mary of the Angels
Folio	89/2061
Consent
Date of Certificate	16 July 1889
Officiating Minister	Rev. P. Kennedy

195

19 July 1889

Edward Frost
Mary Ann Dunn

Edward Frost
Mary Ann Dunn
💍 1889/1993

Bachelor
Spinster

Carpenter

29
23

Wellington
do

years
do

89/2074

19 July 1889

No	195
Date of Notice	19 July 1889
	Groom	Bride
Names of Parties	Edward Frost	Mary Ann Dunn
	💍 1889/1993
Condition	Bachelor	Spinster
Profession	Carpenter
Age	29	23
Dwelling Place	Wellington	do
Length of Residence	years	do
Marriage Place
Folio	89/2074
Consent
Date of Certificate	19 July 1889
Officiating Minister

196

20 July 1889

James Brown
Mary Every

James Brown
Mary Avery
💍 1889/2103

James Brown
Mary Matilda Orbell
💍 1889/3108

Walter Brown
Mary Jane Gray
💍 1889/3239

James Brown
Lucy Grigg
💍 1889/1210

Widower
Spinster

Labourer

39
38

Upper Hutt
Te Aro

years
do

Registrar's Office, Wellington

89/2124

20 July 1889

Mr. I. Wyall

No	196
Date of Notice	20 July 1889
	Groom	Bride
Names of Parties	James Brown	Mary Every
BDM Match (95%)	James Brown	Mary Avery
	💍 1889/2103
BDM Match (66%)	James Brown	Mary Matilda Orbell
	💍 1889/3108
BDM Match (62%)	Walter Brown	Mary Jane Gray
	💍 1889/3239
BDM Match (60%)	James Brown	Lucy Grigg
	💍 1889/1210
Condition	Widower	Spinster
Profession	Labourer
Age	39	38
Dwelling Place	Upper Hutt	Te Aro
Length of Residence	years	do
Marriage Place	Registrar's Office, Wellington
Folio	89/2124
Consent
Date of Certificate	20 July 1889
Officiating Minister	Mr. I. Wyall

197

20 July 1889

William Francis
Anna Johnson

William Francis
Anna Johnson
💍 1889/2104

Bachelor
Spinster

Labourer

30
19

Upper Hutt
do

years
do

Registrar's Office, Wellington

89/2113

James Johnson, Father

20 July 1889

Mr. I. Wyall

No	197
Date of Notice	20 July 1889
	Groom	Bride
Names of Parties	William Francis	Anna Johnson
	💍 1889/2104
Condition	Bachelor	Spinster
Profession	Labourer
Age	30	19
Dwelling Place	Upper Hutt	do
Length of Residence	years	do
Marriage Place	Registrar's Office, Wellington
Folio	89/2113
Consent	James Johnson, Father
Date of Certificate	20 July 1889
Officiating Minister	Mr. I. Wyall

198

22 July 1889

John Goss
Elizabeth Inviess

John Goss
Elizabeth Juniss
💍 1889/2000

Bachelor
Spinster

Hair Dresser

24
18

Wellington
do

3 days
do

St. Marks Church

89/2080

Henry Inviess, Father

22 July 1889

Rev. R. Coffey

No	198
Date of Notice	22 July 1889
	Groom	Bride
Names of Parties	John Goss	Elizabeth Inviess
BDM Match (88%)	John Goss	Elizabeth Juniss
	💍 1889/2000
Condition	Bachelor	Spinster
Profession	Hair Dresser
Age	24	18
Dwelling Place	Wellington	do
Length of Residence	3 days	do
Marriage Place	St. Marks Church
Folio	89/2080
Consent	Henry Inviess, Father
Date of Certificate	22 July 1889
Officiating Minister	Rev. R. Coffey

199

23 July 1889

John Guillum Scott
Miriam Emma Lepper

John Guillam Scott
Miriam Emma Tepper
💍 1889/2058

Bachelor
Spinster

Banker

33
20

Wellington
do

3 days
do

St. Marks Church

89/2081

Joseph Lepper, Father

23 July 1889

Rev. R. Coffey

No	199
Date of Notice	23 July 1889
	Groom	Bride
Names of Parties	John Guillum Scott	Miriam Emma Lepper
BDM Match (94%)	John Guillam Scott	Miriam Emma Tepper
	💍 1889/2058
Condition	Bachelor	Spinster
Profession	Banker
Age	33	20
Dwelling Place	Wellington	do
Length of Residence	3 days	do
Marriage Place	St. Marks Church
Folio	89/2081
Consent	Joseph Lepper, Father
Date of Certificate	23 July 1889
Officiating Minister	Rev. R. Coffey

200

23 July 1889

John William Rickman
Catherine Bosher

John William Rickman
Catherine Bosher
💍 1889/2105

Widower
Spinster

Bootmaker

34
20

Wellington
do

years
do

Registrar's Office, Wellington

89/2114

Thomas Bosher, Father

23 July 1889

Mr. I. Wyall

No	200
Date of Notice	23 July 1889
	Groom	Bride
Names of Parties	John William Rickman	Catherine Bosher
	💍 1889/2105
Condition	Widower	Spinster
Profession	Bootmaker
Age	34	20
Dwelling Place	Wellington	do
Length of Residence	years	do
Marriage Place	Registrar's Office, Wellington
Folio	89/2114
Consent	Thomas Bosher, Father
Date of Certificate	23 July 1889
Officiating Minister	Mr. I. Wyall

201

26 July 1889

Charles Thomas Emery
Mary Hefferman

Charles Thomas Emeny
Mary Hefferman
💍 1889/2066

Bachelor
Spinster

Plasterer

21
20

Wellington
do

years
do

House of Mrs Hefferman, Ingestre Street

89/2097

Kate Hefferman, Mother

26 July 1889

Rev. W. Powell

No	201
Date of Notice	26 July 1889
	Groom	Bride
Names of Parties	Charles Thomas Emery	Mary Hefferman
BDM Match (98%)	Charles Thomas Emeny	Mary Hefferman
	💍 1889/2066
Condition	Bachelor	Spinster
Profession	Plasterer
Age	21	20
Dwelling Place	Wellington	do
Length of Residence	years	do
Marriage Place	House of Mrs Hefferman, Ingestre Street
Folio	89/2097
Consent	Kate Hefferman, Mother
Date of Certificate	26 July 1889
Officiating Minister	Rev. W. Powell

202

26 July 1889

Christopher Barthimius Thortgorensen
Amelia Sutherland

Christoffer Marthimius Thorbjorensen
Amelia Sutherland
💍 1889/2106

Bachelor
Widow

Labourer

31
32

Wellington
do

years
do

Registrar's Office, Wellington

89/2115

26 July 1889

Mr. I. Wyall

No	202
Date of Notice	26 July 1889
	Groom	Bride
Names of Parties	Christopher Barthimius Thortgorensen	Amelia Sutherland
BDM Match (93%)	Christoffer Marthimius Thorbjorensen	Amelia Sutherland
	💍 1889/2106
Condition	Bachelor	Widow
Profession	Labourer
Age	31	32
Dwelling Place	Wellington	do
Length of Residence	years	do
Marriage Place	Registrar's Office, Wellington
Folio	89/2115
Consent
Date of Certificate	26 July 1889
Officiating Minister	Mr. I. Wyall

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).