Intentions to Marry, 1890

Reference: Registrar-General of Births, Deaths and Marriages, Notices of intention to marry, Series 8937, R2840402, Archives New Zealand Te Rua Mahara o te Kāwanatanga, Wellington

Imaged by Luke at Archives NZ Wellington, May 23 2025

Page 175

District of Napier Quarter ending 31 March 1890 Registrar L. Jago

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

18 January 1890

Mordaunt Cromwell Winter
Caroline Torr

Mordannt Crommelin Winter
Caroline Torr
💍 1890/238

Bachelor
Spinster

Shepherd

30
24

Patoka
Napier

6 months
2 years

In the Office of the Registrar of Marriages, Napier

90/877

18 January 1890

L. Jago, Registrar

No	9
Date of Notice	18 January 1890
	Groom	Bride
Names of Parties	Mordaunt Cromwell Winter	Caroline Torr
BDM Match (92%)	Mordannt Crommelin Winter	Caroline Torr
	💍 1890/238
Condition	Bachelor	Spinster
Profession	Shepherd
Age	30	24
Dwelling Place	Patoka	Napier
Length of Residence	6 months	2 years
Marriage Place	In the Office of the Registrar of Marriages, Napier
Folio	90/877
Consent
Date of Certificate	18 January 1890
Officiating Minister	L. Jago, Registrar

20 January 1890

Samuel James Storkey
Sarah Edith Dean

Samuel James Storkey
Sarah Edith Dean
💍 1890/512

Bachelor
Spinster

Printer

24
24

Napier
Napier

15 years
6 years

Residence of the Bride's father, Milton Road, Napier

90/873

20 January 1890

Rev. J. Parkinson, Church of England

No	10
Date of Notice	20 January 1890
	Groom	Bride
Names of Parties	Samuel James Storkey	Sarah Edith Dean
	💍 1890/512
Condition	Bachelor	Spinster
Profession	Printer
Age	24	24
Dwelling Place	Napier	Napier
Length of Residence	15 years	6 years
Marriage Place	Residence of the Bride's father, Milton Road, Napier
Folio	90/873
Consent
Date of Certificate	20 January 1890
Officiating Minister	Rev. J. Parkinson, Church of England

23 January 1890

James Johnston
Laura Caroline Bedingfield

James Johnston
Laura Caroline Bealingfield
💍 1890/796

Bachelor
Spinster

Carpenter
Domestic

35
over 21

Napier
Napier

6 months
8 years

Residence of Mr. Duncan Macrae, Shakespeare Terrace, Napier

90/899

23 January 1890

Rev. J. G. Paterson, Presbyterian

No	11
Date of Notice	23 January 1890
	Groom	Bride
Names of Parties	James Johnston	Laura Caroline Bedingfield
BDM Match (96%)	James Johnston	Laura Caroline Bealingfield
	💍 1890/796
Condition	Bachelor	Spinster
Profession	Carpenter	Domestic
Age	35	over 21
Dwelling Place	Napier	Napier
Length of Residence	6 months	8 years
Marriage Place	Residence of Mr. Duncan Macrae, Shakespeare Terrace, Napier
Folio	90/899
Consent
Date of Certificate	23 January 1890
Officiating Minister	Rev. J. G. Paterson, Presbyterian

24 January 1890

Henry Collins
Winifred Hunt

Henry Collins
Winnfred Hunt
💍 1890/757

Bachelor
Spinster

Bricklayer

35
26

Hastings
Napier

14 years
20 years

Roman Catholic Chapel, Hastings

90/878

24 January 1890

Rev. Father Grogan, Catholic Priest

No	12
Date of Notice	24 January 1890
	Groom	Bride
Names of Parties	Henry Collins	Winifred Hunt
BDM Match (96%)	Henry Collins	Winnfred Hunt
	💍 1890/757
Condition	Bachelor	Spinster
Profession	Bricklayer
Age	35	26
Dwelling Place	Hastings	Napier
Length of Residence	14 years	20 years
Marriage Place	Roman Catholic Chapel, Hastings
Folio	90/878
Consent
Date of Certificate	24 January 1890
Officiating Minister	Rev. Father Grogan, Catholic Priest

25 January 1890

James O'Connor
Kate O'Neill

James O'Connor
Kate O'Neill
💍 1890/758

Bachelor
Spinster

Carter
Domestic

28
25

Puketiri
Napier

5 years
3 years

Roman Catholic Chapel, Napier

90/879

25 January 1890

Rev. Father Grogan, Napier, Catholic Priest

No	13
Date of Notice	25 January 1890
	Groom	Bride
Names of Parties	James O'Connor	Kate O'Neill
	💍 1890/758
Condition	Bachelor	Spinster
Profession	Carter	Domestic
Age	28	25
Dwelling Place	Puketiri	Napier
Length of Residence	5 years	3 years
Marriage Place	Roman Catholic Chapel, Napier
Folio	90/879
Consent
Date of Certificate	25 January 1890
Officiating Minister	Rev. Father Grogan, Napier, Catholic Priest

24 January 1890

Alfred Henry Hickson
Kate Hickey

Alfred Henry Hickson
Kate Hickey
💍 1890/759

Bachelor
Spinster

Cook
Domestic

25
23

Puketiri
Napier

1 month
4 years

Roman Catholic Chapel, Napier

90/880

24 January 1890

Rev. Father Grogan, Catholic Priest

No	14
Date of Notice	24 January 1890
	Groom	Bride
Names of Parties	Alfred Henry Hickson	Kate Hickey
	💍 1890/759
Condition	Bachelor	Spinster
Profession	Cook	Domestic
Age	25	23
Dwelling Place	Puketiri	Napier
Length of Residence	1 month	4 years
Marriage Place	Roman Catholic Chapel, Napier
Folio	90/880
Consent
Date of Certificate	24 January 1890
Officiating Minister	Rev. Father Grogan, Catholic Priest

4 February 1890

Thomas McEntyre
Mary Johnston

Thomas McIntyre
Mary Johnston
💍 1890/778

Bachelor
Spinster

Bookmaker
Domestic

28
26

Napier
Napier

10 years
1 month

Residence of Rev. J. G. Paterson, Napier

90/901

4 February 1890

Rev. J. G. Paterson, Presbyterian

No	14
Date of Notice	4 February 1890
	Groom	Bride
Names of Parties	Thomas McEntyre	Mary Johnston
BDM Match (97%)	Thomas McIntyre	Mary Johnston
	💍 1890/778
Condition	Bachelor	Spinster
Profession	Bookmaker	Domestic
Age	28	26
Dwelling Place	Napier	Napier
Length of Residence	10 years	1 month
Marriage Place	Residence of Rev. J. G. Paterson, Napier
Folio	90/901
Consent
Date of Certificate	4 February 1890
Officiating Minister	Rev. J. G. Paterson, Presbyterian

28 January 1890

Alexander Montgomery
Marion Venn

Alexander Montgomery
Marion Venn
💍 1890/508

Bachelor
Spinster

Police Constable

34
28

Napier
Napier

6 weeks
12 days

Trinity Wesleyan Church, Napier

90/876

28 January 1890

Rev. D. Mac Nicoll, Wesleyan

No	15
Date of Notice	28 January 1890
	Groom	Bride
Names of Parties	Alexander Montgomery	Marion Venn
	💍 1890/508
Condition	Bachelor	Spinster
Profession	Police Constable
Age	34	28
Dwelling Place	Napier	Napier
Length of Residence	6 weeks	12 days
Marriage Place	Trinity Wesleyan Church, Napier
Folio	90/876
Consent
Date of Certificate	28 January 1890
Officiating Minister	Rev. D. Mac Nicoll, Wesleyan

3 February 1890

Louis Hopkins
Selina Jane Maybe Johnson

Louis Hopkins
Selina Jane Moyle
💍 1890/797

Bachelor
Widow

Laborer

36
39

Napier
Napier

14 years
16 years

Residence of Rev. J. G. Paterson, Napier

90/900

3 February 1890

Rev. J. G. Paterson, Presbyterian

No	16
Date of Notice	3 February 1890
	Groom	Bride
Names of Parties	Louis Hopkins	Selina Jane Maybe Johnson
BDM Match (80%)	Louis Hopkins	Selina Jane Moyle
	💍 1890/797
Condition	Bachelor	Widow
Profession	Laborer
Age	36	39
Dwelling Place	Napier	Napier
Length of Residence	14 years	16 years
Marriage Place	Residence of Rev. J. G. Paterson, Napier
Folio	90/900
Consent
Date of Certificate	3 February 1890
Officiating Minister	Rev. J. G. Paterson, Presbyterian

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).