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 246

District of Christchurch Quarter ending 31 March 1890 Registrar Henry Adams

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

1 February 1890

Edward Bridges
Ada Bertha Campbell

Edward Bridges
Ada Bertha Campbell
💍 1890/380

Bachelor
Spinster

Confectioner

25
21

Christchurch
Christchurch

13 years
21 years

St. Luke's Church, Manchester Street Ch Ch

90/474

1 February 1890

The Archdeacon Lingard, Church of England

No	32
Date of Notice	1 February 1890
	Groom	Bride
Names of Parties	Edward Bridges	Ada Bertha Campbell
	💍 1890/380
Condition	Bachelor	Spinster
Profession	Confectioner
Age	25	21
Dwelling Place	Christchurch	Christchurch
Length of Residence	13 years	21 years
Marriage Place	St. Luke's Church, Manchester Street Ch Ch
Folio	90/474
Consent
Date of Certificate	1 February 1890
Officiating Minister	The Archdeacon Lingard, Church of England

1 February 1890

James Reay
Maria Lewis

James Reay
Maria Lewis
💍 1890/104

Bachelor
Spinster

Bootmaker

29
26

Christchurch
Christchurch

4 years
2 years

House of Mr. Patten, 298 Colombo Street Ch Ch

90/459

1 February 1890

Rev. W. S. Potter, Primitive Methodist

No	33
Date of Notice	1 February 1890
	Groom	Bride
Names of Parties	James Reay	Maria Lewis
	💍 1890/104
Condition	Bachelor	Spinster
Profession	Bootmaker
Age	29	26
Dwelling Place	Christchurch	Christchurch
Length of Residence	4 years	2 years
Marriage Place	House of Mr. Patten, 298 Colombo Street Ch Ch
Folio	90/459
Consent
Date of Certificate	1 February 1890
Officiating Minister	Rev. W. S. Potter, Primitive Methodist

1 February 1890

Stephen Harper
Sarah Elizabeth Chapman

Stephen Harper
Sarah Elizabeth Chapman
💍 1890/96

Bachelor
Spinster

Painter
Governess

28
23

Christchurch
Christchurch

25 years
8 years

Free Methodist Church

90/508

1 February 1890

Rev. S. Macfarlane, Free Methodist

No	34
Date of Notice	1 February 1890
	Groom	Bride
Names of Parties	Stephen Harper	Sarah Elizabeth Chapman
	💍 1890/96
Condition	Bachelor	Spinster
Profession	Painter	Governess
Age	28	23
Dwelling Place	Christchurch	Christchurch
Length of Residence	25 years	8 years
Marriage Place	Free Methodist Church
Folio	90/508
Consent
Date of Certificate	1 February 1890
Officiating Minister	Rev. S. Macfarlane, Free Methodist

1 February 1890

William Prescott Sly
Margaret Oliphant McIntosh

William Prescott Sly
Margaret Oliphaunt McIntosh
💍 1890/473

Bachelor
Spinster

Millwright

26
19

Christchurch
Christchurch

10 months
8 years

Registrar's Office

90/546

Henry Adams, Father

1 February 1890

Dpty Registrar of Marriages, Henry Adams

No	35
Date of Notice	1 February 1890
	Groom	Bride
Names of Parties	William Prescott Sly	Margaret Oliphant McIntosh
BDM Match (98%)	William Prescott Sly	Margaret Oliphaunt McIntosh
	💍 1890/473
Condition	Bachelor	Spinster
Profession	Millwright
Age	26	19
Dwelling Place	Christchurch	Christchurch
Length of Residence	10 months	8 years
Marriage Place	Registrar's Office
Folio	90/546
Consent	Henry Adams, Father
Date of Certificate	1 February 1890
Officiating Minister	Dpty Registrar of Marriages, Henry Adams

3 February 1890

Charles Martin Eves
Elizabeth Jean Hornby

Charles Martin Evans
Elizabeth Jean Hornby
💍 1890/101

Widower
Widow

Platelayer

53
37

Christchurch
Christchurch

6 days
6 days

Wesleyan Church, Colombo Road Sydenham

90/486

3 February 1890

Rev. L. M. Isitt, Wesleyan

No	36
Date of Notice	3 February 1890
	Groom	Bride
Names of Parties	Charles Martin Eves	Elizabeth Jean Hornby
BDM Match (95%)	Charles Martin Evans	Elizabeth Jean Hornby
	💍 1890/101
Condition	Widower	Widow
Profession	Platelayer
Age	53	37
Dwelling Place	Christchurch	Christchurch
Length of Residence	6 days	6 days
Marriage Place	Wesleyan Church, Colombo Road Sydenham
Folio	90/486
Consent
Date of Certificate	3 February 1890
Officiating Minister	Rev. L. M. Isitt, Wesleyan

3 February 1890

Edwin Hovis
Susan Parkes

Edwin Novis
Susan Parkes
💍 1890/398

Bachelor
Spinster

Striker
Dressmaker

25
23

Christchurch
Christchurch

23 years
18 years

St. Mary's Church, Addington

90/529

3 February 1890

Rev. H. R. East, Church of England

No	37
Date of Notice	3 February 1890
	Groom	Bride
Names of Parties	Edwin Hovis	Susan Parkes
BDM Match (95%)	Edwin Novis	Susan Parkes
	💍 1890/398
Condition	Bachelor	Spinster
Profession	Striker	Dressmaker
Age	25	23
Dwelling Place	Christchurch	Christchurch
Length of Residence	23 years	18 years
Marriage Place	St. Mary's Church, Addington
Folio	90/529
Consent
Date of Certificate	3 February 1890
Officiating Minister	Rev. H. R. East, Church of England

5 February 1890

Walter Vincent Thiele
Annie Louisa Philpott

Walter Vincent Thiele
Anne Louisa Philpott
💍 1890/102

Bachelor
Spinster

Clerk

17
18

Christchurch
Christchurch

17 years
18 years

House of William Philpott, Albemarle Street Sydenham

90/487

Jane Thiele, mother; William Philpott, father

5 February 1890

Rev. L. M. Isitt, Wesleyan

No	38
Date of Notice	5 February 1890
	Groom	Bride
Names of Parties	Walter Vincent Thiele	Annie Louisa Philpott
BDM Match (98%)	Walter Vincent Thiele	Anne Louisa Philpott
	💍 1890/102
Condition	Bachelor	Spinster
Profession	Clerk
Age	17	18
Dwelling Place	Christchurch	Christchurch
Length of Residence	17 years	18 years
Marriage Place	House of William Philpott, Albemarle Street Sydenham
Folio	90/487
Consent	Jane Thiele, mother; William Philpott, father
Date of Certificate	5 February 1890
Officiating Minister	Rev. L. M. Isitt, Wesleyan

5 February 1890

David Sealand Bowman
Amy Sarah Jones

David Sealand Bowman
Amy Sarah Tomes
💍 1890/93

Bachelor
Spinster

Auctioneer

26
28

Christchurch
Christchurch

26 years
20 years

St. Mary's Church, Merivale

90/505

5 February 1890

Rev. Thomas Flavell, Church of England

No	39
Date of Notice	5 February 1890
	Groom	Bride
Names of Parties	David Sealand Bowman	Amy Sarah Jones
BDM Match (93%)	David Sealand Bowman	Amy Sarah Tomes
	💍 1890/93
Condition	Bachelor	Spinster
Profession	Auctioneer
Age	26	28
Dwelling Place	Christchurch	Christchurch
Length of Residence	26 years	20 years
Marriage Place	St. Mary's Church, Merivale
Folio	90/505
Consent
Date of Certificate	5 February 1890
Officiating Minister	Rev. Thomas Flavell, Church of England

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).