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 507

District of Rangitikei Quarter ending 30 June 1890 Registrar F. M. Leighton

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 March 1890

David Insoll Tucker
Barbara Gibb

David Insoll Tucker
Barbara Gibb
💍 1890/3669

Bachelor
Spinster

Farmer

25
19

Hunterville
Hunterville

2 years
2 years

The office of the Registrar of Marriages, Marton

90/1188

Proper person in colony having authority to give consent

3 April 1890

F. M. Leighton, Registrar

No	2
Date of Notice	18 March 1890
	Groom	Bride
Names of Parties	David Insoll Tucker	Barbara Gibb
	💍 1890/3669
Condition	Bachelor	Spinster
Profession	Farmer
Age	25	19
Dwelling Place	Hunterville	Hunterville
Length of Residence	2 years	2 years
Marriage Place	The office of the Registrar of Marriages, Marton
Folio	90/1188
Consent	Proper person in colony having authority to give consent
Date of Certificate	3 April 1890
Officiating Minister	F. M. Leighton, Registrar

28 March 1890

John James McDonald
Sarah Train

John James McDonald
Sarah Train
💍 1890/3806

Bachelor
Spinster

Tailor

31
21

Marton
Marton

25 years
1 year

The house of Mr. McDonald, Marton

90/1181

28 March 1890

Rev. W. Gordon, Presbyterian

No	3
Date of Notice	28 March 1890
	Groom	Bride
Names of Parties	John James McDonald	Sarah Train
	💍 1890/3806
Condition	Bachelor	Spinster
Profession	Tailor
Age	31	21
Dwelling Place	Marton	Marton
Length of Residence	25 years	1 year
Marriage Place	The house of Mr. McDonald, Marton
Folio	90/1181
Consent
Date of Certificate	28 March 1890
Officiating Minister	Rev. W. Gordon, Presbyterian

9 April 1890

Arthur Millett Hockly
Eliza Annie Pearson

Arthur Milett Hockly
Edith Annie Pearson
💍 1890/1150

Bachelor
Spinster

Labourer

23
22

Turakina
Turakina

3 years
9 years

The office of the Registrar of Marriages, Marton

90/1189

9 April 1890

F. M. Leighton, Registrar

No	4
Date of Notice	9 April 1890
	Groom	Bride
Names of Parties	Arthur Millett Hockly	Eliza Annie Pearson
BDM Match (90%)	Arthur Milett Hockly	Edith Annie Pearson
	💍 1890/1150
Condition	Bachelor	Spinster
Profession	Labourer
Age	23	22
Dwelling Place	Turakina	Turakina
Length of Residence	3 years	9 years
Marriage Place	The office of the Registrar of Marriages, Marton
Folio	90/1189
Consent
Date of Certificate	9 April 1890
Officiating Minister	F. M. Leighton, Registrar

16 April 1890

Francis Joseph Ellery
Sarah Elizabeth Harper

Francis Joseph Ellery
Sarah Elizabeth Harper
💍 1890/1140

Bachelor
Spinster

Farmer

28
19

Bulls
Bulls

3 years
16 years

The house of Mr. and family Harper, near Bulls

90/1183

Sarah Harper, Mother

16 April 1890

Rev. J. Doull, Presbyterian

No	5
Date of Notice	16 April 1890
	Groom	Bride
Names of Parties	Francis Joseph Ellery	Sarah Elizabeth Harper
	💍 1890/1140
Condition	Bachelor	Spinster
Profession	Farmer
Age	28	19
Dwelling Place	Bulls	Bulls
Length of Residence	3 years	16 years
Marriage Place	The house of Mr. and family Harper, near Bulls
Folio	90/1183
Consent	Sarah Harper, Mother
Date of Certificate	16 April 1890
Officiating Minister	Rev. J. Doull, Presbyterian

28 April 1890

Peter Dodds Hogg
Elizabeth Mary McDonald

Peter Dodds Hogg
Elizabeth Mary McDonald
💍 1890/2726

Bachelor
Spinster

Draper

29
22

Turakina
Turakina

3 days
3 days

The Presbyterian Church, Turakina

90/2757

28 April 1890

Rev. John Ross, Presbyterian

No	6
Date of Notice	28 April 1890
	Groom	Bride
Names of Parties	Peter Dodds Hogg	Elizabeth Mary McDonald
	💍 1890/2726
Condition	Bachelor	Spinster
Profession	Draper
Age	29	22
Dwelling Place	Turakina	Turakina
Length of Residence	3 days	3 days
Marriage Place	The Presbyterian Church, Turakina
Folio	90/2757
Consent
Date of Certificate	28 April 1890
Officiating Minister	Rev. John Ross, Presbyterian

29 April 1890

James Mills
Elizabeth Mary Cole

James Wills
Elizabeth Mary Cole
💍 1890/3636

Bachelor
Spinster

Farmer

31
24

Bulls
Bulls

15 months
15 years

The Presbyterian Manse, Bulls

90/1184

29 April 1890

Rev. J. Doull, Presbyterian

No	7
Date of Notice	29 April 1890
	Groom	Bride
Names of Parties	James Mills	Elizabeth Mary Cole
BDM Match (95%)	James Wills	Elizabeth Mary Cole
	💍 1890/3636
Condition	Bachelor	Spinster
Profession	Farmer
Age	31	24
Dwelling Place	Bulls	Bulls
Length of Residence	15 months	15 years
Marriage Place	The Presbyterian Manse, Bulls
Folio	90/1184
Consent
Date of Certificate	29 April 1890
Officiating Minister	Rev. J. Doull, Presbyterian

3 May 1890

Samuel Henry Bartlett
Ellen Thoms

Samuel Henry Bartlett
Ellen Thoms
💍 1890/3635

Bachelor
Spinster

Farmer

22
22

Parakaretu
Porewa

3 years
22 years

The house of Mr. Charles Thoms, Porewa

90/1180

3 May 1890

Rev. Thos. Fee, Wesleyan

No	8
Date of Notice	3 May 1890
	Groom	Bride
Names of Parties	Samuel Henry Bartlett	Ellen Thoms
	💍 1890/3635
Condition	Bachelor	Spinster
Profession	Farmer
Age	22	22
Dwelling Place	Parakaretu	Porewa
Length of Residence	3 years	22 years
Marriage Place	The house of Mr. Charles Thoms, Porewa
Folio	90/1180
Consent
Date of Certificate	3 May 1890
Officiating Minister	Rev. Thos. Fee, Wesleyan

5 May 1890

Mark Blake
Fanny Orchard

Mark Blake
Fanny Orchard
💍 1890/3637

Widower
Widow

Shepherd
Housekeeper

60
50

Heaton Park
Bulls

8 years
9 months

The house occupied by Mark Blake, Heaton Park

90/1185

5 May 1890

Rev. J. Doull, Presbyterian

No	9
Date of Notice	5 May 1890
	Groom	Bride
Names of Parties	Mark Blake	Fanny Orchard
	💍 1890/3637
Condition	Widower	Widow
Profession	Shepherd	Housekeeper
Age	60	50
Dwelling Place	Heaton Park	Bulls
Length of Residence	8 years	9 months
Marriage Place	The house occupied by Mark Blake, Heaton Park
Folio	90/1185
Consent
Date of Certificate	5 May 1890
Officiating Minister	Rev. J. Doull, Presbyterian

12 May 1890

Samuel Percy Lethbridge
Catherine Duff Ross

Bennet Perry Lethbridge
Catherine Duff Ross
💍 1890/2725

Bachelor
Spinster

Farmer

24
22

Turakina
Turakina

24 years
18 years

The Presbyterian Church, Turakina

90/2756

12 May 1890

Rev. J. Ross, Presbyterian

No	10
Date of Notice	12 May 1890
	Groom	Bride
Names of Parties	Samuel Percy Lethbridge	Catherine Duff Ross
BDM Match (87%)	Bennet Perry Lethbridge	Catherine Duff Ross
	💍 1890/2725
Condition	Bachelor	Spinster
Profession	Farmer
Age	24	22
Dwelling Place	Turakina	Turakina
Length of Residence	24 years	18 years
Marriage Place	The Presbyterian Church, Turakina
Folio	90/2756
Consent
Date of Certificate	12 May 1890
Officiating Minister	Rev. J. Ross, Presbyterian

17 May 1890

Thomas William Dower
Margaret Wilhelmina Ainsworth Morrison

Thomas William Downes
Margaret Wilhelmina Naismith Thomson
💍 1890/3638

Bachelor
Spinster

Cabinet maker

23
27

Bulls
Bulls

9 years
8 years

The house of Mr. Andrew Thomson, Bulls

90/1186

17 May 1890

Rev. J. Doull, Presbyterian

No	11
Date of Notice	17 May 1890
	Groom	Bride
Names of Parties	Thomas William Dower	Margaret Wilhelmina Ainsworth Morrison
BDM Match (81%)	Thomas William Downes	Margaret Wilhelmina Naismith Thomson
	💍 1890/3638
Condition	Bachelor	Spinster
Profession	Cabinet maker
Age	23	27
Dwelling Place	Bulls	Bulls
Length of Residence	9 years	8 years
Marriage Place	The house of Mr. Andrew Thomson, Bulls
Folio	90/1186
Consent
Date of Certificate	17 May 1890
Officiating Minister	Rev. J. Doull, 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).