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 978

District of Wairau Quarter ending 30 September 1890 Registrar John James Winsbury White

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

2 July 1890

Arthur John McCusker
Helen Mary Fiven

Arthur John McCusker
Helen Mary Fiven
💍 1890/2437

Bachelor
Spinster

Assistant Photographer

21 years
20 years

Blenheim
Southside Blenheim

9 years
15 years

The Roman Catholic Church, Blenheim

90/2328

Margaret Fiven, mother

2 July 1890

Rev. W. J. Lewis

No	18
Date of Notice	2 July 1890
	Groom	Bride
Names of Parties	Arthur John McCusker	Helen Mary Fiven
	💍 1890/2437
Condition	Bachelor	Spinster
Profession	Assistant Photographer
Age	21 years	20 years
Dwelling Place	Blenheim	Southside Blenheim
Length of Residence	9 years	15 years
Marriage Place	The Roman Catholic Church, Blenheim
Folio	90/2328
Consent	Margaret Fiven, mother
Date of Certificate	2 July 1890
Officiating Minister	Rev. W. J. Lewis

5 July 1890

James Gill
Mary Jane Workman

James Gill
Mary Jane Workman
💍 1890/2427

Bachelor
Spinster

Labourer

28 years
21 years

Kekerengu
Kekerengu

28 years
11 months

The Schoolhouse, Kekerengu

90/2341

5 July 1890

Rev. John McAra

No	19
Date of Notice	5 July 1890
	Groom	Bride
Names of Parties	James Gill	Mary Jane Workman
	💍 1890/2427
Condition	Bachelor	Spinster
Profession	Labourer
Age	28 years	21 years
Dwelling Place	Kekerengu	Kekerengu
Length of Residence	28 years	11 months
Marriage Place	The Schoolhouse, Kekerengu
Folio	90/2341
Consent
Date of Certificate	5 July 1890
Officiating Minister	Rev. John McAra

5 July 1890

James McHattie
Mary Elizabeth Mears

James McHattie
Mary Elizabeth Mears
💍 1890/2420

Bachelor
Spinster

Postal Clerk

30 years
22 years

Blenheim
South Side, Blenheim

10 years
21 years

The House of Mr. George Riley, Renwick New Road

90/2334

5 July 1890

Rev. W. O. Robb

No	20
Date of Notice	5 July 1890
	Groom	Bride
Names of Parties	James McHattie	Mary Elizabeth Mears
	💍 1890/2420
Condition	Bachelor	Spinster
Profession	Postal Clerk
Age	30 years	22 years
Dwelling Place	Blenheim	South Side, Blenheim
Length of Residence	10 years	21 years
Marriage Place	The House of Mr. George Riley, Renwick New Road
Folio	90/2334
Consent
Date of Certificate	5 July 1890
Officiating Minister	Rev. W. O. Robb

11 July 1890

Robert Henry Smale
Emma Louisa Leighton

Robert Henry Smale
Emma Louisa Leighton
💍 1890/2421

Bachelor
Spinster

Draper
Dressmaker

36 years
25 years

Blenheim
Blenheim

7 years 9 months
about 3 months

The House of Mr. James Hay, Maxwell Road, Blenheim

90/2335

11 July 1890

Rev. W. O. Robb

No	21
Date of Notice	11 July 1890
	Groom	Bride
Names of Parties	Robert Henry Smale	Emma Louisa Leighton
	💍 1890/2421
Condition	Bachelor	Spinster
Profession	Draper	Dressmaker
Age	36 years	25 years
Dwelling Place	Blenheim	Blenheim
Length of Residence	7 years 9 months	about 3 months
Marriage Place	The House of Mr. James Hay, Maxwell Road, Blenheim
Folio	90/2335
Consent
Date of Certificate	11 July 1890
Officiating Minister	Rev. W. O. Robb

16 July 1890

Tasman Rayner
Margaret Cameron

Tasman Rayner
Margaret Cameron
💍 1890/2423

Bachelor
Spinster

Labourer

30 years
27 years

Springlands
Blenheim

about 12 years
27 years

The Office of the Registrar of Marriages, Blenheim

90/2337

16 July 1890

Registrar of Marriages, Blenheim

No	22
Date of Notice	16 July 1890
	Groom	Bride
Names of Parties	Tasman Rayner	Margaret Cameron
	💍 1890/2423
Condition	Bachelor	Spinster
Profession	Labourer
Age	30 years	27 years
Dwelling Place	Springlands	Blenheim
Length of Residence	about 12 years	27 years
Marriage Place	The Office of the Registrar of Marriages, Blenheim
Folio	90/2337
Consent
Date of Certificate	16 July 1890
Officiating Minister	Registrar of Marriages, Blenheim

21 July 1890

John Charles Fitzgerald
Margaret O'Sullivan

John Charles Fitzgerald
Margaret O'Sullivan
💍 1890/2438

Bachelor
Spinster

Farmer

25 years
26 years

Renwick New Road
Redwoodtown

25 years
6 years

The Roman Catholic Church, Blenheim

90/2329

21 July 1890

Rev. W. J. Lewis

No	23
Date of Notice	21 July 1890
	Groom	Bride
Names of Parties	John Charles Fitzgerald	Margaret O'Sullivan
	💍 1890/2438
Condition	Bachelor	Spinster
Profession	Farmer
Age	25 years	26 years
Dwelling Place	Renwick New Road	Redwoodtown
Length of Residence	25 years	6 years
Marriage Place	The Roman Catholic Church, Blenheim
Folio	90/2329
Consent
Date of Certificate	21 July 1890
Officiating Minister	Rev. W. J. Lewis

23 July 1890

Richard George Mills
Alice Aroa

Richard George Mills
Alice Aroa
💍 1890/2424

Bachelor
Spinster

Labourer
Domestic Servant

20 years
16 years

Renwicktown
Renwicktown

10 years
16 years

The office of the Registrar of Marriages, Blenheim

90/2338

Richard Mills, Father; Ann Aroa, mother

23 July 1890

Registrar of Marriages Blenheim

No	24
Date of Notice	23 July 1890
	Groom	Bride
Names of Parties	Richard George Mills	Alice Aroa
	💍 1890/2424
Condition	Bachelor	Spinster
Profession	Labourer	Domestic Servant
Age	20 years	16 years
Dwelling Place	Renwicktown	Renwicktown
Length of Residence	10 years	16 years
Marriage Place	The office of the Registrar of Marriages, Blenheim
Folio	90/2338
Consent	Richard Mills, Father; Ann Aroa, mother
Date of Certificate	23 July 1890
Officiating Minister	Registrar of Marriages Blenheim

1 August 1890

Edward Henry Penny
Georgina Blaymires

Edward Henry Penny
Georgina Blaymires
💍 1890/17

Bachelor
Spinster

Warfinger
Housemaid

31 years
22 years

Park Terrace, Blenheim
Meadow Bank

5 years
6 years

The House of Mr. Gustav Bary, Renwicktown

90/2331

1 August 1890

Rev. Henry Bull

No	25
Date of Notice	1 August 1890
	Groom	Bride
Names of Parties	Edward Henry Penny	Georgina Blaymires
	💍 1890/17
Condition	Bachelor	Spinster
Profession	Warfinger	Housemaid
Age	31 years	22 years
Dwelling Place	Park Terrace, Blenheim	Meadow Bank
Length of Residence	5 years	6 years
Marriage Place	The House of Mr. Gustav Bary, Renwicktown
Folio	90/2331
Consent
Date of Certificate	1 August 1890
Officiating Minister	Rev. Henry Bull

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).