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 1293

District of Hawera Quarter ending 31 December 1890 Registrar John Finlay Marken

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

21 October 1890

Antone Hurliman
Minnie Herd

Bachelor
Spinster

Blacksmith
Cook

31
19

Normanby
Normanby

4 years
2 months

Roman Catholic Chapel, Hawera

No	62
Date of Notice	21 October 1890
	Groom	Bride
Names of Parties	Antone Hurliman	Minnie Herd
Condition	Bachelor	Spinster
Profession	Blacksmith	Cook
Age	31	19
Dwelling Place	Normanby	Normanby
Length of Residence	4 years	2 months
Marriage Place	Roman Catholic Chapel, Hawera
Folio
Consent
Date of Certificate
Officiating Minister

23 October 1890

Robert Percy Bagot Bond
Mary Syme

Robert Percy Bagot Bond
Mary Syme
💍 1890/2888

Bachelor
Spinster

Clerk

26
21

Hawera
Hawera

4 days
11 years

At the residence of the Bride's father, George Syme, High Street, Hawera

90/3063

23 October 1890

Rev Alexander MacLean

No	63
Date of Notice	23 October 1890
	Groom	Bride
Names of Parties	Robert Percy Bagot Bond	Mary Syme
	💍 1890/2888
Condition	Bachelor	Spinster
Profession	Clerk
Age	26	21
Dwelling Place	Hawera	Hawera
Length of Residence	4 days	11 years
Marriage Place	At the residence of the Bride's father, George Syme, High Street, Hawera
Folio	90/3063
Consent
Date of Certificate	23 October 1890
Officiating Minister	Rev Alexander MacLean

28 October 1890

Morris Henry Morris
Edith Minnie Newland

Morris Henry Morris
Edith Minnie Newland
💍 1890/2889

Bachelor
Spinster

Bushman

24
18

Hawera
Hawera

3 days
5 months

At the residence of the Bride's mother, Regent Street, Hawera

90/3064

Frances Mary Newland, mother

28 October 1890

Rev J. N. Griffies

No	64
Date of Notice	28 October 1890
	Groom	Bride
Names of Parties	Morris Henry Morris	Edith Minnie Newland
	💍 1890/2889
Condition	Bachelor	Spinster
Profession	Bushman
Age	24	18
Dwelling Place	Hawera	Hawera
Length of Residence	3 days	5 months
Marriage Place	At the residence of the Bride's mother, Regent Street, Hawera
Folio	90/3064
Consent	Frances Mary Newland, mother
Date of Certificate	28 October 1890
Officiating Minister	Rev J. N. Griffies

4 November 1890

Henry Waller
Mary Hill

Henry Waller
Mary Hill
💍 1890/3551

Alexander Black
Mary Hill
💍 1890/3041

Bachelor
Spinster

Laborer

23
18

Ketemarae
Normanby

10 years
6 months

At the residence of Charles Hunt, Ketemarae

90/3062

Mathew Hill, father

4 November 1890

Rev J. N. Griffies

No	65
Date of Notice	4 November 1890
	Groom	Bride
Names of Parties	Henry Waller	Mary Hill
	💍 1890/3551
BDM Match (60%)	Alexander Black	Mary Hill
	💍 1890/3041
Condition	Bachelor	Spinster
Profession	Laborer
Age	23	18
Dwelling Place	Ketemarae	Normanby
Length of Residence	10 years	6 months
Marriage Place	At the residence of Charles Hunt, Ketemarae
Folio	90/3062
Consent	Mathew Hill, father
Date of Certificate	4 November 1890
Officiating Minister	Rev J. N. Griffies

4 November 1890

William Matheson
Mere Ann Tiller
formerly Hawaiki

William Matheson
Mary Ann Tiller
💍 1890/2886

Bachelor
Widow

Laborer

24
39

Ketemarae
Keteonetea

5 years
14 years

At the residence of Charles Hunt, Ketemarae

90/3060

4 November 1890

Rev J. N. Griffies

No	66
Date of Notice	4 November 1890
	Groom	Bride
Names of Parties	William Matheson	Mere Ann Tiller formerly Hawaiki
BDM Match (93%)	William Matheson	Mary Ann Tiller
	💍 1890/2886
Condition	Bachelor	Widow
Profession	Laborer
Age	24	39
Dwelling Place	Ketemarae	Keteonetea
Length of Residence	5 years	14 years
Marriage Place	At the residence of Charles Hunt, Ketemarae
Folio	90/3060
Consent
Date of Certificate	4 November 1890
Officiating Minister	Rev J. N. Griffies

11 November 1890

Charles Jabez Hall
Amelia Ribeau

Charles Jabas Hall
Amelia Libean
💍 1890/3414

Bachelor
Spinster

Laborer
Servant

28
27

Normanby
Normanby

9 years
3 weeks

At the residence of Ernest Shrimpton, Normanby

90/3061

11 November 1890

Rev Alexander MacLean

No	67
Date of Notice	11 November 1890
	Groom	Bride
Names of Parties	Charles Jabez Hall	Amelia Ribeau
BDM Match (87%)	Charles Jabas Hall	Amelia Libean
	💍 1890/3414
Condition	Bachelor	Spinster
Profession	Laborer	Servant
Age	28	27
Dwelling Place	Normanby	Normanby
Length of Residence	9 years	3 weeks
Marriage Place	At the residence of Ernest Shrimpton, Normanby
Folio	90/3061
Consent
Date of Certificate	11 November 1890
Officiating Minister	Rev Alexander MacLean

24 November 1890

Richard Chamen Esse
Kathleen Helen Sowerby

Richard Chamen Esse
Kathleen Helen Sowerby
💍 1890/2954

Bachelor
Spinster

Bank Clerk

29
25

Patea
Normanby

3 years
11 months

Anglican Church, Patea

90/3066

24 November 1890

Rev Walter H. Kay

No	68
Date of Notice	24 November 1890
	Groom	Bride
Names of Parties	Richard Chamen Esse	Kathleen Helen Sowerby
	💍 1890/2954
Condition	Bachelor	Spinster
Profession	Bank Clerk
Age	29	25
Dwelling Place	Patea	Normanby
Length of Residence	3 years	11 months
Marriage Place	Anglican Church, Patea
Folio	90/3066
Consent
Date of Certificate	24 November 1890
Officiating Minister	Rev Walter H. Kay

24 December 1890

John Phillips
Susan Synnott

John Phillips
Susan Synnott
💍 1890/2959

Bachelor
Spinster

Farm Hand
Servant

33
23

Hawera
Hawera

8 years
8 years

Church of England, Hawera

90/3067

27 December 1890

Rev Walter H. Kay

No	69
Date of Notice	24 December 1890
	Groom	Bride
Names of Parties	John Phillips	Susan Synnott
	💍 1890/2959
Condition	Bachelor	Spinster
Profession	Farm Hand	Servant
Age	33	23
Dwelling Place	Hawera	Hawera
Length of Residence	8 years	8 years
Marriage Place	Church of England, Hawera
Folio	90/3067
Consent
Date of Certificate	27 December 1890
Officiating Minister	Rev Walter H. Kay

31 December 1890

Robert Palmer
Agnes Carmichael

Robert Palmer
Agnes Carmichael
💍 1891/3327

Bachelor
Spinster

Farmer
Waitress

32
25

Fraser Road near Hawera
Hawera

4 years
2 years

At the residence of the Bride's father, James Carmichael, Lake Road, Hawera

91/250

31 December 1890

Rev Alexander MacLean

No	70
Date of Notice	31 December 1890
	Groom	Bride
Names of Parties	Robert Palmer	Agnes Carmichael
	💍 1891/3327
Condition	Bachelor	Spinster
Profession	Farmer	Waitress
Age	32	25
Dwelling Place	Fraser Road near Hawera	Hawera
Length of Residence	4 years	2 years
Marriage Place	At the residence of the Bride's father, James Carmichael, Lake Road, Hawera
Folio	91/250
Consent
Date of Certificate	31 December 1890
Officiating Minister	Rev Alexander MacLean

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).