Intentions to Marry, 1891

Reference: Registrar-General of Births, Deaths and Marriages, Notices of intention to marry, Series 8937, R2840403, Archives New Zealand Te Rua Mahara o te Kāwanatanga, Wellington

Imaged by Carole and Luke at Archives NZ Wellington, May 28 2025

A few pages are missing due to focus issues.

The Archives NZ CSV index has recorded pages 765, 767 and 769 incorrectly as 795, 797 and 796.

Page 1389

District of Wellington Quarter ending 31 March 1891 Registrar W. T. Wyatt

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

4 February 1891

Samuel Berryman
Fanny Mary Adshead

Samuel Berryman
Fanny Mary Adshead
💍 1891/42

Bachelor
Spinster

Labour

30
22

Wellington
Wellington

5 years
5 years

St. Pauls Cathedral

91/337

4 February 1891

Rev. John Still

No	31
Date of Notice	4 February 1891
	Groom	Bride
Names of Parties	Samuel Berryman	Fanny Mary Adshead
	💍 1891/42
Condition	Bachelor	Spinster
Profession	Labour
Age	30	22
Dwelling Place	Wellington	Wellington
Length of Residence	5 years	5 years
Marriage Place	St. Pauls Cathedral
Folio	91/337
Consent
Date of Certificate	4 February 1891
Officiating Minister	Rev. John Still

4 February 1891

Philip North
Eby Fitzgerald

Philip North
Abby Fitzgerald
💍 1891/3154

Bachelor
Spinster

Tram Driver

25
24

Wellington
Wellington

5 years
5 years

St. Mary of the Angels

91/365

4 February 1891

Rev. P. Kerrigan

No	32
Date of Notice	4 February 1891
	Groom	Bride
Names of Parties	Philip North	Eby Fitzgerald
BDM Match (93%)	Philip North	Abby Fitzgerald
	💍 1891/3154
Condition	Bachelor	Spinster
Profession	Tram Driver
Age	25	24
Dwelling Place	Wellington	Wellington
Length of Residence	5 years	5 years
Marriage Place	St. Mary of the Angels
Folio	91/365
Consent
Date of Certificate	4 February 1891
Officiating Minister	Rev. P. Kerrigan

4 February 1891

John Stephen Rice
Ellen Cecilia Higgins

John Stephen Rice
Ellen Cecillia Higgins
💍 1891/3170

Bachelor
Spinster

Tanner

22
21

Johnsonville
Johnsonville

5 years
5 years

House of Mrs. Smith, Johnsonville

91/357

4 February 1891

Rev. C. H. Laws

No	33
Date of Notice	4 February 1891
	Groom	Bride
Names of Parties	John Stephen Rice	Ellen Cecilia Higgins
BDM Match (98%)	John Stephen Rice	Ellen Cecillia Higgins
	💍 1891/3170
Condition	Bachelor	Spinster
Profession	Tanner
Age	22	21
Dwelling Place	Johnsonville	Johnsonville
Length of Residence	5 years	5 years
Marriage Place	House of Mrs. Smith, Johnsonville
Folio	91/357
Consent
Date of Certificate	4 February 1891
Officiating Minister	Rev. C. H. Laws

5 February 1891

Leonard Sutton
Ann Grove

Leonard Sutton
Ann Grove
💍 1891/3488

Bachelor
Spinster

Storekeeper

26
24

Wellington
Lower Hutt

3 days
5 years

Registrars office, Wellington

91/383

5 February 1891

W. T. Wyatt

No	34
Date of Notice	5 February 1891
	Groom	Bride
Names of Parties	Leonard Sutton	Ann Grove
	💍 1891/3488
Condition	Bachelor	Spinster
Profession	Storekeeper
Age	26	24
Dwelling Place	Wellington	Lower Hutt
Length of Residence	3 days	5 years
Marriage Place	Registrars office, Wellington
Folio	91/383
Consent
Date of Certificate	5 February 1891
Officiating Minister	W. T. Wyatt

6 February 1891

Samuel Taylor
Harriet Illingworth

Samuel Taylor
Harriet Illingworth
💍 1891/3156

Bachelor
Spinster

Clerk

31
23

Wellington
Wellington

10 months
6 months

House of Mr. Henry White, Cuba Street

91/367

6 February 1891

Rev. Josiah Ward

No	35
Date of Notice	6 February 1891
	Groom	Bride
Names of Parties	Samuel Taylor	Harriet Illingworth
	💍 1891/3156
Condition	Bachelor	Spinster
Profession	Clerk
Age	31	23
Dwelling Place	Wellington	Wellington
Length of Residence	10 months	6 months
Marriage Place	House of Mr. Henry White, Cuba Street
Folio	91/367
Consent
Date of Certificate	6 February 1891
Officiating Minister	Rev. Josiah Ward

7 February 1891

Hugh Clark
Margaret McMartin

Hugh Clark
Margaret McCarten
💍 1891/3057

Bachelor
Spinster

Labour

34
26

Wellington
Wellington

3 days
3 days

St. Marys Cathedral

91/318

7 February 1891

Very Rev. J. McNamara

No	36
Date of Notice	7 February 1891
	Groom	Bride
Names of Parties	Hugh Clark	Margaret McMartin
BDM Match (94%)	Hugh Clark	Margaret McCarten
	💍 1891/3057
Condition	Bachelor	Spinster
Profession	Labour
Age	34	26
Dwelling Place	Wellington	Wellington
Length of Residence	3 days	3 days
Marriage Place	St. Marys Cathedral
Folio	91/318
Consent
Date of Certificate	7 February 1891
Officiating Minister	Very Rev. J. McNamara

7 February 1891

Alexander Scott
Annie Keenan

Alexander Scott
Annie Keenan
💍 1891/3058

Bachelor
Spinster

Plumber

29
26

Wellington
Wellington

5 years
5 years

St. Marys Cathedral

91/319

7 February 1891

Very Rev. J. McNamara

No	37
Date of Notice	7 February 1891
	Groom	Bride
Names of Parties	Alexander Scott	Annie Keenan
	💍 1891/3058
Condition	Bachelor	Spinster
Profession	Plumber
Age	29	26
Dwelling Place	Wellington	Wellington
Length of Residence	5 years	5 years
Marriage Place	St. Marys Cathedral
Folio	91/319
Consent
Date of Certificate	7 February 1891
Officiating Minister	Very Rev. J. McNamara

9 February 1891

Edward Lee Kirkland
Alice Maud Worger

Edward Lee Kirkland
Alice Maud Worger
💍 1891/3068

Bachelor
Spinster

Butcher

25
25

Wellington
Wellington

5 years
9 months

St. Marks Church

91/305

9 February 1891

Rev. R. Coffey

No	38
Date of Notice	9 February 1891
	Groom	Bride
Names of Parties	Edward Lee Kirkland	Alice Maud Worger
	💍 1891/3068
Condition	Bachelor	Spinster
Profession	Butcher
Age	25	25
Dwelling Place	Wellington	Wellington
Length of Residence	5 years	9 months
Marriage Place	St. Marks Church
Folio	91/305
Consent
Date of Certificate	9 February 1891
Officiating Minister	Rev. R. Coffey

9 February 1891

Eugene O'Connor
Annie Bronahan

Eugene OConnor
Annie Brosnan
💍 1891/3059

Bachelor
Spinster

Labour

30
21

Wellington
Wellington

5 years
5 years

St. Marys Cathedral

91/320

9 February 1891

Rev. Wm. Goggan

No	39
Date of Notice	9 February 1891
	Groom	Bride
Names of Parties	Eugene O'Connor	Annie Bronahan
BDM Match (86%)	Eugene OConnor	Annie Brosnan
	💍 1891/3059
Condition	Bachelor	Spinster
Profession	Labour
Age	30	21
Dwelling Place	Wellington	Wellington
Length of Residence	5 years	5 years
Marriage Place	St. Marys Cathedral
Folio	91/320
Consent
Date of Certificate	9 February 1891
Officiating Minister	Rev. Wm. Goggan

11 February 1891

William Bishop
Harriet Christian Symes

William Bishop
Harriet Christian Symes
💍 1891/3489

Bachelor
Spinster

Shipping Agent

45
37

Wellington
Wellington

5 years
5 years

Registrars office, Wellington

91/384

11 February 1891

W. T. Wyatt

No	40
Date of Notice	11 February 1891
	Groom	Bride
Names of Parties	William Bishop	Harriet Christian Symes
	💍 1891/3489
Condition	Bachelor	Spinster
Profession	Shipping Agent
Age	45	37
Dwelling Place	Wellington	Wellington
Length of Residence	5 years	5 years
Marriage Place	Registrars office, Wellington
Folio	91/384
Consent
Date of Certificate	11 February 1891
Officiating Minister	W. T. Wyatt

11 February 1891

Arthur Miller
Annie Wills

Arthur Miller
Annie Wills
💍 1891/3157

Bachelor
Spinster

Farmer

25
20

Wellington
Wellington

5 days
5 years

House of Mr. Wills, Hanson Street

91/368

Philip Wills, Father

11 February 1891

Rev. C. E. Ward

No	41
Date of Notice	11 February 1891
	Groom	Bride
Names of Parties	Arthur Miller	Annie Wills
	💍 1891/3157
Condition	Bachelor	Spinster
Profession	Farmer
Age	25	20
Dwelling Place	Wellington	Wellington
Length of Residence	5 days	5 years
Marriage Place	House of Mr. Wills, Hanson Street
Folio	91/368
Consent	Philip Wills, Father
Date of Certificate	11 February 1891
Officiating Minister	Rev. C. E. Ward

12 February 1891

Albert Nicolson
Mary Sullivan

Albert Nicholson
Mary Sullivan
💍 1891/3169

Bachelor
Spinster

Farmer

23
26

Wellington
Wellington

3 days
3 days

Permanent Way, Ingestrie Street

91/356

12 February 1891

Rev. Joseph Berry

No	42
Date of Notice	12 February 1891
	Groom	Bride
Names of Parties	Albert Nicolson	Mary Sullivan
BDM Match (97%)	Albert Nicholson	Mary Sullivan
	💍 1891/3169
Condition	Bachelor	Spinster
Profession	Farmer
Age	23	26
Dwelling Place	Wellington	Wellington
Length of Residence	3 days	3 days
Marriage Place	Permanent Way, Ingestrie Street
Folio	91/356
Consent
Date of Certificate	12 February 1891
Officiating Minister	Rev. Joseph Berry

13 February 1891

William Joseph Meek
Martha Ann Nicholson

William Joseph Meek
Martha Ann Nicholson
💍 1891/3457

Widower
Spinster

Gentleman

64
20

Wellington
Wellington

5 years
5 years

Congregational Church, Courtenay Place

91/299

Thomas Nicholson, Father

13 February 1891

Rev. Wm. Powell

No	43
Date of Notice	13 February 1891
	Groom	Bride
Names of Parties	William Joseph Meek	Martha Ann Nicholson
	💍 1891/3457
Condition	Widower	Spinster
Profession	Gentleman
Age	64	20
Dwelling Place	Wellington	Wellington
Length of Residence	5 years	5 years
Marriage Place	Congregational Church, Courtenay Place
Folio	91/299
Consent	Thomas Nicholson, Father
Date of Certificate	13 February 1891
Officiating Minister	Rev. Wm. Powell

16 February 1891

Thomas Field
Elizabeth Sarah Stanley

Thomas Field
Elizabeth Sarah Stanley
💍 1891/44

Widower
Spinster

Ironmonger

58
44

Wellington
Wellington

3 days
3 days

St. Pauls Cathedral

91/339

16 February 1891

Rev. John Still

No	44
Date of Notice	16 February 1891
	Groom	Bride
Names of Parties	Thomas Field	Elizabeth Sarah Stanley
	💍 1891/44
Condition	Widower	Spinster
Profession	Ironmonger
Age	58	44
Dwelling Place	Wellington	Wellington
Length of Residence	3 days	3 days
Marriage Place	St. Pauls Cathedral
Folio	91/339
Consent
Date of Certificate	16 February 1891
Officiating Minister	Rev. John Still

17 February 1891

Joseph Vincent Lonsdale
Mary Jane Riley

Joseph Vincent Lousdale
Mary Jane Riley
💍 1891/58

Bachelor
Spinster

Compositor

26
25

Wellington
Wellington

5 years
5 years

St. Johns Church, Willis Street

91/329

17 February 1891

Rev. J. W. Hope

No	45
Date of Notice	17 February 1891
	Groom	Bride
Names of Parties	Joseph Vincent Lonsdale	Mary Jane Riley
BDM Match (98%)	Joseph Vincent Lousdale	Mary Jane Riley
	💍 1891/58
Condition	Bachelor	Spinster
Profession	Compositor
Age	26	25
Dwelling Place	Wellington	Wellington
Length of Residence	5 years	5 years
Marriage Place	St. Johns Church, Willis Street
Folio	91/329
Consent
Date of Certificate	17 February 1891
Officiating Minister	Rev. J. W. Hope

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).