Intentions to Marry, 1896 January-June

Reference: Registrar-General of Births, Deaths and Marriages, Notices of intention to marry, Series 8937, R2840409, Archives New Zealand Te Rua Mahara o te Kāwanatanga, Wellington

Imaged by Luke at Archives NZ Wellington, June 11 2025

1896 is bound in two volumes, January-June and July-December.

Page 361

District of Timaru Quarter ending 31 March 1896 Registrar Thomas Howley

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

12 February 1896

James Bramahan
Margaret Hoare

James Brosnahan
Margaret Hoare
💍 1896/4626

Bachelor
Spinster

Farmer

30 years
24 years

Levels Plains
Kerrytown

20 years
12 years

Roman Catholic Chapel, Pleasant Point

96/835

12 February 1896

Very Rev. Theophilus de Menant, Rev. Chesnais, Roman Catholic Priest

No	11
Date of Notice	12 February 1896
	Groom	Bride
Names of Parties	James Bramahan	Margaret Hoare
BDM Match (90%)	James Brosnahan	Margaret Hoare
	💍 1896/4626
Condition	Bachelor	Spinster
Profession	Farmer
Age	30 years	24 years
Dwelling Place	Levels Plains	Kerrytown
Length of Residence	20 years	12 years
Marriage Place	Roman Catholic Chapel, Pleasant Point
Folio	96/835
Consent
Date of Certificate	12 February 1896
Officiating Minister	Very Rev. Theophilus de Menant, Rev. Chesnais, Roman Catholic Priest

1 February 1896

Alexander Fraser
Minnie Mary Clarkson

Alexander Fraser
Minnie Mary Clarkson
💍 1896/4627

Bachelor
Spinster

Tailor

24 years
21 years

Pleasant Point
Timaru

6 months
7 years

Residence of Mr. Thomas Nicholson, Clarkson, Timaru

96/836

1 February 1896

Mr. George Aldridge, Church of Christ Minister

No	12
Date of Notice	1 February 1896
	Groom	Bride
Names of Parties	Alexander Fraser	Minnie Mary Clarkson
	💍 1896/4627
Condition	Bachelor	Spinster
Profession	Tailor
Age	24 years	21 years
Dwelling Place	Pleasant Point	Timaru
Length of Residence	6 months	7 years
Marriage Place	Residence of Mr. Thomas Nicholson, Clarkson, Timaru
Folio	96/836
Consent
Date of Certificate	1 February 1896
Officiating Minister	Mr. George Aldridge, Church of Christ Minister

1 February 1896

Stewart McClelland
Margaret Gibson

Stewart McClelland
Mary Margaret Gibson
💍 1896/4005

Widower
Spinster

Baker

32 years
21 years

Claremont
Timaru

11 years
16 years

Presbyterian Church, Timaru

96/837

1 February 1896

Rev. William Gillies, Presbyterian Minister

No	13
Date of Notice	1 February 1896
	Groom	Bride
Names of Parties	Stewart McClelland	Margaret Gibson
BDM Match (88%)	Stewart McClelland	Mary Margaret Gibson
	💍 1896/4005
Condition	Widower	Spinster
Profession	Baker
Age	32 years	21 years
Dwelling Place	Claremont	Timaru
Length of Residence	11 years	16 years
Marriage Place	Presbyterian Church, Timaru
Folio	96/837
Consent
Date of Certificate	1 February 1896
Officiating Minister	Rev. William Gillies, Presbyterian Minister

22 February 1896

William Matthew Richards
Florence Alexander

William Matthew Richards
Florence Alexander
💍 1896/4628

Bachelor
Spinster

Farmer

34 years
20 years

Pareora
Fairview

15 years
20 years

Residence of Mr. Jonas Alexander, Fairview

96/838

Jonas Alexander, father

22 February 1896

Rev. Charles E. Beecroft, Wesleyan Minister

No	14
Date of Notice	22 February 1896
	Groom	Bride
Names of Parties	William Matthew Richards	Florence Alexander
	💍 1896/4628
Condition	Bachelor	Spinster
Profession	Farmer
Age	34 years	20 years
Dwelling Place	Pareora	Fairview
Length of Residence	15 years	20 years
Marriage Place	Residence of Mr. Jonas Alexander, Fairview
Folio	96/838
Consent	Jonas Alexander, father
Date of Certificate	22 February 1896
Officiating Minister	Rev. Charles E. Beecroft, Wesleyan Minister

28 February 1896

Edward William Foster
Annie Peters

Edward William Foster
Annie Peters
💍 1896/4006

Bachelor
Spinster

Miller

30 years
29 years

Timaru
Timaru

30 years
13 years

Wesleyan Parsonage, Timaru

96/839

28 February 1896

Rev. Charles E. Beecroft, Wesleyan Minister

No	15
Date of Notice	28 February 1896
	Groom	Bride
Names of Parties	Edward William Foster	Annie Peters
	💍 1896/4006
Condition	Bachelor	Spinster
Profession	Miller
Age	30 years	29 years
Dwelling Place	Timaru	Timaru
Length of Residence	30 years	13 years
Marriage Place	Wesleyan Parsonage, Timaru
Folio	96/839
Consent
Date of Certificate	28 February 1896
Officiating Minister	Rev. Charles E. Beecroft, Wesleyan Minister

2 March 1896

James Morgan
Ellen McKenzie

James Morgan
Ellen McKenzie
💍 1896/3990

Bachelor
Widow

Labourer

40 years
47 years

Timaru
Timaru

20 years
8 years

Residence of Rev. Joseph Sharp, Waiiti Road

96/840

2 March 1896

Rev. Joseph Sharp, Primitive Methodist Minister

No	16
Date of Notice	2 March 1896
	Groom	Bride
Names of Parties	James Morgan	Ellen McKenzie
	💍 1896/3990
Condition	Bachelor	Widow
Profession	Labourer
Age	40 years	47 years
Dwelling Place	Timaru	Timaru
Length of Residence	20 years	8 years
Marriage Place	Residence of Rev. Joseph Sharp, Waiiti Road
Folio	96/840
Consent
Date of Certificate	2 March 1896
Officiating Minister	Rev. Joseph Sharp, Primitive Methodist Minister

2 March 1896

John William Holdgate
Henrietta Wood

John William Holdgate
Henrietta Wood
💍 1896/3991

Bachelor
Spinster

Timber yard man

28 years
22 years

Timaru
Timaru

28 years
13 years

Wesleyan Church, Timaru

96/841

2 March 1896

Rev. Charles E. Beecroft, Wesleyan Minister

No	17
Date of Notice	2 March 1896
	Groom	Bride
Names of Parties	John William Holdgate	Henrietta Wood
	💍 1896/3991
Condition	Bachelor	Spinster
Profession	Timber yard man
Age	28 years	22 years
Dwelling Place	Timaru	Timaru
Length of Residence	28 years	13 years
Marriage Place	Wesleyan Church, Timaru
Folio	96/841
Consent
Date of Certificate	2 March 1896
Officiating Minister	Rev. Charles E. Beecroft, Wesleyan Minister

2 March 1896

William McRae
Jane Crossan

William McRae
Jane Crossan
💍 1896/182

Bachelor
Spinster

Labourer

24 years
19 years

Timaru
Timaru

3 weeks
3 weeks

Registrar's Office, Timaru

96/851

Samuel Crossan, father

2 March 1896

Thomas Howley, Registrar of Marriages, Timaru

No	18
Date of Notice	2 March 1896
	Groom	Bride
Names of Parties	William McRae	Jane Crossan
	💍 1896/182
Condition	Bachelor	Spinster
Profession	Labourer
Age	24 years	19 years
Dwelling Place	Timaru	Timaru
Length of Residence	3 weeks	3 weeks
Marriage Place	Registrar's Office, Timaru
Folio	96/851
Consent	Samuel Crossan, father
Date of Certificate	2 March 1896
Officiating Minister	Thomas Howley, Registrar of Marriages, Timaru

6 March 1896

Oswald Grant Watt
Emily Wheatley

Donald Grant Watt
Emily Wheatley
💍 1896/3992

Widower
Spinster

Carpenter

35 years
33 years

St. Andrews
Timaru

2 years
1 month

Residence of Mr. John Wheatley, Timaru

96/842

6 March 1896

Rev. William Gillies, Presbyterian Minister

No	19
Date of Notice	6 March 1896
	Groom	Bride
Names of Parties	Oswald Grant Watt	Emily Wheatley
BDM Match (91%)	Donald Grant Watt	Emily Wheatley
	💍 1896/3992
Condition	Widower	Spinster
Profession	Carpenter
Age	35 years	33 years
Dwelling Place	St. Andrews	Timaru
Length of Residence	2 years	1 month
Marriage Place	Residence of Mr. John Wheatley, Timaru
Folio	96/842
Consent
Date of Certificate	6 March 1896
Officiating Minister	Rev. William Gillies, Presbyterian Minister

19 March 1896

Ernest Muchmore
Ada Gardner

Ernest Muchmore
Ada Gardner
💍 1896/3993

Bachelor
Spinster

Coach Builder
Tailoress

30 years
22 years

Timaru
Timaru

15 years
22 years

Wesleyan Church, Timaru

96/843

19 March 1896

Rev. Charles E. Beecroft, Wesleyan Minister

No	20
Date of Notice	19 March 1896
	Groom	Bride
Names of Parties	Ernest Muchmore	Ada Gardner
	💍 1896/3993
Condition	Bachelor	Spinster
Profession	Coach Builder	Tailoress
Age	30 years	22 years
Dwelling Place	Timaru	Timaru
Length of Residence	15 years	22 years
Marriage Place	Wesleyan Church, Timaru
Folio	96/843
Consent
Date of Certificate	19 March 1896
Officiating Minister	Rev. Charles E. Beecroft, Wesleyan Minister

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).