Intentions to Marry, 1897 January-June

Reference: Registrar-General of Births, Deaths and Marriages, Notices of intention to marry, Series 8937, R2840411, Archives New Zealand Te Rua Mahara o te Kāwanatanga, Wellington

Imaged by Luke at Archives NZ Wellington, June 25 2025

1897 is bound in two volumes, January-June and July-December.

Page 263

District of Nelson Quarter ending 31 March 1897 Registrar Hugh Calders

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

9 January 1897

Ellsworth Lincoln Probasco
Alice Emiline Jones

Ellsworthy Lincoln Probasco
Alice Emeline Jones
💍 1897/4607

Divorced (absolute 12 September 1889)
Spinster

Circus Proprietor
Circus Performer

33
17

Halifax Street Nelson
Halifax Street Nelson

3 Days
5 Days

St Johns Wesleyan Church, Hardy Street, Nelson

97/631

Walter Scott Jones father

9 January 1897

Rev S. F. Prior Wesleyan Minister

No	1
Date of Notice	9 January 1897
	Groom	Bride
Names of Parties	Ellsworth Lincoln Probasco	Alice Emiline Jones
BDM Match (96%)	Ellsworthy Lincoln Probasco	Alice Emeline Jones
	💍 1897/4607
Condition	Divorced (absolute 12 September 1889)	Spinster
Profession	Circus Proprietor	Circus Performer
Age	33	17
Dwelling Place	Halifax Street Nelson	Halifax Street Nelson
Length of Residence	3 Days	5 Days
Marriage Place	St Johns Wesleyan Church, Hardy Street, Nelson
Folio	97/631
Consent	Walter Scott Jones father
Date of Certificate	9 January 1897
Officiating Minister	Rev S. F. Prior Wesleyan Minister

11 January 1897

William John O'Connor
Clara Fieldes

William John O'Connor
Clara Fieldes
💍 1897/4622

Bachelor
Spinster

Farmer
Dressmaker

31
23

Waimea West
Waimea West Nelson

31 years
3 years

Catholic Station, Manuka Street, Nelson

97/627

11 January 1897

Rev W. G. Mahoney Roman Catholic Priest

No	2
Date of Notice	11 January 1897
	Groom	Bride
Names of Parties	William John O'Connor	Clara Fieldes
	💍 1897/4622
Condition	Bachelor	Spinster
Profession	Farmer	Dressmaker
Age	31	23
Dwelling Place	Waimea West	Waimea West Nelson
Length of Residence	31 years	3 years
Marriage Place	Catholic Station, Manuka Street, Nelson
Folio	97/627
Consent
Date of Certificate	11 January 1897
Officiating Minister	Rev W. G. Mahoney Roman Catholic Priest

12 January 1897

Walter Hobbs
Louisa Mary Martin

Walter Hobbs
Louisa Mary Martin
💍 1897/4606

Bachelor
Spinster

Fireman
Domestic Servant

27
23

Gloucester Street Nelson
Halifax Street Nelson

4 years
11 years

Residence of Henry James Wells, Waimea Road, Nelson

97/630

12 January 1897

Rev F. W. Chatterton Church of England Minister

No	3
Date of Notice	12 January 1897
	Groom	Bride
Names of Parties	Walter Hobbs	Louisa Mary Martin
	💍 1897/4606
Condition	Bachelor	Spinster
Profession	Fireman	Domestic Servant
Age	27	23
Dwelling Place	Gloucester Street Nelson	Halifax Street Nelson
Length of Residence	4 years	11 years
Marriage Place	Residence of Henry James Wells, Waimea Road, Nelson
Folio	97/630
Consent
Date of Certificate	12 January 1897
Officiating Minister	Rev F. W. Chatterton Church of England Minister

15 January 1897

James Cullen Williams
Minnie Hounsell

James Cullen Williams
Minnie Hounsell
💍 1897/4608

Bachelor
Spinster

Mariner

28
22

Russell Street Nelson
Tasman Street Nelson

2 months
2 years

St Johns Wesleyan Church, Hardy Street, Nelson

97/632

15 January 1897

Rev S. F. Prior Wesleyan Minister

No	4
Date of Notice	15 January 1897
	Groom	Bride
Names of Parties	James Cullen Williams	Minnie Hounsell
	💍 1897/4608
Condition	Bachelor	Spinster
Profession	Mariner
Age	28	22
Dwelling Place	Russell Street Nelson	Tasman Street Nelson
Length of Residence	2 months	2 years
Marriage Place	St Johns Wesleyan Church, Hardy Street, Nelson
Folio	97/632
Consent
Date of Certificate	15 January 1897
Officiating Minister	Rev S. F. Prior Wesleyan Minister

9 February 1897

William John Bray
Catherine Eliza Guest

William John Bray
Catherine Eliza Guest
💍 1897/4621

Bachelor
Spinster

Gardening
Domestic Servant

25
22

Waimea Road Nelson
Waimea Road Nelson

12 months
14 days

Residence of Mrs. Martha Taylor, Waimea Road, Nelson

97/626

9 February 1897

Rev F. W. Chatterton Church of England Minister

No	5
Date of Notice	9 February 1897
	Groom	Bride
Names of Parties	William John Bray	Catherine Eliza Guest
	💍 1897/4621
Condition	Bachelor	Spinster
Profession	Gardening	Domestic Servant
Age	25	22
Dwelling Place	Waimea Road Nelson	Waimea Road Nelson
Length of Residence	12 months	14 days
Marriage Place	Residence of Mrs. Martha Taylor, Waimea Road, Nelson
Folio	97/626
Consent
Date of Certificate	9 February 1897
Officiating Minister	Rev F. W. Chatterton Church of England Minister

12 February 1897

William Wanstall
Winifred Russ
Nee Hodgens

William Wanstall
Winifred Russ
💍 1897/4623

Widower
Widow

Painter
Farmer

40
29

Queen Street Richmond
Coach & Horses Hotel Bridge St Nelson

6 years
29 years

Catholic Station, Manuka Street, Nelson

97/628

12 February 1897

Rev W. G. Mahoney Roman Catholic Priest

No	6
Date of Notice	12 February 1897
	Groom	Bride
Names of Parties	William Wanstall	Winifred Russ Nee Hodgens
	💍 1897/4623
Condition	Widower	Widow
Profession	Painter	Farmer
Age	40	29
Dwelling Place	Queen Street Richmond	Coach & Horses Hotel Bridge St Nelson
Length of Residence	6 years	29 years
Marriage Place	Catholic Station, Manuka Street, Nelson
Folio	97/628
Consent
Date of Certificate	12 February 1897
Officiating Minister	Rev W. G. Mahoney Roman Catholic Priest

15 February 1897

Patrick McGrath
Ellen Hennessy

Patrick McGrath
Ellen Hennessey
💍 1897/4605

Bachelor
Spinster

Constable
Waitress

39
25

Harley Street Nelson
Trafalgar Street Nelson

3 years
2 years

St Mary's Church, Manuka Street, Nelson

97/629

15 February 1897

Rev W. G. Mahoney Roman Catholic Priest

No	7
Date of Notice	15 February 1897
	Groom	Bride
Names of Parties	Patrick McGrath	Ellen Hennessy
BDM Match (97%)	Patrick McGrath	Ellen Hennessey
	💍 1897/4605
Condition	Bachelor	Spinster
Profession	Constable	Waitress
Age	39	25
Dwelling Place	Harley Street Nelson	Trafalgar Street Nelson
Length of Residence	3 years	2 years
Marriage Place	St Mary's Church, Manuka Street, Nelson
Folio	97/629
Consent
Date of Certificate	15 February 1897
Officiating Minister	Rev W. G. Mahoney Roman Catholic Priest

15 February 1897

Alfred John Sloss
Rebecca May Reeves

Alfred John Sloss
Rebecca May Reeves
💍 1897/4609

Bachelor
Spinster

Labourer
Domestic Servant

20
14 years 9 months

Washington Road Nelson
Washington Road Nelson

11 months
14 years

Residence of Thomas Reeves, Washington Road, Nelson

97/633

John Sloss father, Thomas Reeves father

15 February 1897

Rev S. F. Prior Wesleyan Minister

No	8
Date of Notice	15 February 1897
	Groom	Bride
Names of Parties	Alfred John Sloss	Rebecca May Reeves
	💍 1897/4609
Condition	Bachelor	Spinster
Profession	Labourer	Domestic Servant
Age	20	14 years 9 months
Dwelling Place	Washington Road Nelson	Washington Road Nelson
Length of Residence	11 months	14 years
Marriage Place	Residence of Thomas Reeves, Washington Road, Nelson
Folio	97/633
Consent	John Sloss father, Thomas Reeves father
Date of Certificate	15 February 1897
Officiating Minister	Rev S. F. Prior Wesleyan Minister

These records have been automatically transcribed and must be verified using the page image (below)

100% Contrast

100% Brightness

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).