Intentions to Marry, 1898 January-June

Reference: Registrar-General of Births, Deaths and Marriages, Notices of intention to marry, Series 8937, R2840413, Archives New Zealand Te Rua Mahara o te Kāwanatanga, Wellington

Imaged by Luke at Archives NZ Wellington, June 27 2025

1898 is bound in two volumes, January-June and July-December.

Page 153

District of Napier Quarter ending 31 March 1898

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

14 February 1898

Wm Kincaid Hendry
Eliza Wilson

William Kinnaird Hendry
Eliza Wilson
💍 1898/340

Bachelor
Spinster

Saddler
Domestic

29
29

Puhetapu
Napier

2 years
14 years

Baptist Church, Napier

98/342

14 February 1898

Rev. G. D. Cap, Baptist

No	17
Date of Notice	14 February 1898
	Groom	Bride
Names of Parties	Wm Kincaid Hendry	Eliza Wilson
BDM Match (85%)	William Kinnaird Hendry	Eliza Wilson
	💍 1898/340
Condition	Bachelor	Spinster
Profession	Saddler	Domestic
Age	29	29
Dwelling Place	Puhetapu	Napier
Length of Residence	2 years	14 years
Marriage Place	Baptist Church, Napier
Folio	98/342
Consent
Date of Certificate	14 February 1898
Officiating Minister	Rev. G. D. Cap, Baptist

14 February 1898

Frank Sutherland
Mary Isabella Leslie

Frank Sutherland
Mary Isabella Lister
💍 1898/583

Bachelor
Spinster

Stationer
Milliner

29
25

Inglewood
Napier

14 months
3 days

Presbyterian Church, Napier

98/622

14 February 1898

Rev. J. J. Paterson, Presbyterian

No	18
Date of Notice	14 February 1898
	Groom	Bride
Names of Parties	Frank Sutherland	Mary Isabella Leslie
BDM Match (90%)	Frank Sutherland	Mary Isabella Lister
	💍 1898/583
Condition	Bachelor	Spinster
Profession	Stationer	Milliner
Age	29	25
Dwelling Place	Inglewood	Napier
Length of Residence	14 months	3 days
Marriage Place	Presbyterian Church, Napier
Folio	98/622
Consent
Date of Certificate	14 February 1898
Officiating Minister	Rev. J. J. Paterson, Presbyterian

14 February 1898

Wm Allen
Annie Mary Shirras Payne

William Allen
Annie Mary Theresa Pyne
💍 1898/341

Bachelor
Spinster

Engineer
Saleswoman

29
25

Western Spit
Napier

1 month
25 years

Catholic Church, Napier

98/343

14 February 1898

Rev. M. Grogan, R.C. Priest

No	19
Date of Notice	14 February 1898
	Groom	Bride
Names of Parties	Wm Allen	Annie Mary Shirras Payne
BDM Match (68%)	William Allen	Annie Mary Theresa Pyne
	💍 1898/341
Condition	Bachelor	Spinster
Profession	Engineer	Saleswoman
Age	29	25
Dwelling Place	Western Spit	Napier
Length of Residence	1 month	25 years
Marriage Place	Catholic Church, Napier
Folio	98/343
Consent
Date of Certificate	14 February 1898
Officiating Minister	Rev. M. Grogan, R.C. Priest

21 February 1898

Frederick Wm Mason
Evelyn Maud Dixon

Frederick William Mason
Evelyn Maud Dixon
💍 1898/325

Bachelor
Spinster

Photographer

28
26

Napier
Palmerston N

1.5 years
14 years 4 days

The Cathedral, Napier

98/351

21 February 1898

Rev. W. Welch, Ch. of England

No	20
Date of Notice	21 February 1898
	Groom	Bride
Names of Parties	Frederick Wm Mason	Evelyn Maud Dixon
BDM Match (89%)	Frederick William Mason	Evelyn Maud Dixon
	💍 1898/325
Condition	Bachelor	Spinster
Profession	Photographer
Age	28	26
Dwelling Place	Napier	Palmerston N
Length of Residence	1.5 years	14 years 4 days
Marriage Place	The Cathedral, Napier
Folio	98/351
Consent
Date of Certificate	21 February 1898
Officiating Minister	Rev. W. Welch, Ch. of England

21 February 1898

Adam James McNeill
Mary Tracey

Adam James McNeill
Mary Tracey
💍 1898/342

Bachelor
Spinster

Laborer

23
21

Napier
Napier

3 months
3 months

Office of Registrar of Marriages, Napier

98/344

21 February 1898

S. J. Jago, Registrar

No	21
Date of Notice	21 February 1898
	Groom	Bride
Names of Parties	Adam James McNeill	Mary Tracey
	💍 1898/342
Condition	Bachelor	Spinster
Profession	Laborer
Age	23	21
Dwelling Place	Napier	Napier
Length of Residence	3 months	3 months
Marriage Place	Office of Registrar of Marriages, Napier
Folio	98/344
Consent
Date of Certificate	21 February 1898
Officiating Minister	S. J. Jago, Registrar

26 February 1898

Henry Thompson Johnson
Emily Gwendoline Vickers

Henry Thomson Johnson
Emily Gwendline McVicars
💍 1898/2808

Bachelor
Spinster

Insurance Agent
Dressmaker

26
23

Wairoa
Napier

5 years 4 days
18 months 4 days

Presbyterian Manse, Napier

98/123

26 February 1898

Rev. J. J. Paterson, Presbyterian

No	22
Date of Notice	26 February 1898
	Groom	Bride
Names of Parties	Henry Thompson Johnson	Emily Gwendoline Vickers
BDM Match (87%)	Henry Thomson Johnson	Emily Gwendline McVicars
	💍 1898/2808
Condition	Bachelor	Spinster
Profession	Insurance Agent	Dressmaker
Age	26	23
Dwelling Place	Wairoa	Napier
Length of Residence	5 years 4 days	18 months 4 days
Marriage Place	Presbyterian Manse, Napier
Folio	98/123
Consent
Date of Certificate	26 February 1898
Officiating Minister	Rev. J. J. Paterson, Presbyterian

28 February 1898

Wm Hitchens
Mary Ann McCarthy

William Hitchens
Mary Anne McCarthy
💍 1898/343

Bachelor
Spinster

Carpenter
Housekeeper

43
35

Napier
Napier

12 years
18 years

Residence of M. Grogan, Napier

98/345

28 February 1898

Rev. M. Grogan, R.C. Priest

No	23
Date of Notice	28 February 1898
	Groom	Bride
Names of Parties	Wm Hitchens	Mary Ann McCarthy
BDM Match (82%)	William Hitchens	Mary Anne McCarthy
	💍 1898/343
Condition	Bachelor	Spinster
Profession	Carpenter	Housekeeper
Age	43	35
Dwelling Place	Napier	Napier
Length of Residence	12 years	18 years
Marriage Place	Residence of M. Grogan, Napier
Folio	98/345
Consent
Date of Certificate	28 February 1898
Officiating Minister	Rev. M. Grogan, R.C. Priest

4 March 1898

Albert East
Esther Rebecca Compton

Albert East
Esther Rebecca Compton
💍 1898/344

Bachelor
Spinster

Laborer
Housekeeper

22
24

Masterton
Napier

5 years 4 days
24 years 4 days

Office of the Registrar of Marriages, Napier

98/346

4 March 1898

S. J. Jago, Registrar

No	24
Date of Notice	4 March 1898
	Groom	Bride
Names of Parties	Albert East	Esther Rebecca Compton
	💍 1898/344
Condition	Bachelor	Spinster
Profession	Laborer	Housekeeper
Age	22	24
Dwelling Place	Masterton	Napier
Length of Residence	5 years 4 days	24 years 4 days
Marriage Place	Office of the Registrar of Marriages, Napier
Folio	98/346
Consent
Date of Certificate	4 March 1898
Officiating Minister	S. J. Jago, Registrar

7 March 1898

Thomas Hay
Linda Sutherland

Thomas Hay
Linda Sutherland
💍 1898/564

Bachelor
Spinster

Butcher
Domestic

25
23

Spit
Napier

18 months
12 months

Presbyterian Manse, Napier

98/634

7 March 1898

Rev. J. J. Paterson, Presbyterian

No	25
Date of Notice	7 March 1898
	Groom	Bride
Names of Parties	Thomas Hay	Linda Sutherland
	💍 1898/564
Condition	Bachelor	Spinster
Profession	Butcher	Domestic
Age	25	23
Dwelling Place	Spit	Napier
Length of Residence	18 months	12 months
Marriage Place	Presbyterian Manse, Napier
Folio	98/634
Consent
Date of Certificate	7 March 1898
Officiating Minister	Rev. J. J. Paterson, Presbyterian

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).