Intentions to Marry, 1900 January-June

Reference: Registrar-General of Births, Deaths and Marriages, Notices of intention to marry, Series 8937, R2840417, Archives New Zealand Te Rua Mahara o te Kāwanatanga, Wellington

Imaged by Luke at Archives NZ Wellington, September 12 2025

1900 is bound in two volumes, January-June and July-December.

Page 399

District of Timaru Quarter ending 31 March 1900 Registrar Alex. Montgomery

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

2 January 1900

William Nelson Wedderell
Edith Dunnill

William Nelson Wederell
Edith Dunnill
💍 1900/1485

Bachelor
Spinster

Saddler

21 years
16 years

St Andrews
St Andrews

15 years
4 years

Dwellinghouse of John Dunnill St Andrews

not solemnized

John Dunnill

2 January 1900

Rev. L. B. Brady Church of England Clergyman

No	1
Date of Notice	2 January 1900
	Groom	Bride
Names of Parties	William Nelson Wedderell	Edith Dunnill
BDM Match (98%)	William Nelson Wederell	Edith Dunnill
	💍 1900/1485
Condition	Bachelor	Spinster
Profession	Saddler
Age	21 years	16 years
Dwelling Place	St Andrews	St Andrews
Length of Residence	15 years	4 years
Marriage Place	Dwellinghouse of John Dunnill St Andrews
Folio	not solemnized
Consent	John Dunnill
Date of Certificate	2 January 1900
Officiating Minister	Rev. L. B. Brady Church of England Clergyman

4 January 1900

Jeremiah Counihan
Elizabeth Edgar Grant

Jeremiah Counihan
Elizabeth Edgar Grant
💍 1900/988

Bachelor
Spinster

Ploughman

30 years
33 years

Harrytown
Timaru

20 years
3 days

Registrar's office Timaru

00/970

4 January 1900

Alex. Montgomery Registrar

No	2
Date of Notice	4 January 1900
	Groom	Bride
Names of Parties	Jeremiah Counihan	Elizabeth Edgar Grant
	💍 1900/988
Condition	Bachelor	Spinster
Profession	Ploughman
Age	30 years	33 years
Dwelling Place	Harrytown	Timaru
Length of Residence	20 years	3 days
Marriage Place	Registrar's office Timaru
Folio	00/970
Consent
Date of Certificate	4 January 1900
Officiating Minister	Alex. Montgomery Registrar

11 January 1900

Arthur Percy Ray
Henrietta Bessie Robson

Arthur Percy Ray
Henrietta Bessie Robson
💍 1900/996

Bachelor
Spinster

Painter
Shop Assistant

22 years
21 years

Timaru
Timaru

3 days
5 months

Dwellinghouse of Rev. J. Newman Buttle Timaru

00/977

11 January 1900

Rev. J. Newman Buttle Wesleyan Minister

No	3
Date of Notice	11 January 1900
	Groom	Bride
Names of Parties	Arthur Percy Ray	Henrietta Bessie Robson
	💍 1900/996
Condition	Bachelor	Spinster
Profession	Painter	Shop Assistant
Age	22 years	21 years
Dwelling Place	Timaru	Timaru
Length of Residence	3 days	5 months
Marriage Place	Dwellinghouse of Rev. J. Newman Buttle Timaru
Folio	00/977
Consent
Date of Certificate	11 January 1900
Officiating Minister	Rev. J. Newman Buttle Wesleyan Minister

15 January 1900

James Allan
Ethel May Young

James Allan
Ethel May Young
💍 1900/42

Bachelor
Spinster

Baker

22 years
22 years

Timaru
Timaru

3 years
15 years

Dwellinghouse of Rev. Wm. Millies Timaru

00/981

15 January 1900

Rev. Wm. Millies Presbyterian Minister

No	4
Date of Notice	15 January 1900
	Groom	Bride
Names of Parties	James Allan	Ethel May Young
	💍 1900/42
Condition	Bachelor	Spinster
Profession	Baker
Age	22 years	22 years
Dwelling Place	Timaru	Timaru
Length of Residence	3 years	15 years
Marriage Place	Dwellinghouse of Rev. Wm. Millies Timaru
Folio	00/981
Consent
Date of Certificate	15 January 1900
Officiating Minister	Rev. Wm. Millies Presbyterian Minister

24 January 1900

William McClatchy
Elizabeth Latimer

William McClatchy
Elizabeth Latimer
💍 1900/12

Bachelor
Spinster

Hairdresser

23 years
24 years

Timaru
Timaru

23 years
6 years

Dwellinghouse of John McClatchy West Belt Timaru

00/972

24 January 1900

Rev. W. B. Woodward Primitive Methodist Minister

No	5
Date of Notice	24 January 1900
	Groom	Bride
Names of Parties	William McClatchy	Elizabeth Latimer
	💍 1900/12
Condition	Bachelor	Spinster
Profession	Hairdresser
Age	23 years	24 years
Dwelling Place	Timaru	Timaru
Length of Residence	23 years	6 years
Marriage Place	Dwellinghouse of John McClatchy West Belt Timaru
Folio	00/972
Consent
Date of Certificate	24 January 1900
Officiating Minister	Rev. W. B. Woodward Primitive Methodist Minister

24 January 1900

William Nathaniel Barton Bond
Ethel Mary Elworthy

William Nathaniel Carlon Bond
Ethel Mary Elworthy
💍 1900/2655

Bachelor
Spinster

Landowner

33 years
23 years

Lawford Weedons
Pareora

4 months
23 years

St Mary's English Church Timaru Weedons

00/1276

24 January 1900

Rev. Frederick Wallis Bishop of Wellington

No	6
Date of Notice	24 January 1900
	Groom	Bride
Names of Parties	William Nathaniel Barton Bond	Ethel Mary Elworthy
BDM Match (97%)	William Nathaniel Carlon Bond	Ethel Mary Elworthy
	💍 1900/2655
Condition	Bachelor	Spinster
Profession	Landowner
Age	33 years	23 years
Dwelling Place	Lawford Weedons	Pareora
Length of Residence	4 months	23 years
Marriage Place	St Mary's English Church Timaru Weedons
Folio	00/1276
Consent
Date of Certificate	24 January 1900
Officiating Minister	Rev. Frederick Wallis Bishop of Wellington

1 February 1900

Philip Scoringe
Lillian Constance Smith

Philip Scoringe
Lilian Constance Smith
💍 1900/39

Bachelor
Spinster

Wharf Labourer

21 years
18 years

Timaru
Timaru

2 years
4 years

Dwellinghouse of Smith Beach Road Timaru

00/978

J. Smith father

1 February 1900

Rev. J. Newman Buttle Wesleyan Minister

No	7
Date of Notice	1 February 1900
	Groom	Bride
Names of Parties	Philip Scoringe	Lillian Constance Smith
BDM Match (98%)	Philip Scoringe	Lilian Constance Smith
	💍 1900/39
Condition	Bachelor	Spinster
Profession	Wharf Labourer
Age	21 years	18 years
Dwelling Place	Timaru	Timaru
Length of Residence	2 years	4 years
Marriage Place	Dwellinghouse of Smith Beach Road Timaru
Folio	00/978
Consent	J. Smith father
Date of Certificate	1 February 1900
Officiating Minister	Rev. J. Newman Buttle Wesleyan Minister

8 February 1900

John McIlroy
Ada Rosina Beatrice Skelly

John McIlroy
Ada Rosetta Beatrice Skelley
💍 1900/43

Bachelor
Spinster

Watchmaker
Milliner

30 years
25 years

Timaru
Timaru

3 days
3 days

Dwellinghouse of John Mc Ilroy Timaru

00/982

8 February 1900

Rev. Wm. Gillies Presbyterian Minister

No	8
Date of Notice	8 February 1900
	Groom	Bride
Names of Parties	John McIlroy	Ada Rosina Beatrice Skelly
BDM Match (93%)	John McIlroy	Ada Rosetta Beatrice Skelley
	💍 1900/43
Condition	Bachelor	Spinster
Profession	Watchmaker	Milliner
Age	30 years	25 years
Dwelling Place	Timaru	Timaru
Length of Residence	3 days	3 days
Marriage Place	Dwellinghouse of John Mc Ilroy Timaru
Folio	00/982
Consent
Date of Certificate	8 February 1900
Officiating Minister	Rev. Wm. Gillies Presbyterian Minister

9 February 1900

William Ernest Ferris
Esther Adams

William Ernest Ferris
Esther Mary Adams
💍 1900/2608

Bachelor
Spinster

Fruitgrower
Domestic Duties

22 years
22 years

Timaru
Timaru

3 days
3 days

St Mary's Parsonage Timaru

not solemnized

9 February 1900

Rev. Henry W. Harper Archdeacon Timaru

No	9
Date of Notice	9 February 1900
	Groom	Bride
Names of Parties	William Ernest Ferris	Esther Adams
BDM Match (85%)	William Ernest Ferris	Esther Mary Adams
	💍 1900/2608
Condition	Bachelor	Spinster
Profession	Fruitgrower	Domestic Duties
Age	22 years	22 years
Dwelling Place	Timaru	Timaru
Length of Residence	3 days	3 days
Marriage Place	St Mary's Parsonage Timaru
Folio	not solemnized
Consent
Date of Certificate	9 February 1900
Officiating Minister	Rev. Henry W. Harper Archdeacon Timaru

13 February 1900

George Albert Akers
Mary Irving

George Albert Aker
Mary Irving
💍 1900/995

Bachelor
Spinster

Labourer
Domestic Duties

29 years
19 years

Timaru
Timaru

28 years
9 years

Presbyterian Church Timaru

00/976

Isabella Irving mother

13 February 1900

Rev. W. B. Woodward Timaru

No	10
Date of Notice	13 February 1900
	Groom	Bride
Names of Parties	George Albert Akers	Mary Irving
BDM Match (97%)	George Albert Aker	Mary Irving
	💍 1900/995
Condition	Bachelor	Spinster
Profession	Labourer	Domestic Duties
Age	29 years	19 years
Dwelling Place	Timaru	Timaru
Length of Residence	28 years	9 years
Marriage Place	Presbyterian Church Timaru
Folio	00/976
Consent	Isabella Irving mother
Date of Certificate	13 February 1900
Officiating Minister	Rev. W. B. Woodward Timaru

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).