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 1048

District of Riverton Quarter ending 30 June 1900 Registrar Alexander George Ashby

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

578

7 April 1900

Edwin Kitto
Mary Lyon

Edwin Kitto
Mary Lyon
💍 1900/3303

Bachelor
Spinster

Blacksmith
Domestic Duties

32
22

Fairfax
Orepuki Flat

11 years
22 years

In the House of M. Cara Lyon

00/2673

7 April 1900

Rev. Robert Ewen (Presbyterian)

No	578
Date of Notice	7 April 1900
	Groom	Bride
Names of Parties	Edwin Kitto	Mary Lyon
	💍 1900/3303
Condition	Bachelor	Spinster
Profession	Blacksmith	Domestic Duties
Age	32	22
Dwelling Place	Fairfax	Orepuki Flat
Length of Residence	11 years	22 years
Marriage Place	In the House of M. Cara Lyon
Folio	00/2673
Consent
Date of Certificate	7 April 1900
Officiating Minister	Rev. Robert Ewen (Presbyterian)

579

20 April 1900

Robert McRay
Daisy Callaghan

Robert McNay
Daisy Callaghan
💍 1900/3306

Bachelor
Spinster

Farm Laborer
Domestic Duties

25
23

Limestone Plains
Fairfax

8 years
12 years

In the Presbyterian Manse, Limestone

00/2674

20 April 1900

Rev. Robert Ewen (Presbyterian)

No	579
Date of Notice	20 April 1900
	Groom	Bride
Names of Parties	Robert McRay	Daisy Callaghan
BDM Match (96%)	Robert McNay	Daisy Callaghan
	💍 1900/3306
Condition	Bachelor	Spinster
Profession	Farm Laborer	Domestic Duties
Age	25	23
Dwelling Place	Limestone Plains	Fairfax
Length of Residence	8 years	12 years
Marriage Place	In the Presbyterian Manse, Limestone
Folio	00/2674
Consent
Date of Certificate	20 April 1900
Officiating Minister	Rev. Robert Ewen (Presbyterian)

580

2 May 1900

John Murray Wilson
Charlotte Muller

John Murray Wilson
Charlotte Miller
💍 1900/3402

Widower
Widow

Merchant
Domestic Duties

60
50

Invercargill
Gropers Bush

37 years
25 years

In the House of Charlotte Muller, Invercargill

00/2669

2 May 1900

Rev. Robert McCully (Presbyterian)

No	580
Date of Notice	2 May 1900
	Groom	Bride
Names of Parties	John Murray Wilson	Charlotte Muller
BDM Match (97%)	John Murray Wilson	Charlotte Miller
	💍 1900/3402
Condition	Widower	Widow
Profession	Merchant	Domestic Duties
Age	60	50
Dwelling Place	Invercargill	Gropers Bush
Length of Residence	37 years	25 years
Marriage Place	In the House of Charlotte Muller, Invercargill
Folio	00/2669
Consent
Date of Certificate	2 May 1900
Officiating Minister	Rev. Robert McCully (Presbyterian)

581

8 May 1900

William Septimus Seward Cantrell
Ethel Florence Sutton

William Septimus Seaward Cantrell
Ethel Florence Sutton
💍 1900/5833

Bachelor
Spinster

Farmer
Domestic Duties

28
24

Thornbury
Thornbury

6 years
10 years

In the Anglican Church, Thornbury

00/2675

8 May 1900

Rev. G. W. Davidson (Church of England)

No	581
Date of Notice	8 May 1900
	Groom	Bride
Names of Parties	William Septimus Seward Cantrell	Ethel Florence Sutton
BDM Match (99%)	William Septimus Seaward Cantrell	Ethel Florence Sutton
	💍 1900/5833
Condition	Bachelor	Spinster
Profession	Farmer	Domestic Duties
Age	28	24
Dwelling Place	Thornbury	Thornbury
Length of Residence	6 years	10 years
Marriage Place	In the Anglican Church, Thornbury
Folio	00/2675
Consent
Date of Certificate	8 May 1900
Officiating Minister	Rev. G. W. Davidson (Church of England)

582

11 May 1900

Clifford William Hobbs
Ellen Sullivan

Clifford William Hobbs
Ellen Sullivan
💍 1900/3398

Bachelor
Spinster

Miner
Domestic Duties

34
23

Round Hill
Round Hill

2 years
9 years

In the Registrar's Office at Riverton

00/2666

11 May 1900

A. G. Ashby (Registrar)

No	582
Date of Notice	11 May 1900
	Groom	Bride
Names of Parties	Clifford William Hobbs	Ellen Sullivan
	💍 1900/3398
Condition	Bachelor	Spinster
Profession	Miner	Domestic Duties
Age	34	23
Dwelling Place	Round Hill	Round Hill
Length of Residence	2 years	9 years
Marriage Place	In the Registrar's Office at Riverton
Folio	00/2666
Consent
Date of Certificate	11 May 1900
Officiating Minister	A. G. Ashby (Registrar)

583

14 May 1900

James Knight
Alice Harlock

James Knight
Alice Havelock
💍 1900/3404

Divorced
Spinster

Labourer
Domestic Duties

32
22

Colac Bay
Pahi

4 years
3 weeks

In the House of George Harlock, Pahi

00/2671

14 May 1900

Rev. G. J. Roby (Presbyterian)

No	583
Date of Notice	14 May 1900
	Groom	Bride
Names of Parties	James Knight	Alice Harlock
BDM Match (93%)	James Knight	Alice Havelock
	💍 1900/3404
Condition	Divorced	Spinster
Profession	Labourer	Domestic Duties
Age	32	22
Dwelling Place	Colac Bay	Pahi
Length of Residence	4 years	3 weeks
Marriage Place	In the House of George Harlock, Pahi
Folio	00/2671
Consent
Date of Certificate	14 May 1900
Officiating Minister	Rev. G. J. Roby (Presbyterian)

584

19 May 1900

William Haywood
Elizabeth Crawford Stenhouse

William Haywood
Elizabeth Crawford Stenhouse
💍 1900/3401

Bachelor
Spinster

Farmer
Domestic Duties

39
30

Gropers Bush
Gropers Bush

4 years
30 years

In the House of David Younger, Gropers Bush

00/2665

19 May 1900

Rev. G. F. Burrows (Wesleyan)

No	584
Date of Notice	19 May 1900
	Groom	Bride
Names of Parties	William Haywood	Elizabeth Crawford Stenhouse
	💍 1900/3401
Condition	Bachelor	Spinster
Profession	Farmer	Domestic Duties
Age	39	30
Dwelling Place	Gropers Bush	Gropers Bush
Length of Residence	4 years	30 years
Marriage Place	In the House of David Younger, Gropers Bush
Folio	00/2665
Consent
Date of Certificate	19 May 1900
Officiating Minister	Rev. G. F. Burrows (Wesleyan)

585

23 May 1900

Henry Roff
Alice Julia Nickless

Henry Roff
Alice Julia Nickless
💍 1900/3307

Widower
Spinster

Sawmiller
Domestic Duties

41
34

Orepuki
Orepuki

8 months
7 months

In the Church of England, Riverton

00/2676

23 May 1900

Rev. G. W. Davidson (Church of England)

No	585
Date of Notice	23 May 1900
	Groom	Bride
Names of Parties	Henry Roff	Alice Julia Nickless
	💍 1900/3307
Condition	Widower	Spinster
Profession	Sawmiller	Domestic Duties
Age	41	34
Dwelling Place	Orepuki	Orepuki
Length of Residence	8 months	7 months
Marriage Place	In the Church of England, Riverton
Folio	00/2676
Consent
Date of Certificate	23 May 1900
Officiating Minister	Rev. G. W. Davidson (Church of England)

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).