Intentions to Marry, 1901 South Island

Reference: Registrar-General of Births, Deaths and Marriages, Notices of intention to marry, Series 8937, R2840420, Archives New Zealand Te Rua Mahara o te Kāwanatanga, Wellington

Imaged by Carole at Archives NZ Wellington, September 22 2025

1901 is bound in two volumes, North Island districts and South Island districts.

Page 264

District of Christchurch Quarter ending 31 March 1901 Registrar J. M. Verrall

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

25 February 1901

Charles Mansell Saunders
Violet Mary Georgina March

Charles Maxwell Saunders
Violet Mary Georgina March
💍 1901/506

Bachelor
Spinster

Manufacturer

29
28

Opawa
Linwood

3 years
2 years

St. Marks Church

01/910

25 February 1901

Rev. Archdeacon Cholmondeley, Anglican

No	96
Date of Notice	25 February 1901
	Groom	Bride
Names of Parties	Charles Mansell Saunders	Violet Mary Georgina March
BDM Match (96%)	Charles Maxwell Saunders	Violet Mary Georgina March
	💍 1901/506
Condition	Bachelor	Spinster
Profession	Manufacturer
Age	29	28
Dwelling Place	Opawa	Linwood
Length of Residence	3 years	2 years
Marriage Place	St. Marks Church
Folio	01/910
Consent
Date of Certificate	25 February 1901
Officiating Minister	Rev. Archdeacon Cholmondeley, Anglican

27 February 1901

Charles Hobbs
Sarah Prebble

Charles Hobbs
Sara Prebble
💍 1901/406

Bachelor
Spinster

Foreman

26
25

Christchurch
Christchurch

25 years
25 years

St. Michaels Church

01/874

27 February 1901

Rev. A. W. Averill, Anglican

No	97
Date of Notice	27 February 1901
	Groom	Bride
Names of Parties	Charles Hobbs	Sarah Prebble
BDM Match (96%)	Charles Hobbs	Sara Prebble
	💍 1901/406
Condition	Bachelor	Spinster
Profession	Foreman
Age	26	25
Dwelling Place	Christchurch	Christchurch
Length of Residence	25 years	25 years
Marriage Place	St. Michaels Church
Folio	01/874
Consent
Date of Certificate	27 February 1901
Officiating Minister	Rev. A. W. Averill, Anglican

27 February 1901

Walter Bowring McEwen
Maria Millicent Speight

Walter Browning
Maria Millicent McOwen
💍 1901/483

Bachelor
Spinster

Artist

26
23

Christchurch
Fendalton

26 years
23 years

St. Barnabas Church

01/891

27 February 1901

Rev. J. A. Hamilton, Anglican

No	98
Date of Notice	27 February 1901
	Groom	Bride
Names of Parties	Walter Bowring McEwen	Maria Millicent Speight
BDM Match (63%)	Walter Browning	Maria Millicent McOwen
	💍 1901/483
Condition	Bachelor	Spinster
Profession	Artist
Age	26	23
Dwelling Place	Christchurch	Fendalton
Length of Residence	26 years	23 years
Marriage Place	St. Barnabas Church
Folio	01/891
Consent
Date of Certificate	27 February 1901
Officiating Minister	Rev. J. A. Hamilton, Anglican

27 February 1901

Hugh George McClatchie
Eleanor Brabner

Hugh George McClutchie
Eleanor Brabner
💍 1901/413

Bachelor
Spinster

Shipping Clerk

35
21

Christchurch
Linwood

11 years
21 years

House of Mr. Brabner, Dorset Street

01/858

27 February 1901

Rev. J. Hensley, Presbyterian

No	99
Date of Notice	27 February 1901
	Groom	Bride
Names of Parties	Hugh George McClatchie	Eleanor Brabner
BDM Match (98%)	Hugh George McClutchie	Eleanor Brabner
	💍 1901/413
Condition	Bachelor	Spinster
Profession	Shipping Clerk
Age	35	21
Dwelling Place	Christchurch	Linwood
Length of Residence	11 years	21 years
Marriage Place	House of Mr. Brabner, Dorset Street
Folio	01/858
Consent
Date of Certificate	27 February 1901
Officiating Minister	Rev. J. Hensley, Presbyterian

100

27 February 1901

Roland Cotter
Ann Hunter Williams

Roland Cotter
Ann Hunter Williams
💍 1901/1000

Bachelor
Spinster

Blacksmith
Domestic

26
26

Christchurch
Christchurch

26 years
27 years

House of Mr. Cotter, 22 Manchester Street

01/938

27 February 1901

Rev. C. J. Ward, Methodist

No	100
Date of Notice	27 February 1901
	Groom	Bride
Names of Parties	Roland Cotter	Ann Hunter Williams
	💍 1901/1000
Condition	Bachelor	Spinster
Profession	Blacksmith	Domestic
Age	26	26
Dwelling Place	Christchurch	Christchurch
Length of Residence	26 years	27 years
Marriage Place	House of Mr. Cotter, 22 Manchester Street
Folio	01/938
Consent
Date of Certificate	27 February 1901
Officiating Minister	Rev. C. J. Ward, Methodist

101

28 February 1901

George Hayman Fuller
Mary Ann Zimmer Williams

George Hayband Fuller
Mary Anne Skinner
💍 1901/6174

Widower
Widow

Gardener
Domestic

64
34

Christchurch
Christchurch

21 years
25 years

St. Johns Church, Latimer Square

01/887

28 February 1901

Rev. H. M. Watson, Anglican

No	101
Date of Notice	28 February 1901
	Groom	Bride
Names of Parties	George Hayman Fuller	Mary Ann Zimmer Williams
BDM Match (66%)	George Hayband Fuller	Mary Anne Skinner
	💍 1901/6174
Condition	Widower	Widow
Profession	Gardener	Domestic
Age	64	34
Dwelling Place	Christchurch	Christchurch
Length of Residence	21 years	25 years
Marriage Place	St. Johns Church, Latimer Square
Folio	01/887
Consent
Date of Certificate	28 February 1901
Officiating Minister	Rev. H. M. Watson, Anglican

102

28 February 1901

Albert William Robert Palmer
Catherine India Kramish

Albert William Robert Palmer
Catherine Julia Beamish
💍 1901/807

Bachelor
Widow

Sheep Farmer
Storekeeper

39
48

Christchurch
Christchurch

10 years
10 years

Registrar's Office

01/839

28 February 1901

Registrar of Marriages, J. M. Verrall

No	102
Date of Notice	28 February 1901
	Groom	Bride
Names of Parties	Albert William Robert Palmer	Catherine India Kramish
BDM Match (89%)	Albert William Robert Palmer	Catherine Julia Beamish
	💍 1901/807
Condition	Bachelor	Widow
Profession	Sheep Farmer	Storekeeper
Age	39	48
Dwelling Place	Christchurch	Christchurch
Length of Residence	10 years	10 years
Marriage Place	Registrar's Office
Folio	01/839
Consent
Date of Certificate	28 February 1901
Officiating Minister	Registrar of Marriages, J. M. Verrall

103

1 March 1901

Robert McMillan
Susan Davies

Robert McMillan
Susan Davies
💍 1901/1008

Bachelor
Spinster

Labourer
Dresser

31
27

Christchurch
Christchurch

6 years
17 years

Baptist Church, Oxford Terrace

01/946

1 March 1901

Rev. J. Doke, Baptist

No	103
Date of Notice	1 March 1901
	Groom	Bride
Names of Parties	Robert McMillan	Susan Davies
	💍 1901/1008
Condition	Bachelor	Spinster
Profession	Labourer	Dresser
Age	31	27
Dwelling Place	Christchurch	Christchurch
Length of Residence	6 years	17 years
Marriage Place	Baptist Church, Oxford Terrace
Folio	01/946
Consent
Date of Certificate	1 March 1901
Officiating Minister	Rev. J. Doke, Baptist

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).