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 258

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

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

28 January 1901

Charles Henry Loans
Mary Agnes Burrows

Charles Henry Evans
Mary Agnes Burrows
💍 1901/1010

Widower
Spinster

Manufacturer

50
31

Christchurch
Christchurch

11 years
31 years

Pro Cathedral, Barbados Street, Christchurch

01/930

28 January 1901

Very Rev. Dean Foley, Romanist

No	52
Date of Notice	28 January 1901
	Groom	Bride
Names of Parties	Charles Henry Loans	Mary Agnes Burrows
BDM Match (95%)	Charles Henry Evans	Mary Agnes Burrows
	💍 1901/1010
Condition	Widower	Spinster
Profession	Manufacturer
Age	50	31
Dwelling Place	Christchurch	Christchurch
Length of Residence	11 years	31 years
Marriage Place	Pro Cathedral, Barbados Street, Christchurch
Folio	01/930
Consent
Date of Certificate	28 January 1901
Officiating Minister	Very Rev. Dean Foley, Romanist

28 January 1901

Frederick Thompson
Ellen Pearson

Frederick Thompson
Ellen Pearson
💍 1901/820

Bachelor
Spinster

Labourer
Domestic

23
21

Christchurch
Christchurch

23 years
4 days

Registrar's Office, Christchurch

01/829

28 January 1901

Registrar of Marriages, J. M. Waddell

No	53
Date of Notice	28 January 1901
	Groom	Bride
Names of Parties	Frederick Thompson	Ellen Pearson
	💍 1901/820
Condition	Bachelor	Spinster
Profession	Labourer	Domestic
Age	23	21
Dwelling Place	Christchurch	Christchurch
Length of Residence	23 years	4 days
Marriage Place	Registrar's Office, Christchurch
Folio	01/829
Consent
Date of Certificate	28 January 1901
Officiating Minister	Registrar of Marriages, J. M. Waddell

28 January 1901

John Keely
Annie Eliza Wright

John Kelly
Anne Eliza Wright
💍 1901/1017

Bachelor
Widow

Farmer
Farmer

38
37

Christchurch
Christchurch

38 years
13 years

Pro Cathedral, Barbados Street, Christchurch

01/931

28 January 1901

Rev. Dean Foley, Romanist

No	54
Date of Notice	28 January 1901
	Groom	Bride
Names of Parties	John Keely	Annie Eliza Wright
BDM Match (92%)	John Kelly	Anne Eliza Wright
	💍 1901/1017
Condition	Bachelor	Widow
Profession	Farmer	Farmer
Age	38	37
Dwelling Place	Christchurch	Christchurch
Length of Residence	38 years	13 years
Marriage Place	Pro Cathedral, Barbados Street, Christchurch
Folio	01/931
Consent
Date of Certificate	28 January 1901
Officiating Minister	Rev. Dean Foley, Romanist

29 January 1901

Carl Wilhelm Tritt
Elizabeth McBeath

Carl Wilhelm Tritt
Elizabeth McBeath
💍 1901/6191

Widower
Spinster

Labourer
Domestic

41
26

Christchurch
Christchurch

6 months
6 months

Registrar's Office, Christchurch

01/830

29 January 1901

Registrar of Marriages, J. M. Waddell

No	55
Date of Notice	29 January 1901
	Groom	Bride
Names of Parties	Carl Wilhelm Tritt	Elizabeth McBeath
	💍 1901/6191
Condition	Widower	Spinster
Profession	Labourer	Domestic
Age	41	26
Dwelling Place	Christchurch	Christchurch
Length of Residence	6 months	6 months
Marriage Place	Registrar's Office, Christchurch
Folio	01/830
Consent
Date of Certificate	29 January 1901
Officiating Minister	Registrar of Marriages, J. M. Waddell

30 January 1901

Henry Bailey Wade
Carmen Avis Todd

Henry Bailey Wade
Carmen Avis Todd
💍 1901/806

Bachelor
Spinster

Stock Rider

27
19

Christchurch
Christchurch

5 weeks
2 months

Registrar's Office, Christchurch

01/838

On person having authority to consent

14 February 1901

Registrar of Marriages, J. M. Waddell

No	56
Date of Notice	30 January 1901
	Groom	Bride
Names of Parties	Henry Bailey Wade	Carmen Avis Todd
	💍 1901/806
Condition	Bachelor	Spinster
Profession	Stock Rider
Age	27	19
Dwelling Place	Christchurch	Christchurch
Length of Residence	5 weeks	2 months
Marriage Place	Registrar's Office, Christchurch
Folio	01/838
Consent	On person having authority to consent
Date of Certificate	14 February 1901
Officiating Minister	Registrar of Marriages, J. M. Waddell

30 January 1901

Thomas Gambell
Fanny Waters

Thomas Gambell Parrott
Fanny Waters
💍 1901/1003

Bachelor
Spinster

Farmer

42
35

Christchurch
Christchurch

4 years
36 years

Congregational Church, Worcester Street, Christchurch

01/941

30 January 1901

Rev. J. J. Batter, Congregationalist

No	57
Date of Notice	30 January 1901
	Groom	Bride
Names of Parties	Thomas Gambell	Fanny Waters
BDM Match (82%)	Thomas Gambell Parrott	Fanny Waters
	💍 1901/1003
Condition	Bachelor	Spinster
Profession	Farmer
Age	42	35
Dwelling Place	Christchurch	Christchurch
Length of Residence	4 years	36 years
Marriage Place	Congregational Church, Worcester Street, Christchurch
Folio	01/941
Consent
Date of Certificate	30 January 1901
Officiating Minister	Rev. J. J. Batter, Congregationalist

31 January 1901

Henry John Joyce
Rosina Holliss

Lewis John Joyce
Rosena Holliss
💍 1901/533

Bachelor
Spinster

Captain, Militia

34
33

Christchurch
Christchurch

4 days
9 years

House of Miss Holliss, Cambridge Terrace, Christchurch

01/964

31 January 1901

Rev. W. Baumber, Wesleyan

No	58
Date of Notice	31 January 1901
	Groom	Bride
Names of Parties	Henry John Joyce	Rosina Holliss
BDM Match (84%)	Lewis John Joyce	Rosena Holliss
	💍 1901/533
Condition	Bachelor	Spinster
Profession	Captain, Militia
Age	34	33
Dwelling Place	Christchurch	Christchurch
Length of Residence	4 days	9 years
Marriage Place	House of Miss Holliss, Cambridge Terrace, Christchurch
Folio	01/964
Consent
Date of Certificate	31 January 1901
Officiating Minister	Rev. W. Baumber, Wesleyan

31 January 1901

Marcus Black
Mary Caroline Oxby

Marcus Barak
Mary Caroline Oxby
💍 1901/403

Bachelor
Spinster

Watchmaker
Teacher

39
27

Christchurch
Christchurch

7 months
14 days

St. Michael's Church, Christchurch

01/871

31 January 1901

Rev. A. W. Averill, Anglican

No	59
Date of Notice	31 January 1901
	Groom	Bride
Names of Parties	Marcus Black	Mary Caroline Oxby
BDM Match (88%)	Marcus Barak	Mary Caroline Oxby
	💍 1901/403
Condition	Bachelor	Spinster
Profession	Watchmaker	Teacher
Age	39	27
Dwelling Place	Christchurch	Christchurch
Length of Residence	7 months	14 days
Marriage Place	St. Michael's Church, Christchurch
Folio	01/871
Consent
Date of Certificate	31 January 1901
Officiating Minister	Rev. A. W. Averill, Anglican

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).