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 131

District of Nelson Quarter ending 30 June 1901 Registrar Sydney Blomfield

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

15 April 1901

Henry Edmund Frost
Marion Fleming

Henry Edmund Frost
Marion Fleming
💍 1901/1960

Bachelor
Spinster

Farmer
Domestic Servant

24
25

Wakapuaka
Milton Street, Nelson

6 months
4 years

At the residence of Mr. George Glover, Milton Street, Nelson

01/2303

15 April 1901

Rev. F. W. Chatterton, Church of England Minister

No	29
Date of Notice	15 April 1901
	Groom	Bride
Names of Parties	Henry Edmund Frost	Marion Fleming
	💍 1901/1960
Condition	Bachelor	Spinster
Profession	Farmer	Domestic Servant
Age	24	25
Dwelling Place	Wakapuaka	Milton Street, Nelson
Length of Residence	6 months	4 years
Marriage Place	At the residence of Mr. George Glover, Milton Street, Nelson
Folio	01/2303
Consent
Date of Certificate	15 April 1901
Officiating Minister	Rev. F. W. Chatterton, Church of England Minister

19 April 1901

Ernest Malcolm
Mary Ann Thomas

Ernest Malcolm
Mary Ann Thomas
💍 1901/1978

Bachelor
Spinster

Farmer
Domestic Duties

23
21

Richmond
Richmond

2 years
21 years

At the office of the Registrar of Marriages, Nelson

01/2297

19 April 1901

S. Blomfield, Registrar of Marriages, Nelson

No	30
Date of Notice	19 April 1901
	Groom	Bride
Names of Parties	Ernest Malcolm	Mary Ann Thomas
	💍 1901/1978
Condition	Bachelor	Spinster
Profession	Farmer	Domestic Duties
Age	23	21
Dwelling Place	Richmond	Richmond
Length of Residence	2 years	21 years
Marriage Place	At the office of the Registrar of Marriages, Nelson
Folio	01/2297
Consent
Date of Certificate	19 April 1901
Officiating Minister	S. Blomfield, Registrar of Marriages, Nelson

22 April 1901

William Watson Livesay
Mary Georgina Dunn

William Watson Livesey
Mary Georgina Dunn
💍 1901/1971

Bachelor
Spinster

Farmer
Domestic Duties

30
30

Hope, Nelson
Brightwater

3 weeks
2 years

Holy Trinity Church, Richmond

01/2313

22 April 1901

Rev. C. E. Livesay, Church of England Minister

No	31
Date of Notice	22 April 1901
	Groom	Bride
Names of Parties	William Watson Livesay	Mary Georgina Dunn
BDM Match (98%)	William Watson Livesey	Mary Georgina Dunn
	💍 1901/1971
Condition	Bachelor	Spinster
Profession	Farmer	Domestic Duties
Age	30	30
Dwelling Place	Hope, Nelson	Brightwater
Length of Residence	3 weeks	2 years
Marriage Place	Holy Trinity Church, Richmond
Folio	01/2313
Consent
Date of Certificate	22 April 1901
Officiating Minister	Rev. C. E. Livesay, Church of England Minister

27 April 1901

Albert James Pawson
Caroline Busch

Albert James Pawson
Caroline Busch
💍 1901/1969

Bachelor
Spinster

Carter
Domestic Servant

23
20

Vanguard Street, Nelson
Hope, Nelson

5 years
20 years

At the residence of Mrs. Minnie Lammas, Hope

01/2312

Minnie Lammas, Mother

27 April 1901

Rev. A. C. Wright, Church of England Minister

No	32
Date of Notice	27 April 1901
	Groom	Bride
Names of Parties	Albert James Pawson	Caroline Busch
	💍 1901/1969
Condition	Bachelor	Spinster
Profession	Carter	Domestic Servant
Age	23	20
Dwelling Place	Vanguard Street, Nelson	Hope, Nelson
Length of Residence	5 years	20 years
Marriage Place	At the residence of Mrs. Minnie Lammas, Hope
Folio	01/2312
Consent	Minnie Lammas, Mother
Date of Certificate	27 April 1901
Officiating Minister	Rev. A. C. Wright, Church of England Minister

29 April 1901

William David Moss
Elsie Florence Weaver

William David Moss
Elsie Florence Weaver
💍 1901/1979

Bachelor
Spinster

Miner
Domestic Duties

26
21

Haven Road, Nelson
The Port, Nelson

4 days
8 days

At the office of the Registrar of Marriages, Nelson

01/2298

29 April 1901

S. Blomfield, Registrar of Marriages, Nelson

No	33
Date of Notice	29 April 1901
	Groom	Bride
Names of Parties	William David Moss	Elsie Florence Weaver
	💍 1901/1979
Condition	Bachelor	Spinster
Profession	Miner	Domestic Duties
Age	26	21
Dwelling Place	Haven Road, Nelson	The Port, Nelson
Length of Residence	4 days	8 days
Marriage Place	At the office of the Registrar of Marriages, Nelson
Folio	01/2298
Consent
Date of Certificate	29 April 1901
Officiating Minister	S. Blomfield, Registrar of Marriages, Nelson

6 May 1901

William Edward Walkey
Matilda Braddock

William Edward Walkey
Matilda Braddock
💍 1901/1963

Bachelor
Spinster

Plumber
Dressmaker

24
26

Waimea Street, Nelson
Wellington Terrace, Nelson

19 years
26 years

At the residence of John Braddock, Wellington Terrace, Nelson

01/2306

6 May 1901

Rev. F. W. Chatterton, Church of England Minister

No	34
Date of Notice	6 May 1901
	Groom	Bride
Names of Parties	William Edward Walkey	Matilda Braddock
	💍 1901/1963
Condition	Bachelor	Spinster
Profession	Plumber	Dressmaker
Age	24	26
Dwelling Place	Waimea Street, Nelson	Wellington Terrace, Nelson
Length of Residence	19 years	26 years
Marriage Place	At the residence of John Braddock, Wellington Terrace, Nelson
Folio	01/2306
Consent
Date of Certificate	6 May 1901
Officiating Minister	Rev. F. W. Chatterton, Church of England Minister

7 May 1901

Joseph Sigley
Margaret Madigan

Joseph Ligley
Margaret Madigan
💍 1901/3134

Bachelor
Spinster

Carpenter
Household Duties

35
25

Trafalgar Street, Nelson
Grove Street, Nelson

3 days
3 days

At the residence of Edward Madigan, Grove Street, Nelson

01/3664

7 May 1901

Rev. George Mahoney, Roman Catholic Priest

No	35
Date of Notice	7 May 1901
	Groom	Bride
Names of Parties	Joseph Sigley	Margaret Madigan
BDM Match (96%)	Joseph Ligley	Margaret Madigan
	💍 1901/3134
Condition	Bachelor	Spinster
Profession	Carpenter	Household Duties
Age	35	25
Dwelling Place	Trafalgar Street, Nelson	Grove Street, Nelson
Length of Residence	3 days	3 days
Marriage Place	At the residence of Edward Madigan, Grove Street, Nelson
Folio	01/3664
Consent
Date of Certificate	7 May 1901
Officiating Minister	Rev. George Mahoney, Roman Catholic Priest

7 May 1901

John Robert Pawson
Amy Coles

John Robert Pawson
Amy Coles
💍 1901/1962

Bachelor
Spinster

Seaman
Household Duties

21
17

Vanguard Street, Nelson
Collingwood Street, Nelson

3 days
17 years

At the residence of Rev. F. W. Chatterton, Vanguard Street

01/2305

Elizabeth Coles, Mother

7 May 1901

Rev. F. W. Chatterton, Church of England Minister

No	36
Date of Notice	7 May 1901
	Groom	Bride
Names of Parties	John Robert Pawson	Amy Coles
	💍 1901/1962
Condition	Bachelor	Spinster
Profession	Seaman	Household Duties
Age	21	17
Dwelling Place	Vanguard Street, Nelson	Collingwood Street, Nelson
Length of Residence	3 days	17 years
Marriage Place	At the residence of Rev. F. W. Chatterton, Vanguard Street
Folio	01/2305
Consent	Elizabeth Coles, Mother
Date of Certificate	7 May 1901
Officiating Minister	Rev. F. W. Chatterton, Church of England Minister

9 May 1901

William Denis Porter Holland
Rose May Grant

William Denis Porter Holland
Rose May Grant
💍 1901/3566

Bachelor
Spinster

Soapmaker
Household Duties

19
18

Waimea Road, Nelson
Vanguard Street, Nelson

8 years
19 years

At the residence of William Holland, Waimea Road, Nelson

01/4038

William Holland, Father; Alexander Grant, Eldest brother

9 May 1901

Rev. J. P. Kempthorne, Church of England Minister

No	37
Date of Notice	9 May 1901
	Groom	Bride
Names of Parties	William Denis Porter Holland	Rose May Grant
	💍 1901/3566
Condition	Bachelor	Spinster
Profession	Soapmaker	Household Duties
Age	19	18
Dwelling Place	Waimea Road, Nelson	Vanguard Street, Nelson
Length of Residence	8 years	19 years
Marriage Place	At the residence of William Holland, Waimea Road, Nelson
Folio	01/4038
Consent	William Holland, Father; Alexander Grant, Eldest brother
Date of Certificate	9 May 1901
Officiating Minister	Rev. J. P. Kempthorne, Church of England Minister

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).