Intentions to Marry, 1902 North Island

Reference: Registrar-General of Births, Deaths and Marriages, Notices of intention to marry, Series 8937, R2840421, Archives New Zealand Te Rua Mahara o te Kāwanatanga, Wellington

Imaged by Luke at Archives NZ Wellington, October 3 2025

1902 is bound in two volumes, North Island districts and South Island districts.

Page 662

District of Eltham Quarter ending 30 September 1902 Registrar James William Middleton

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

23 July 1902

William Death
Emma Amelia Harris

William Death
Emma Amelia Harris
💍 1902/5204

Bachelor
Spinster

Farmer
Domestic duties

29
27

Eltham
Waitotara

3 days
3 months

In the Church, Waitotara

02/4985

23 July 1902

Rev. R. Hermon

No	80
Date of Notice	23 July 1902
	Groom	Bride
Names of Parties	William Death	Emma Amelia Harris
	💍 1902/5204
Condition	Bachelor	Spinster
Profession	Farmer	Domestic duties
Age	29	27
Dwelling Place	Eltham	Waitotara
Length of Residence	3 days	3 months
Marriage Place	In the Church, Waitotara
Folio	02/4985
Consent
Date of Certificate	23 July 1902
Officiating Minister	Rev. R. Hermon

4 August 1902

Robert Crosby
Florence Maud Smith

Robert Crosby
Florence Maud Smith
💍 1902/3599

Bachelor
Spinster

Labourer
Domestic duties

23
21

Eltham
Eltham

12 years
1 year

At the House of H. Partridge, Eltham

02/3388

4 August 1902

Rev. J. H. G. Chapple

No	81
Date of Notice	4 August 1902
	Groom	Bride
Names of Parties	Robert Crosby	Florence Maud Smith
	💍 1902/3599
Condition	Bachelor	Spinster
Profession	Labourer	Domestic duties
Age	23	21
Dwelling Place	Eltham	Eltham
Length of Residence	12 years	1 year
Marriage Place	At the House of H. Partridge, Eltham
Folio	02/3388
Consent
Date of Certificate	4 August 1902
Officiating Minister	Rev. J. H. G. Chapple

7 August 1902

Herbert Henry Thomas Death
Mary Harriett Harris

Herbert Henry Thomas Death
Mary Harriett Harris
💍 1902/3596

Bachelor
Spinster

Farmer
Domestic duties

29
29

Eltham
Eltham

3 days
14 days

Registrar's Office

02/3385

7 August 1902

Registrar of Marriages, Eltham

No	82
Date of Notice	7 August 1902
	Groom	Bride
Names of Parties	Herbert Henry Thomas Death	Mary Harriett Harris
	💍 1902/3596
Condition	Bachelor	Spinster
Profession	Farmer	Domestic duties
Age	29	29
Dwelling Place	Eltham	Eltham
Length of Residence	3 days	14 days
Marriage Place	Registrar's Office
Folio	02/3385
Consent
Date of Certificate	7 August 1902
Officiating Minister	Registrar of Marriages, Eltham

23 August 1902

Robert Henry Bartlett
Frances Mary Prestidge

Robert Henry Bartlett
Frances Mary Prestidge
💍 1902/3600

Bachelor
Spinster

Farmer
Domestic duties

24
24

Kaponga
Eltham

3 years
3 years

Presbyterian Church, Manaia

02/3389

23 August 1902

Rev. J. H. G. Chapple

No	83
Date of Notice	23 August 1902
	Groom	Bride
Names of Parties	Robert Henry Bartlett	Frances Mary Prestidge
	💍 1902/3600
Condition	Bachelor	Spinster
Profession	Farmer	Domestic duties
Age	24	24
Dwelling Place	Kaponga	Eltham
Length of Residence	3 years	3 years
Marriage Place	Presbyterian Church, Manaia
Folio	02/3389
Consent
Date of Certificate	23 August 1902
Officiating Minister	Rev. J. H. G. Chapple

30 August 1902

George Lawrence Taylor
Sarah Jane Body

George Laurence Taylor
Sarah Jane Bosley
💍 1902/4759

Bachelor
Spinster

Labourer
Domestic duties

23
22

Eltham
Eltham

5 years
20 years

Primitive Methodist Church, Eltham

02/4561

30 August 1902

Rev. T. R. B. Worlaxall

No	84
Date of Notice	30 August 1902
	Groom	Bride
Names of Parties	George Lawrence Taylor	Sarah Jane Body
BDM Match (89%)	George Laurence Taylor	Sarah Jane Bosley
	💍 1902/4759
Condition	Bachelor	Spinster
Profession	Labourer	Domestic duties
Age	23	22
Dwelling Place	Eltham	Eltham
Length of Residence	5 years	20 years
Marriage Place	Primitive Methodist Church, Eltham
Folio	02/4561
Consent
Date of Certificate	30 August 1902
Officiating Minister	Rev. T. R. B. Worlaxall

2 September 1902

William Frederick Watts
Minnie Sarah Jane Willis

William Frederick Watts
Minnie Sarah Jane Willis
💍 1902/3597

Widower
Spinster

Labourer
Domestic duties

30
21

Eltham
Eltham

2 months
2 months

Registrar's Office

02/3386

2 September 1902

Registrar of Marriages, Eltham

No	85
Date of Notice	2 September 1902
	Groom	Bride
Names of Parties	William Frederick Watts	Minnie Sarah Jane Willis
	💍 1902/3597
Condition	Widower	Spinster
Profession	Labourer	Domestic duties
Age	30	21
Dwelling Place	Eltham	Eltham
Length of Residence	2 months	2 months
Marriage Place	Registrar's Office
Folio	02/3386
Consent
Date of Certificate	2 September 1902
Officiating Minister	Registrar of Marriages, Eltham

9 September 1902

Thomas McWhirter
Agnes Helen Moir

Thomas McWhirter
Agnes Helen Moir
💍 1902/3601

Bachelor
Spinster

Farmer
Milliner

26
27

Eltham
Eltham

8 years
8 years

Mr. Moir's House

02/3390

9 September 1902

Rev. J. H. G. Chapple

No	86
Date of Notice	9 September 1902
	Groom	Bride
Names of Parties	Thomas McWhirter	Agnes Helen Moir
	💍 1902/3601
Condition	Bachelor	Spinster
Profession	Farmer	Milliner
Age	26	27
Dwelling Place	Eltham	Eltham
Length of Residence	8 years	8 years
Marriage Place	Mr. Moir's House
Folio	02/3390
Consent
Date of Certificate	9 September 1902
Officiating Minister	Rev. J. H. G. Chapple

19 September 1902

Henry Lear Page
Jessie Steadman Potter

Henry Lear Page
Jessie Stedmand Potter
💍 1902/3598

Bachelor
Spinster

Carpenter
Domestic duties

21
19

Eltham
Eltham

12 months
13 years

Mr. W. Potter's House

02/3387

W. Potter, father of bride

19 September 1902

Rev. C. A. Easton

No	87
Date of Notice	19 September 1902
	Groom	Bride
Names of Parties	Henry Lear Page	Jessie Steadman Potter
BDM Match (95%)	Henry Lear Page	Jessie Stedmand Potter
	💍 1902/3598
Condition	Bachelor	Spinster
Profession	Carpenter	Domestic duties
Age	21	19
Dwelling Place	Eltham	Eltham
Length of Residence	12 months	13 years
Marriage Place	Mr. W. Potter's House
Folio	02/3387
Consent	W. Potter, father of bride
Date of Certificate	19 September 1902
Officiating Minister	Rev. C. A. Easton

29 September 1902

Stephen Leonard Parsons
Constance Bernice Hammond

Stephen Leonard Parsons
Constance Bernice Hammond
💍 1902/5205

Bachelor
Divorced

Clerk
Domestic duties

21
29

Eltham
Eltham

3 days
3 months

Registrar's Office

See note

29 September 1902

Registrar of Marriages, Eltham

No	88
Date of Notice	29 September 1902
	Groom	Bride
Names of Parties	Stephen Leonard Parsons	Constance Bernice Hammond
	💍 1902/5205
Condition	Bachelor	Divorced
Profession	Clerk	Domestic duties
Age	21	29
Dwelling Place	Eltham	Eltham
Length of Residence	3 days	3 months
Marriage Place	Registrar's Office
Folio	See note
Consent
Date of Certificate	29 September 1902
Officiating Minister	Registrar of Marriages, Eltham

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 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).