Intentions to Marry, 1902 South Island

Reference: Registrar-General of Births, Deaths and Marriages, Notices of intention to marry, Series 8937, R2840422, Archives New Zealand Te Rua Mahara o te Kāwanatanga, Wellington

Imaged by Luke and Carole at Archives NZ Wellington, October 3 and October 8, 2025.

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

Page 793

District of Invercargill Quarter ending 31 December 1902 Registrar J. G. Petrie

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

142

25 November 1902

David Walton
Martha Adcock

David Walton
Martha Adcock
💍 1902/6305

Widower
Spinster

Butcher
Domestic

24
20

North Road, Invercargill
North Road, Invercargill

3 days
5 days

St. John's English Church, Tay Street, Invercargill

02/6075

William James Adcock, Father

25 November 1902

The Archdeacon Stocker

No	142
Date of Notice	25 November 1902
	Groom	Bride
Names of Parties	David Walton	Martha Adcock
	💍 1902/6305
Condition	Widower	Spinster
Profession	Butcher	Domestic
Age	24	20
Dwelling Place	North Road, Invercargill	North Road, Invercargill
Length of Residence	3 days	5 days
Marriage Place	St. John's English Church, Tay Street, Invercargill
Folio	02/6075
Consent	William James Adcock, Father
Date of Certificate	25 November 1902
Officiating Minister	The Archdeacon Stocker

143

26 November 1902

William George Lendray
Agnes Daril

William George Lindsay
Agnes Davie
💍 1902/6416

Bachelor
Spinster

Carpenter
Domestic

23
22

Tay Street, Invercargill
Tay Street, Invercargill

3 days
3 days

Office of the Registrar of Marriages, Invercargill

02/6070

26 November 1902

The Registrar of Marriages, Invercargill

No	143
Date of Notice	26 November 1902
	Groom	Bride
Names of Parties	William George Lendray	Agnes Daril
BDM Match (86%)	William George Lindsay	Agnes Davie
	💍 1902/6416
Condition	Bachelor	Spinster
Profession	Carpenter	Domestic
Age	23	22
Dwelling Place	Tay Street, Invercargill	Tay Street, Invercargill
Length of Residence	3 days	3 days
Marriage Place	Office of the Registrar of Marriages, Invercargill
Folio	02/6070
Consent
Date of Certificate	26 November 1902
Officiating Minister	The Registrar of Marriages, Invercargill

144

5 December 1902

John Milne
Mary Theresa Gourlay

John Milne
Mary Teresa Gourley
💍 1902/6233

Widower
Spinster

Hotelkeeper
Dressmaker

54
28

Dee Street, Invercargill
East Invercargill

3 days
2 months

R.C. Presbytery, Eye Street, Invercargill

02/6221

5 December 1902

The Very Rev. Dean Burke

No	144
Date of Notice	5 December 1902
	Groom	Bride
Names of Parties	John Milne	Mary Theresa Gourlay
BDM Match (95%)	John Milne	Mary Teresa Gourley
	💍 1902/6233
Condition	Widower	Spinster
Profession	Hotelkeeper	Dressmaker
Age	54	28
Dwelling Place	Dee Street, Invercargill	East Invercargill
Length of Residence	3 days	2 months
Marriage Place	R.C. Presbytery, Eye Street, Invercargill
Folio	02/6221
Consent
Date of Certificate	5 December 1902
Officiating Minister	The Very Rev. Dean Burke

145

6 December 1902

George Tom Stevens
Winifred Comland Bell

George Tom Stevens
Winifred Constance Bell
💍 1902/6290

Bachelor
Spinster

Salesman
Domestic

34
28

Grace Street, Invercargill
Grace Street, Invercargill

16 years
4 years

All Saints English Church, Gladstone, Invercargill

02/6083

6 December 1902

Rev. William Swinburn

No	145
Date of Notice	6 December 1902
	Groom	Bride
Names of Parties	George Tom Stevens	Winifred Comland Bell
BDM Match (89%)	George Tom Stevens	Winifred Constance Bell
	💍 1902/6290
Condition	Bachelor	Spinster
Profession	Salesman	Domestic
Age	34	28
Dwelling Place	Grace Street, Invercargill	Grace Street, Invercargill
Length of Residence	16 years	4 years
Marriage Place	All Saints English Church, Gladstone, Invercargill
Folio	02/6083
Consent
Date of Certificate	6 December 1902
Officiating Minister	Rev. William Swinburn

146

10 December 1902

William Turnbull
Michala Louisa Crockett

William Turnball
Mehela Louisa Crockett
💍 1902/6307

Bachelor
Spinster

Painter
Saleswoman

21
20

Spey Street, Elle Road, Invercargill
East Invercargill

6 years
15 years

St. John's English Church, Tay Street, Invercargill

02/6074

Samuel Inaia Crockett, Father

10 December 1902

The Archdeacon Stocker

No	146
Date of Notice	10 December 1902
	Groom	Bride
Names of Parties	William Turnbull	Michala Louisa Crockett
BDM Match (90%)	William Turnball	Mehela Louisa Crockett
	💍 1902/6307
Condition	Bachelor	Spinster
Profession	Painter	Saleswoman
Age	21	20
Dwelling Place	Spey Street, Elle Road, Invercargill	East Invercargill
Length of Residence	6 years	15 years
Marriage Place	St. John's English Church, Tay Street, Invercargill
Folio	02/6074
Consent	Samuel Inaia Crockett, Father
Date of Certificate	10 December 1902
Officiating Minister	The Archdeacon Stocker

147

15 December 1902

Peter Frost
Alice Marjorie Cunningham

Bertie Frost
Alice Margaret Cunningham
💍 1903/1856

Bachelor
Spinster

Grocer
Domestic

24
24

Ettrick Street, Invercargill
Leet Street, Invercargill

16 years
10 years

Wesleyan Church, Leet Street, Invercargill

02/3367

15 December 1902

Rev. Samuel F. Prior

No	147
Date of Notice	15 December 1902
	Groom	Bride
Names of Parties	Peter Frost	Alice Marjorie Cunningham
BDM Match (75%)	Bertie Frost	Alice Margaret Cunningham
	💍 1903/1856
Condition	Bachelor	Spinster
Profession	Grocer	Domestic
Age	24	24
Dwelling Place	Ettrick Street, Invercargill	Leet Street, Invercargill
Length of Residence	16 years	10 years
Marriage Place	Wesleyan Church, Leet Street, Invercargill
Folio	02/3367
Consent
Date of Certificate	15 December 1902
Officiating Minister	Rev. Samuel F. Prior

148

16 December 1902

Charles Illingworth
Edith Cowlwer Daniel

Charles Illingworth
Edith Constance Daniel
💍 1902/6308

Bachelor
Spinster

Commission Agent
Dressmaker

29
29

Grey Street, Invercargill
Foyle Street, Invercargill

3 days
4 years

St. John's English Church, Tay Street, Invercargill

02/6078

16 December 1902

The Archdeacon Stocker

No	148
Date of Notice	16 December 1902
	Groom	Bride
Names of Parties	Charles Illingworth	Edith Cowlwer Daniel
BDM Match (84%)	Charles Illingworth	Edith Constance Daniel
	💍 1902/6308
Condition	Bachelor	Spinster
Profession	Commission Agent	Dressmaker
Age	29	29
Dwelling Place	Grey Street, Invercargill	Foyle Street, Invercargill
Length of Residence	3 days	4 years
Marriage Place	St. John's English Church, Tay Street, Invercargill
Folio	02/6078
Consent
Date of Certificate	16 December 1902
Officiating Minister	The Archdeacon Stocker

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).