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 135

District of Nelson Quarter ending 30 June 1902 Registrar S. 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

2 April 1902

William George Cooper
Ada Harrison

William George Cooper
Ada Harrison
💍 1902/4060

Bachelor
Spinster

Carpenter
Domestic Servant

32
22

Bridge Street, Nelson
Bridge Street, Nelson

3 days
3 days

St Mary's Roman Catholic Church, Manuka Street, Nelson

02/3874

2 April 1902

Rev. John Clancy, Roman Catholic Priest

No	23
Date of Notice	2 April 1902
	Groom	Bride
Names of Parties	William George Cooper	Ada Harrison
	💍 1902/4060
Condition	Bachelor	Spinster
Profession	Carpenter	Domestic Servant
Age	32	22
Dwelling Place	Bridge Street, Nelson	Bridge Street, Nelson
Length of Residence	3 days	3 days
Marriage Place	St Mary's Roman Catholic Church, Manuka Street, Nelson
Folio	02/3874
Consent
Date of Certificate	2 April 1902
Officiating Minister	Rev. John Clancy, Roman Catholic Priest

7 April 1902

James Leonard Baker
Frances Thornstrom

James Leonard Baker
Frances Thornstrom
💍 1902/3350

Bachelor
Widow

Farmer
Domestic Duties

22
29

Bridge Street, Nelson
Bridge Street, Nelson

7 days
29 years

Christ's Church, Trafalgar Square, Nelson

02/3083

7 April 1902

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

No	24
Date of Notice	7 April 1902
	Groom	Bride
Names of Parties	James Leonard Baker	Frances Thornstrom
	💍 1902/3350
Condition	Bachelor	Widow
Profession	Farmer	Domestic Duties
Age	22	29
Dwelling Place	Bridge Street, Nelson	Bridge Street, Nelson
Length of Residence	7 days	29 years
Marriage Place	Christ's Church, Trafalgar Square, Nelson
Folio	02/3083
Consent
Date of Certificate	7 April 1902
Officiating Minister	Rev. J. P. Kempthorne, Church of England Minister

15 April 1902

Albert Frederick Moore
Annie Blanche Le Foc

Albert Frederick Moore
Annie Blanche Lefoe
💍 1902/1684

Bachelor
Widow

Carpenter
Domestic Duties

31
30

Hampden Street, Nelson
Hampden Street, Nelson

31 years
6 years

All Saints Church, Vanguard Street, Nelson

02/2394

15 April 1902

Rev. R. G. Tobison, Church of England Minister

No	25
Date of Notice	15 April 1902
	Groom	Bride
Names of Parties	Albert Frederick Moore	Annie Blanche Le Foc
BDM Match (93%)	Albert Frederick Moore	Annie Blanche Lefoe
	💍 1902/1684
Condition	Bachelor	Widow
Profession	Carpenter	Domestic Duties
Age	31	30
Dwelling Place	Hampden Street, Nelson	Hampden Street, Nelson
Length of Residence	31 years	6 years
Marriage Place	All Saints Church, Vanguard Street, Nelson
Folio	02/2394
Consent
Date of Certificate	15 April 1902
Officiating Minister	Rev. R. G. Tobison, Church of England Minister

16 April 1902

Owen George Augustus Harvey
Ellen Elizabeth Lunford

Oscar George Augustus Harvey
Ellen Elizabeth Luxford
💍 1902/1691

Widower
Spinster

Merchant
Domestic Duties

55
34

Nile Street, Nelson
Milton Street, Nelson

3 days
5 months

St John's Wesleyan Church, Hardy Street, Nelson

02/2400

16 April 1902

Rev. George Bond, Wesleyan Minister

No	26
Date of Notice	16 April 1902
	Groom	Bride
Names of Parties	Owen George Augustus Harvey	Ellen Elizabeth Lunford
BDM Match (91%)	Oscar George Augustus Harvey	Ellen Elizabeth Luxford
	💍 1902/1691
Condition	Widower	Spinster
Profession	Merchant	Domestic Duties
Age	55	34
Dwelling Place	Nile Street, Nelson	Milton Street, Nelson
Length of Residence	3 days	5 months
Marriage Place	St John's Wesleyan Church, Hardy Street, Nelson
Folio	02/2400
Consent
Date of Certificate	16 April 1902
Officiating Minister	Rev. George Bond, Wesleyan Minister

19 April 1902

Robert Alton Royds Oldham
Mabel Beatrice Harris

Robert Alten Royds Oldham
Mabel Beatrice Harris
💍 1902/3351

Bachelor
Spinster

Farmer
Household Duties

32
20

Wakapuaka
Bronte Street, Nelson

30 years
22 years

Christ's Church, Trafalgar Square, Nelson

02/3084

Maria Augusta Harris, Mother

19 April 1902

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

No	27
Date of Notice	19 April 1902
	Groom	Bride
Names of Parties	Robert Alton Royds Oldham	Mabel Beatrice Harris
BDM Match (98%)	Robert Alten Royds Oldham	Mabel Beatrice Harris
	💍 1902/3351
Condition	Bachelor	Spinster
Profession	Farmer	Household Duties
Age	32	20
Dwelling Place	Wakapuaka	Bronte Street, Nelson
Length of Residence	30 years	22 years
Marriage Place	Christ's Church, Trafalgar Square, Nelson
Folio	02/3084
Consent	Maria Augusta Harris, Mother
Date of Certificate	19 April 1902
Officiating Minister	Rev. J. P. Kempthorne, Church of England Minister

21 April 1902

Donald Clark
Harriett Alice Reed

Donald Clark
Harriett Alice Reed
💍 1902/1680

Bachelor
Spinster

Mariner
Domestic Duties

26
22

Haven Road, Nelson
Haven Road, Nelson

10 days
22 years

At the office of the Registrar of Marriages, Nelson

02/2390

21 April 1902

S. Blomfield, Registrar of Marriages

No	28
Date of Notice	21 April 1902
	Groom	Bride
Names of Parties	Donald Clark	Harriett Alice Reed
	💍 1902/1680
Condition	Bachelor	Spinster
Profession	Mariner	Domestic Duties
Age	26	22
Dwelling Place	Haven Road, Nelson	Haven Road, Nelson
Length of Residence	10 days	22 years
Marriage Place	At the office of the Registrar of Marriages, Nelson
Folio	02/2390
Consent
Date of Certificate	21 April 1902
Officiating Minister	S. Blomfield, Registrar of Marriages

23 April 1902

Sydney Vincent Trask
Kathleen Driscoll

Sydney Vincent Trask
Kathleen Driscoll
💍 1902/6431

Bachelor
Spinster

District Adjutant, N.Z. Defence Department
Household Duties

24
24

Collingwood Street, Nelson
Collingwood Street, Nelson

24 years
2 years

St Mary's Roman Catholic Church, Manuka Street, Nelson

02/3875

23 April 1902

W. J. Mahoney, Dean, Roman Catholic Church

No	29
Date of Notice	23 April 1902
	Groom	Bride
Names of Parties	Sydney Vincent Trask	Kathleen Driscoll
	💍 1902/6431
Condition	Bachelor	Spinster
Profession	District Adjutant, N.Z. Defence Department	Household Duties
Age	24	24
Dwelling Place	Collingwood Street, Nelson	Collingwood Street, Nelson
Length of Residence	24 years	2 years
Marriage Place	St Mary's Roman Catholic Church, Manuka Street, Nelson
Folio	02/3875
Consent
Date of Certificate	23 April 1902
Officiating Minister	W. J. Mahoney, Dean, Roman Catholic Church

5 May 1902

Charles George Cross
Helen Letitia Eden

Charles George Cross
Helen Letitia Eden
💍 1902/4007

Bachelor
Spinster

Butcher
Domestic Duties

26
22

Richmond
Hope

26 years
22 years

Wesleyan Church, Hope

02/3869

5 May 1902

Rev. John Crumps, Wesleyan Minister

No	30
Date of Notice	5 May 1902
	Groom	Bride
Names of Parties	Charles George Cross	Helen Letitia Eden
	💍 1902/4007
Condition	Bachelor	Spinster
Profession	Butcher	Domestic Duties
Age	26	22
Dwelling Place	Richmond	Hope
Length of Residence	26 years	22 years
Marriage Place	Wesleyan Church, Hope
Folio	02/3869
Consent
Date of Certificate	5 May 1902
Officiating Minister	Rev. John Crumps, Wesleyan Minister

21 May 1902

Frederick Henry Durbridge
Katherine Cornelia Smith

Frederick Henry Durbridge
Katherine Camelia Smith
💍 1902/3284

Bachelor
Spinster

Hotel Keeper
Domestic Duties

24
22

Collingwood Street, Nelson
Waimea Road, Nelson

2 years
4 years

Christ's Church, Trafalgar Square, Nelson

02/3085

21 May 1902

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

No	31
Date of Notice	21 May 1902
	Groom	Bride
Names of Parties	Frederick Henry Durbridge	Katherine Cornelia Smith
BDM Match (94%)	Frederick Henry Durbridge	Katherine Camelia Smith
	💍 1902/3284
Condition	Bachelor	Spinster
Profession	Hotel Keeper	Domestic Duties
Age	24	22
Dwelling Place	Collingwood Street, Nelson	Waimea Road, Nelson
Length of Residence	2 years	4 years
Marriage Place	Christ's Church, Trafalgar Square, Nelson
Folio	02/3085
Consent
Date of Certificate	21 May 1902
Officiating Minister	Rev. J. P. Kempthorne, Church of England Minister

22 May 1902

Percy Daniel Gurley
Edith Manning

Pecy Daniel Hurley
Edith Manning
💍 1902/1685

Bachelor
Spinster

Confectioner
Dressmaker

25
22

Bridge Street, Nelson
Washington Valley, Nelson

25 years
22 years

All Saints Church, Vanguard Street, Nelson

02/2395

22 May 1902

Rev. R. G. Robison, Church of England Minister

No	32
Date of Notice	22 May 1902
	Groom	Bride
Names of Parties	Percy Daniel Gurley	Edith Manning
BDM Match (95%)	Pecy Daniel Hurley	Edith Manning
	💍 1902/1685
Condition	Bachelor	Spinster
Profession	Confectioner	Dressmaker
Age	25	22
Dwelling Place	Bridge Street, Nelson	Washington Valley, Nelson
Length of Residence	25 years	22 years
Marriage Place	All Saints Church, Vanguard Street, Nelson
Folio	02/2395
Consent
Date of Certificate	22 May 1902
Officiating Minister	Rev. R. G. Robison, Church of England Minister

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).