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 482

District of Timaru Quarter ending 31 March 1902 Registrar Alexander Montgomery

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

4 January 1902

John Christopher Bright
Grace Hubbard

John Christopher Bright
Grace Hubbard
💍 1902/1127

Bachelor
Spinster

Labourer
Sailoress

30 years
33 years

Timaru
Timaru

20 years
14 years

St Marys English Church Timaru

02/1192

4 January 1902

Archdeacon H.W. Harper, Church of England Clergyman

No	1
Date of Notice	4 January 1902
	Groom	Bride
Names of Parties	John Christopher Bright	Grace Hubbard
	💍 1902/1127
Condition	Bachelor	Spinster
Profession	Labourer	Sailoress
Age	30 years	33 years
Dwelling Place	Timaru	Timaru
Length of Residence	20 years	14 years
Marriage Place	St Marys English Church Timaru
Folio	02/1192
Consent
Date of Certificate	4 January 1902
Officiating Minister	Archdeacon H.W. Harper, Church of England Clergyman

10 January 1902

James Thomas Gamblin
Ethel Margaret Mason

James Thomas Gamblin
Ethel Margaret Mason
💍 1902/1129

Widower
Spinster

Maltster
Mothers Help

29 years
22 years

Timaru
Timaru

4 days
3 days

English Church St Marys Timaru

02/1174

10 January 1902

Archdeacon H.W. Harper, Church of England Clergyman

No	2
Date of Notice	10 January 1902
	Groom	Bride
Names of Parties	James Thomas Gamblin	Ethel Margaret Mason
	💍 1902/1129
Condition	Widower	Spinster
Profession	Maltster	Mothers Help
Age	29 years	22 years
Dwelling Place	Timaru	Timaru
Length of Residence	4 days	3 days
Marriage Place	English Church St Marys Timaru
Folio	02/1174
Consent
Date of Certificate	10 January 1902
Officiating Minister	Archdeacon H.W. Harper, Church of England Clergyman

21 January 1902

David Robertson
Jessie Anderson

David Robertson
Jessie Anderson
💍 1902/1122

Bachelor
Spinster

School Teacher
Domestic Duties

25 years
23 years

Timaru
Timaru

3 days
3 days

Dwellinghouse of Alcock Mc Vicar Russell Square Timaru

02/1190

21 January 1902

Rev George Burgess, Congregational Minister

No	3
Date of Notice	21 January 1902
	Groom	Bride
Names of Parties	David Robertson	Jessie Anderson
	💍 1902/1122
Condition	Bachelor	Spinster
Profession	School Teacher	Domestic Duties
Age	25 years	23 years
Dwelling Place	Timaru	Timaru
Length of Residence	3 days	3 days
Marriage Place	Dwellinghouse of Alcock Mc Vicar Russell Square Timaru
Folio	02/1190
Consent
Date of Certificate	21 January 1902
Officiating Minister	Rev George Burgess, Congregational Minister

21 January 1902

John Alfred Riley
Alice Blevins

John Alfred Riley
Alice Stevens
💍 1902/1123

Bachelor
Spinster

Woolclasser
Domestic Duties

24 years
21 years

Waimataitai
Timaru

9 years
2 years

Dwellinghouse of W. Blevins South Street Timaru

02/1191

21 January 1902

Rev George Burgess, Congregational Minister

No	4
Date of Notice	21 January 1902
	Groom	Bride
Names of Parties	John Alfred Riley	Alice Blevins
BDM Match (88%)	John Alfred Riley	Alice Stevens
	💍 1902/1123
Condition	Bachelor	Spinster
Profession	Woolclasser	Domestic Duties
Age	24 years	21 years
Dwelling Place	Waimataitai	Timaru
Length of Residence	9 years	2 years
Marriage Place	Dwellinghouse of W. Blevins South Street Timaru
Folio	02/1191
Consent
Date of Certificate	21 January 1902
Officiating Minister	Rev George Burgess, Congregational Minister

28 January 1902

Charles Henry Ernest Gerard
Winnifred Mary Bezzant

Charles Henry Ernest Gerard
Winifred Mary Bezzant
💍 1902/1116

Bachelor
Spinster

Clerk

25 years
28 years

Timaru
Timaru

3 days
15 years

Dwellinghouse of Mrs Bezzant Gray Road Timaru

02/1185

28 January 1902

Rev J. Newman Buttle, Wesleyan Minister

No	5
Date of Notice	28 January 1902
	Groom	Bride
Names of Parties	Charles Henry Ernest Gerard	Winnifred Mary Bezzant
BDM Match (98%)	Charles Henry Ernest Gerard	Winifred Mary Bezzant
	💍 1902/1116
Condition	Bachelor	Spinster
Profession	Clerk
Age	25 years	28 years
Dwelling Place	Timaru	Timaru
Length of Residence	3 days	15 years
Marriage Place	Dwellinghouse of Mrs Bezzant Gray Road Timaru
Folio	02/1185
Consent
Date of Certificate	28 January 1902
Officiating Minister	Rev J. Newman Buttle, Wesleyan Minister

30 January 1902

Augustus Henry Aldborough Stratford-Henniker
Margaretta Eliza Wickes

Augustus Henry Aldborough Stratford-Henniker
Margaretta Eliza Wickes
💍 1902/1128

Widower
Spinster

Barrister at Law
Domestic Duties

64 years
31 years

Timaru
Timaru

3 days
3 days

English Church St Marys Timaru

02/1173

30 January 1902

Archdeacon H.W. Harper, Church of England Clergyman

No	6
Date of Notice	30 January 1902
	Groom	Bride
Names of Parties	Augustus Henry Aldborough Stratford-Henniker	Margaretta Eliza Wickes
	💍 1902/1128
Condition	Widower	Spinster
Profession	Barrister at Law	Domestic Duties
Age	64 years	31 years
Dwelling Place	Timaru	Timaru
Length of Residence	3 days	3 days
Marriage Place	English Church St Marys Timaru
Folio	02/1173
Consent
Date of Certificate	30 January 1902
Officiating Minister	Archdeacon H.W. Harper, Church of England Clergyman

1 February 1902

James Breen
Louisa Jane Baillie

James Breen
Louisa Jane Baillie
💍 1902/1133

Bachelor
Spinster

Ploughman
Domestic Servant

23 years
20 years

Timaru
Timaru

3 days
3 days

Registrar's Office Timaru

02/1178

Adam Baillie, father

1 February 1902

Alexander Montgomery, Registrar Timaru

No	7
Date of Notice	1 February 1902
	Groom	Bride
Names of Parties	James Breen	Louisa Jane Baillie
	💍 1902/1133
Condition	Bachelor	Spinster
Profession	Ploughman	Domestic Servant
Age	23 years	20 years
Dwelling Place	Timaru	Timaru
Length of Residence	3 days	3 days
Marriage Place	Registrar's Office Timaru
Folio	02/1178
Consent	Adam Baillie, father
Date of Certificate	1 February 1902
Officiating Minister	Alexander Montgomery, Registrar Timaru

4 February 1902

Francis Joseph Dupre
Isabella Clarkson

Frank J Dupre
Isabella Clarkson
💍 1902/1124

Bachelor
Spinster

Watchmaker
Domestic Duties

30
21

Timaru
Timaru

3 days
15 years

Catholic Church Timaru

02/1192

4 February 1902

Rev John Subman, Roman Catholic Priest

No	8
Date of Notice	4 February 1902
	Groom	Bride
Names of Parties	Francis Joseph Dupre	Isabella Clarkson
BDM Match (80%)	Frank J Dupre	Isabella Clarkson
	💍 1902/1124
Condition	Bachelor	Spinster
Profession	Watchmaker	Domestic Duties
Age	30	21
Dwelling Place	Timaru	Timaru
Length of Residence	3 days	15 years
Marriage Place	Catholic Church Timaru
Folio	02/1192
Consent
Date of Certificate	4 February 1902
Officiating Minister	Rev John Subman, Roman Catholic Priest

4 February 1902

Frank Frederick Neale
Emma Sarah Chapman

Frank Frederick Neale
Emma Sarah Chapman
💍 1902/1130

Bachelor
Spinster

Clerk
Domestic Duties

36 years
26 years

Timaru
Timaru

4 days
26 years

English Church St Marys Timaru

02/1175

4 February 1902

Archdeacon H.W. Harper, Church of England Clergyman

No	9
Date of Notice	4 February 1902
	Groom	Bride
Names of Parties	Frank Frederick Neale	Emma Sarah Chapman
	💍 1902/1130
Condition	Bachelor	Spinster
Profession	Clerk	Domestic Duties
Age	36 years	26 years
Dwelling Place	Timaru	Timaru
Length of Residence	4 days	26 years
Marriage Place	English Church St Marys Timaru
Folio	02/1175
Consent
Date of Certificate	4 February 1902
Officiating Minister	Archdeacon H.W. Harper, Church of England Clergyman

4 February 1902

Robert Black
Annie Theresa Bok

Robert Black
Annie Theresa Cook
💍 1902/1125

Bachelor
Spinster

Blacksmith
Domestic Servant

29 years
20 years

Timaru
Timaru

3 days
10 years

Catholic Priory Timaru

02/1193

4 February 1902

Rev John Subman, Roman Catholic Priest

No	10
Date of Notice	4 February 1902
	Groom	Bride
Names of Parties	Robert Black	Annie Theresa Bok
BDM Match (94%)	Robert Black	Annie Theresa Cook
	💍 1902/1125
Condition	Bachelor	Spinster
Profession	Blacksmith	Domestic Servant
Age	29 years	20 years
Dwelling Place	Timaru	Timaru
Length of Residence	3 days	10 years
Marriage Place	Catholic Priory Timaru
Folio	02/1193
Consent
Date of Certificate	4 February 1902
Officiating Minister	Rev John Subman, Roman Catholic Priest

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).