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 703

District of East Taieri Quarter ending 30 June 1902 Registrar George Guthrie Harper

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 April 1902

Duncan McIntosh
Elizabeth McVicar McDougal

Duncan McIntosh
Elisabeth McVicar McDougall
💍 1902/4523

Bachelor
Spinster

Labourer

26
22

Brighton, Otago
Brighton, Otago

15 years
3 years

Presbyterian Church, Green Island

02/4371

4 April 1902

Rev. M. Watt

No	7
Date of Notice	4 April 1902
	Groom	Bride
Names of Parties	Duncan McIntosh	Elizabeth McVicar McDougal
BDM Match (96%)	Duncan McIntosh	Elisabeth McVicar McDougall
	💍 1902/4523
Condition	Bachelor	Spinster
Profession	Labourer
Age	26	22
Dwelling Place	Brighton, Otago	Brighton, Otago
Length of Residence	15 years	3 years
Marriage Place	Presbyterian Church, Green Island
Folio	02/4371
Consent
Date of Certificate	4 April 1902
Officiating Minister	Rev. M. Watt

7 April 1902

Robert Brook Hurst
Isabella Annie Allan

Robert Brook Hurst
Isabella Annie Allan
💍 1902/4816

Bachelor
Spinster

Farmer

32
23

East Taieri
East Taieri

3 days
23 years

Church of England, Mosgiel

02/4501

7 April 1902

Rev. D. O. Hampton

No	8
Date of Notice	7 April 1902
	Groom	Bride
Names of Parties	Robert Brook Hurst	Isabella Annie Allan
	💍 1902/4816
Condition	Bachelor	Spinster
Profession	Farmer
Age	32	23
Dwelling Place	East Taieri	East Taieri
Length of Residence	3 days	23 years
Marriage Place	Church of England, Mosgiel
Folio	02/4501
Consent
Date of Certificate	7 April 1902
Officiating Minister	Rev. D. O. Hampton

12 April 1902

John Kenyon Junr.
Ellen Sinclair

John Kenyon
Helen Sinclair
💍 1902/4647

Bachelor
Spinster

Miner

29
21

Fairfield, Otago
Mosgiel, Otago

3 years
21 years

At the house of Simon Sinclair, Mosgiel

02/4372

12 April 1902

Rev. J. M. McKerrow

No	9
Date of Notice	12 April 1902
	Groom	Bride
Names of Parties	John Kenyon Junr.	Ellen Sinclair
BDM Match (75%)	John Kenyon	Helen Sinclair
	💍 1902/4647
Condition	Bachelor	Spinster
Profession	Miner
Age	29	21
Dwelling Place	Fairfield, Otago	Mosgiel, Otago
Length of Residence	3 years	21 years
Marriage Place	At the house of Simon Sinclair, Mosgiel
Folio	02/4372
Consent
Date of Certificate	12 April 1902
Officiating Minister	Rev. J. M. McKerrow

26 April 1902

George William Restreaux
Martha Mehalske

George Resticaux
Martha Mahalski
💍 1902/3101

Bachelor
Spinster

Tanner

26
28

Mosgiel
Mosgiel

3 days
16 years

Roman Catholic Church, Mosgiel

02/2910

26 April 1902

Rev. Michael M. Ryan

No	10
Date of Notice	26 April 1902
	Groom	Bride
Names of Parties	George William Restreaux	Martha Mehalske
BDM Match (73%)	George Resticaux	Martha Mahalski
	💍 1902/3101
Condition	Bachelor	Spinster
Profession	Tanner
Age	26	28
Dwelling Place	Mosgiel	Mosgiel
Length of Residence	3 days	16 years
Marriage Place	Roman Catholic Church, Mosgiel
Folio	02/2910
Consent
Date of Certificate	26 April 1902
Officiating Minister	Rev. Michael M. Ryan

21 May 1902

Joseph Stewart Jaffray
Elizabeth Ann Burnett

Joseph Stewart Jaffray
Elizabeth Ann Burnett
💍 1902/3099

Bachelor
Spinster

Farmer

34
24

East Taieri
Mosgiel

15 years
15 years

At the house of Mrs. Burnett, Mosgiel

02/2908

21 May 1902

Rev. J. B. Hall

No	11
Date of Notice	21 May 1902
	Groom	Bride
Names of Parties	Joseph Stewart Jaffray	Elizabeth Ann Burnett
	💍 1902/3099
Condition	Bachelor	Spinster
Profession	Farmer
Age	34	24
Dwelling Place	East Taieri	Mosgiel
Length of Residence	15 years	15 years
Marriage Place	At the house of Mrs. Burnett, Mosgiel
Folio	02/2908
Consent
Date of Certificate	21 May 1902
Officiating Minister	Rev. J. B. Hall

29 May 1902

George Watson Hetherington
Annie Beggam Callander

George Watson Hetherington
Annie Beggam Callander
💍 1902/3098

Bachelor
Spinster

Miner

29
20

Saddle Hill, Otago
Saddle Hill, Otago

20 years
20 years

At the house of John Callander, Saddle Hill

02/2907

John Callander, father

29 May 1902

Rev. J. B. Hall

No	12
Date of Notice	29 May 1902
	Groom	Bride
Names of Parties	George Watson Hetherington	Annie Beggam Callander
	💍 1902/3098
Condition	Bachelor	Spinster
Profession	Miner
Age	29	20
Dwelling Place	Saddle Hill, Otago	Saddle Hill, Otago
Length of Residence	20 years	20 years
Marriage Place	At the house of John Callander, Saddle Hill
Folio	02/2907
Consent	John Callander, father
Date of Certificate	29 May 1902
Officiating Minister	Rev. J. B. Hall

6 June 1902

David Howatson
Isabella Stuart

David Howatson
Isabella Stuart
💍 1902/3100

Bachelor
Spinster

Platelayer

30
21

Wingatui, Otago
Wingatui, Otago

1 year
15 years

At the house of Isabella Stuart, Wingatui

02/2909

6 June 1902

Rev. J. B. Hall

No	13
Date of Notice	6 June 1902
	Groom	Bride
Names of Parties	David Howatson	Isabella Stuart
	💍 1902/3100
Condition	Bachelor	Spinster
Profession	Platelayer
Age	30	21
Dwelling Place	Wingatui, Otago	Wingatui, Otago
Length of Residence	1 year	15 years
Marriage Place	At the house of Isabella Stuart, Wingatui
Folio	02/2909
Consent
Date of Certificate	6 June 1902
Officiating Minister	Rev. J. B. Hall

7 June 1902

Frank Walker
Matilda Kennedy

Frank Walker
Matilda Kennedy
💍 1902/4648

Bachelor
Spinster

Storeman

26
21

Mosgiel
Mosgiel

3 days
4 months

Presbyterian Church, Mosgiel

02/4373

7 June 1902

Rev. J. M. McKerrow

No	14
Date of Notice	7 June 1902
	Groom	Bride
Names of Parties	Frank Walker	Matilda Kennedy
	💍 1902/4648
Condition	Bachelor	Spinster
Profession	Storeman
Age	26	21
Dwelling Place	Mosgiel	Mosgiel
Length of Residence	3 days	4 months
Marriage Place	Presbyterian Church, Mosgiel
Folio	02/4373
Consent
Date of Certificate	7 June 1902
Officiating Minister	Rev. J. M. McKerrow

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).