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 725

District of Gore Quarter ending 28 February 1902 Registrar George Brett

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

6 January 1902

William Toomath
Annie Melville Faloon

William Trembath
Annie Melville Falconer
💍 1902/471

Bachelor
Spinster

Livery Stable Keeper

42
32

Gore
Chatton

17 years
20 years

The Dwelling House of Thomas Faloon

02/1372

6 January 1902

Rev. J. M. Fraser, Presbyterian Minister

No	1
Date of Notice	6 January 1902
	Groom	Bride
Names of Parties	William Toomath	Annie Melville Faloon
BDM Match (84%)	William Trembath	Annie Melville Falconer
	💍 1902/471
Condition	Bachelor	Spinster
Profession	Livery Stable Keeper
Age	42	32
Dwelling Place	Gore	Chatton
Length of Residence	17 years	20 years
Marriage Place	The Dwelling House of Thomas Faloon
Folio	02/1372
Consent
Date of Certificate	6 January 1902
Officiating Minister	Rev. J. M. Fraser, Presbyterian Minister

6 January 1902

William Graham Craig
Eliza Gillespie

William Preshaw Craig
Eliza Gillespie
💍 1902/473

Widower
Spinster

Cabinetmaker
Dressmaker

39
28

Gore
Chatton

11 years
18 years

The Dwelling House of Richard Gillespie

02/1374

6 January 1902

Rev. Peter Ramsay, Presbyterian Minister

No	2
Date of Notice	6 January 1902
	Groom	Bride
Names of Parties	William Graham Craig	Eliza Gillespie
BDM Match (91%)	William Preshaw Craig	Eliza Gillespie
	💍 1902/473
Condition	Widower	Spinster
Profession	Cabinetmaker	Dressmaker
Age	39	28
Dwelling Place	Gore	Chatton
Length of Residence	11 years	18 years
Marriage Place	The Dwelling House of Richard Gillespie
Folio	02/1374
Consent
Date of Certificate	6 January 1902
Officiating Minister	Rev. Peter Ramsay, Presbyterian Minister

11 January 1902

John Murtagh
Ada Whelan

John Murtagh
Ada Whelan
💍 1902/4544

Bachelor
Widow

Railway Porter
Boarding House Keeper

27
26

Gore
Gore

14 years
3 years

The Dwelling House of William Brown

02/4392

11 January 1902

Rev. J. O'Donnell, R. C. Priest

No	3
Date of Notice	11 January 1902
	Groom	Bride
Names of Parties	John Murtagh	Ada Whelan
	💍 1902/4544
Condition	Bachelor	Widow
Profession	Railway Porter	Boarding House Keeper
Age	27	26
Dwelling Place	Gore	Gore
Length of Residence	14 years	3 years
Marriage Place	The Dwelling House of William Brown
Folio	02/4392
Consent
Date of Certificate	11 January 1902
Officiating Minister	Rev. J. O'Donnell, R. C. Priest

20 January 1902

David Bell
Agnes Davidson

David Bell
Agnes Davidson
💍 1902/3064

Bachelor
Spinster

Farmer

31
31

Gore
Haimumer

3 months
16 years

The Dwelling House of Alexander Davidson

02/2974

20 January 1902

Rev. Andrew Gray, Presbyterian Minister

No	4
Date of Notice	20 January 1902
	Groom	Bride
Names of Parties	David Bell	Agnes Davidson
	💍 1902/3064
Condition	Bachelor	Spinster
Profession	Farmer
Age	31	31
Dwelling Place	Gore	Haimumer
Length of Residence	3 months	16 years
Marriage Place	The Dwelling House of Alexander Davidson
Folio	02/2974
Consent
Date of Certificate	20 January 1902
Officiating Minister	Rev. Andrew Gray, Presbyterian Minister

20 January 1902

Charles William Ross
Rosanna Morgan

Charles William Ross
Rosanna Morgan
💍 1902/3063

Bachelor
Spinster

Telegraphist
Teacher

27
25

Gore
East Gore

8 years
1 Month

The Dwelling House of Hannah Morgan

02/2928

20 January 1902

Rev. Andrew Gray, Presbyterian Minister

No	5
Date of Notice	20 January 1902
	Groom	Bride
Names of Parties	Charles William Ross	Rosanna Morgan
	💍 1902/3063
Condition	Bachelor	Spinster
Profession	Telegraphist	Teacher
Age	27	25
Dwelling Place	Gore	East Gore
Length of Residence	8 years	1 Month
Marriage Place	The Dwelling House of Hannah Morgan
Folio	02/2928
Consent
Date of Certificate	20 January 1902
Officiating Minister	Rev. Andrew Gray, Presbyterian Minister

21 January 1902

William Rasmussen
Ada Alice Whately Hobbs

William Rasmussen
Ada Alice Whatley Hobbs
💍 1902/455

Bachelor
Spinster

Labourer

24
20

Longridge Village
Longridge Village

10 years
20 years

Church of England

02/1380

John Whately Hobbs, father

21 January 1902

Rev. J. L. A. Kayll, Church of England Clergyman

No	6
Date of Notice	21 January 1902
	Groom	Bride
Names of Parties	William Rasmussen	Ada Alice Whately Hobbs
BDM Match (96%)	William Rasmussen	Ada Alice Whatley Hobbs
	💍 1902/455
Condition	Bachelor	Spinster
Profession	Labourer
Age	24	20
Dwelling Place	Longridge Village	Longridge Village
Length of Residence	10 years	20 years
Marriage Place	Church of England
Folio	02/1380
Consent	John Whately Hobbs, father
Date of Certificate	21 January 1902
Officiating Minister	Rev. J. L. A. Kayll, Church of England Clergyman

25 January 1902

Gerald Pearce Cross
Elizabeth Ann Share

Gerald Pearce Cross
Elizabeth Ann Share
💍 1902/456

Bachelor
Spinster

Farmer

24
19

Chatton
Waikaka Siding

5 years
2 years

The Dwelling House of William Share

02/1381

William Share, father

25 January 1902

Rev. J. L. A. Kayll, C. of E.

No	7
Date of Notice	25 January 1902
	Groom	Bride
Names of Parties	Gerald Pearce Cross	Elizabeth Ann Share
	💍 1902/456
Condition	Bachelor	Spinster
Profession	Farmer
Age	24	19
Dwelling Place	Chatton	Waikaka Siding
Length of Residence	5 years	2 years
Marriage Place	The Dwelling House of William Share
Folio	02/1381
Consent	William Share, father
Date of Certificate	25 January 1902
Officiating Minister	Rev. J. L. A. Kayll, C. of E.

25 January 1902

Martin Gerkon
Eliza Kerr McLellan

Martin Gerken
Eliza Kerr McLellan
💍 1902/4545

Bachelor
Spinster

Farm Labourer

25
19

Chatton
Chatton

23 years
11 years

The Dwelling House of John McLellan

02/4393

John McLellan, father

25 January 1902

Rev. Peter Ramsay, Presbyterian Minister

No	8
Date of Notice	25 January 1902
	Groom	Bride
Names of Parties	Martin Gerkon	Eliza Kerr McLellan
BDM Match (96%)	Martin Gerken	Eliza Kerr McLellan
	💍 1902/4545
Condition	Bachelor	Spinster
Profession	Farm Labourer
Age	25	19
Dwelling Place	Chatton	Chatton
Length of Residence	23 years	11 years
Marriage Place	The Dwelling House of John McLellan
Folio	02/4393
Consent	John McLellan, father
Date of Certificate	25 January 1902
Officiating Minister	Rev. Peter Ramsay, Presbyterian 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 1908. 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).