Intentions to Marry, 1903 North Island

Reference: Registrar-General of Births, Deaths and Marriages, Notices of intention to marry, Series 8937, R2840423, Archives New Zealand Te Rua Mahara o te Kāwanatanga, Wellington

Imaged by Luke at Archives NZ Wellington, October 10 2025

1903 is bound in two volumes, North Island districts and South Island districts.

Page 250

District of Palmerston North Quarter ending 30 September 1903

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

22 July 1903

Francis Moore Haselden
Mabel Kate Dunk

Francis Moore Haselden
Mabel Kate Dunk
💍 1903/3640

Bachelor
Spinster

Farmer

36
27

Palmerston North
Palmerston North

3 days
2 years

At the House of Charles Dunk

03/3829

22 July 1903

Rev. E. Richards, Baptist Minister, Palmerston North

No	75
Date of Notice	22 July 1903
	Groom	Bride
Names of Parties	Francis Moore Haselden	Mabel Kate Dunk
	💍 1903/3640
Condition	Bachelor	Spinster
Profession	Farmer
Age	36	27
Dwelling Place	Palmerston North	Palmerston North
Length of Residence	3 days	2 years
Marriage Place	At the House of Charles Dunk
Folio	03/3829
Consent
Date of Certificate	22 July 1903
Officiating Minister	Rev. E. Richards, Baptist Minister, Palmerston North

28 July 1903

Thomas Buick
Sanna Margaret Roos

Bachelor
Spinster

Farmer

24
23

Karere
Palmerston North

24 years
10 years

Cuba Street Methodist Church, Palmerston North

not solemnised

28 July 1903

Rev. J. W. Newbold, Methodist Minister, Palmerston North

No	76
Date of Notice	28 July 1903
	Groom	Bride
Names of Parties	Thomas Buick	Sanna Margaret Roos
Condition	Bachelor	Spinster
Profession	Farmer
Age	24	23
Dwelling Place	Karere	Palmerston North
Length of Residence	24 years	10 years
Marriage Place	Cuba Street Methodist Church, Palmerston North
Folio	not solemnised
Consent
Date of Certificate	28 July 1903
Officiating Minister	Rev. J. W. Newbold, Methodist Minister, Palmerston North

29 July 1903

Henry William Death
Elizabeth Reid McIntosh

Henry William Death
Elizabeth Reid McIntosh
💍 1903/3636

Bachelor
Spinster

Farmer

38
38

Palmerston North
Palmerston North

3 days
6 months

At the House of Archibald McIntosh

03/3826

29 July 1903

Rev. S. J. Baker, Congregational Minister, Palmerston North

No	77
Date of Notice	29 July 1903
	Groom	Bride
Names of Parties	Henry William Death	Elizabeth Reid McIntosh
	💍 1903/3636
Condition	Bachelor	Spinster
Profession	Farmer
Age	38	38
Dwelling Place	Palmerston North	Palmerston North
Length of Residence	3 days	6 months
Marriage Place	At the House of Archibald McIntosh
Folio	03/3826
Consent
Date of Certificate	29 July 1903
Officiating Minister	Rev. S. J. Baker, Congregational Minister, Palmerston North

29 July 1903

William Greayer Tolley
Ellen Hilda Newth

William Grayer Tolley
Ellen Hilda Newth
💍 1903/5596

Bachelor
Spinster

Storekeeper
Tailoress

28
26

Palmerston North
Palmerston North

3 days
10 years

At the House of Mary Jane Newth

03/5488

29 July 1903

Rev. J. W. Newbold, Wesleyan Minister, Palmerston North

No	78
Date of Notice	29 July 1903
	Groom	Bride
Names of Parties	William Greayer Tolley	Ellen Hilda Newth
BDM Match (98%)	William Grayer Tolley	Ellen Hilda Newth
	💍 1903/5596
Condition	Bachelor	Spinster
Profession	Storekeeper	Tailoress
Age	28	26
Dwelling Place	Palmerston North	Palmerston North
Length of Residence	3 days	10 years
Marriage Place	At the House of Mary Jane Newth
Folio	03/5488
Consent
Date of Certificate	29 July 1903
Officiating Minister	Rev. J. W. Newbold, Wesleyan Minister, Palmerston North

1 August 1903

Frank Dick
Matilda Evans

Frank Dick
Matilda Evans
💍 1903/4979

Bachelor
Spinster

Police Constable

38
36

Palmerston North
Palmerston North

3 months
3 weeks

At the House of Mr. Paul, Palmerston North

03/4823

1 August 1903

Rev. J. Jolly, Presbyterian Minister, Palmerston North

No	79
Date of Notice	1 August 1903
	Groom	Bride
Names of Parties	Frank Dick	Matilda Evans
	💍 1903/4979
Condition	Bachelor	Spinster
Profession	Police Constable
Age	38	36
Dwelling Place	Palmerston North	Palmerston North
Length of Residence	3 months	3 weeks
Marriage Place	At the House of Mr. Paul, Palmerston North
Folio	03/4823
Consent
Date of Certificate	1 August 1903
Officiating Minister	Rev. J. Jolly, Presbyterian Minister, Palmerston North

3 August 1903

Charles Thomas Chamberlain
Amy Carroll

Charles Thomas Chamberlain
Amy Carroll
💍 1903/3629

Bachelor
Spinster

Farmer

23
21

Longburn
Palmerston North

23 years
3 days

All Saints Church, Palmerston North

03/3819

3 August 1903

Rev. C. C. Harper, Anglican Minister, Palmerston North

No	80
Date of Notice	3 August 1903
	Groom	Bride
Names of Parties	Charles Thomas Chamberlain	Amy Carroll
	💍 1903/3629
Condition	Bachelor	Spinster
Profession	Farmer
Age	23	21
Dwelling Place	Longburn	Palmerston North
Length of Residence	23 years	3 days
Marriage Place	All Saints Church, Palmerston North
Folio	03/3819
Consent
Date of Certificate	3 August 1903
Officiating Minister	Rev. C. C. Harper, Anglican Minister, Palmerston North

3 August 1903

Robert Kirkpatrick
Agnes Louisa Gibson

Robert Kirkpatrick
Agnes Louisa Gibson
💍 1903/4980

Bachelor
Spinster

Brickmaker
Dressmaker

23
21

Palmerston North
Palmerston North

3 years
2 years

St. Andrews Church, Palmerston North

03/4874

3 August 1903

Rev. Isaac Jolly, Presbyterian Minister, Palmerston North

No	81
Date of Notice	3 August 1903
	Groom	Bride
Names of Parties	Robert Kirkpatrick	Agnes Louisa Gibson
	💍 1903/4980
Condition	Bachelor	Spinster
Profession	Brickmaker	Dressmaker
Age	23	21
Dwelling Place	Palmerston North	Palmerston North
Length of Residence	3 years	2 years
Marriage Place	St. Andrews Church, Palmerston North
Folio	03/4874
Consent
Date of Certificate	3 August 1903
Officiating Minister	Rev. Isaac Jolly, Presbyterian Minister, Palmerston North

4 August 1903

Bertel Marinus Larsen
Malene Callesen

Bertel Marius Larsen
Malene Callesen
💍 1903/3639

Bachelor
Spinster

Farmer

33
29

Aorangi
Karere

3 years
29 years

Lutheran Church, Palmerston North

03/3828

4 August 1903

Rev. Mads Christenson, Lutheran Minister, Palmerston North

No	82
Date of Notice	4 August 1903
	Groom	Bride
Names of Parties	Bertel Marinus Larsen	Malene Callesen
BDM Match (98%)	Bertel Marius Larsen	Malene Callesen
	💍 1903/3639
Condition	Bachelor	Spinster
Profession	Farmer
Age	33	29
Dwelling Place	Aorangi	Karere
Length of Residence	3 years	29 years
Marriage Place	Lutheran Church, Palmerston North
Folio	03/3828
Consent
Date of Certificate	4 August 1903
Officiating Minister	Rev. Mads Christenson, Lutheran Minister, Palmerston North

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).