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 746

District of Thames Quarter ending 31 December 1903 Registrar William H. Hobbs

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 November 1903

Hurry Gubb
Elizabeth Emma Nicol Sherlook

Harry Gubb
Elizabeth Emma Nicol Sherlock
💍 1903/231

Bachelor
Spinster

Bootmaker
Domestic duties

29 years
24 years

Thames
Thames

2 days
24 years

Church of Christ, Pollen Street, Thames

03/5206

7 November 1903

Samuel A. Taylor, Church of Christ

No	43
Date of Notice	6 November 1903
	Groom	Bride
Names of Parties	Hurry Gubb	Elizabeth Emma Nicol Sherlook
BDM Match (93%)	Harry Gubb	Elizabeth Emma Nicol Sherlock
	💍 1903/231
Condition	Bachelor	Spinster
Profession	Bootmaker	Domestic duties
Age	29 years	24 years
Dwelling Place	Thames	Thames
Length of Residence	2 days	24 years
Marriage Place	Church of Christ, Pollen Street, Thames
Folio	03/5206
Consent
Date of Certificate	7 November 1903
Officiating Minister	Samuel A. Taylor, Church of Christ

7 November 1903

William Land Thorburn
Josephine Ardern

William Lang Thorburn
Josephine Ardern
💍 1903/5362

Bachelor
Spinster

Dressmaker
Dressmaker

23 years
24 years

Thames
Thames

3 years
24 years

Baptist Ochothouse, Willoughby Street, Thames

03/5201

7 November 1903

Rev. R. Taylor, Wesleyan Methodist

No	44
Date of Notice	7 November 1903
	Groom	Bride
Names of Parties	William Land Thorburn	Josephine Ardern
BDM Match (98%)	William Lang Thorburn	Josephine Ardern
	💍 1903/5362
Condition	Bachelor	Spinster
Profession	Dressmaker	Dressmaker
Age	23 years	24 years
Dwelling Place	Thames	Thames
Length of Residence	3 years	24 years
Marriage Place	Baptist Ochothouse, Willoughby Street, Thames
Folio	03/5201
Consent
Date of Certificate	7 November 1903
Officiating Minister	Rev. R. Taylor, Wesleyan Methodist

13 November 1903

Robert Guy
Alice White

Robert Guy
Alice White
💍 1903/237

Bachelor
Spinster

Battery Hand
Domestic duties

23 years
19 years

Thames
Thames

23 years
19 years

At the house of Mr & Mrs White, Kauaeranga

03/5207

Mrs White, mother of Alice White

13 November 1903

Samuel A. Taylor, Church of Christ

No	45
Date of Notice	13 November 1903
	Groom	Bride
Names of Parties	Robert Guy	Alice White
	💍 1903/237
Condition	Bachelor	Spinster
Profession	Battery Hand	Domestic duties
Age	23 years	19 years
Dwelling Place	Thames	Thames
Length of Residence	23 years	19 years
Marriage Place	At the house of Mr & Mrs White, Kauaeranga
Folio	03/5207
Consent	Mrs White, mother of Alice White
Date of Certificate	13 November 1903
Officiating Minister	Samuel A. Taylor, Church of Christ

16 November 1903

Michael Drury Jnr.
Elizabeth Gleeson

Michael Furey
Elizabeth Gluson
💍 1903/239

Michael David Vangelder
Elizabeth Simpson
💍 1903/3924

Michael O'Byrne
Elizabeth Beck
💍 1903/5924

Bachelor
Spinster

Battery Hand
Domestic duties

20 years
35 years

Thames
Thames

3 days
25 years

Roman Catholic Chapel, Willoughby Street, Thames

03/5209

16 November 1903

The Right Rev. Monsignor O'Reilly, Roman Catholic

No	46
Date of Notice	16 November 1903
	Groom	Bride
Names of Parties	Michael Drury Jnr.	Elizabeth Gleeson
BDM Match (72%)	Michael Furey	Elizabeth Gluson
	💍 1903/239
BDM Match (62%)	Michael David Vangelder	Elizabeth Simpson
	💍 1903/3924
BDM Match (60%)	Michael O'Byrne	Elizabeth Beck
	💍 1903/5924
Condition	Bachelor	Spinster
Profession	Battery Hand	Domestic duties
Age	20 years	35 years
Dwelling Place	Thames	Thames
Length of Residence	3 days	25 years
Marriage Place	Roman Catholic Chapel, Willoughby Street, Thames
Folio	03/5209
Consent
Date of Certificate	16 November 1903
Officiating Minister	The Right Rev. Monsignor O'Reilly, Roman Catholic

17 November 1903

John Goran Gibson
Lillian Isobel Lewes

John Eovan Gibson
Lillian Isabel Lewes
💍 1903/225

Bachelor
Spinster

Carpenter
Domestic duties

23 years
18 years

Thames
Thames

23 years
18 years

Church of England, Mary Street, Thames

03/5217

Susannah Philpot Lewes, mother of Lillian Isobel Lewes

17 November 1903

Rev. J. O'Callaghan, Church of England

No	47
Date of Notice	17 November 1903
	Groom	Bride
Names of Parties	John Goran Gibson	Lillian Isobel Lewes
BDM Match (92%)	John Eovan Gibson	Lillian Isabel Lewes
	💍 1903/225
Condition	Bachelor	Spinster
Profession	Carpenter	Domestic duties
Age	23 years	18 years
Dwelling Place	Thames	Thames
Length of Residence	23 years	18 years
Marriage Place	Church of England, Mary Street, Thames
Folio	03/5217
Consent	Susannah Philpot Lewes, mother of Lillian Isobel Lewes
Date of Certificate	17 November 1903
Officiating Minister	Rev. J. O'Callaghan, Church of England

10 December 1903

William John Robinson
Wilhelmina Jessie Milne

William John Robinson
Wilhelmina Jessie Milne
💍 1903/5364

Widower
Spinster

Fisherman
Domestic duties

34 years
20 years

Thames
Thames

34 years
20 years

At the House of Mrs. M. Milne, Waiotahi Creek

03/5203

10 December 1903

Rev. Edward Drake, Primitive Methodist

No	48
Date of Notice	10 December 1903
	Groom	Bride
Names of Parties	William John Robinson	Wilhelmina Jessie Milne
	💍 1903/5364
Condition	Widower	Spinster
Profession	Fisherman	Domestic duties
Age	34 years	20 years
Dwelling Place	Thames	Thames
Length of Residence	34 years	20 years
Marriage Place	At the House of Mrs. M. Milne, Waiotahi Creek
Folio	03/5203
Consent
Date of Certificate	10 December 1903
Officiating Minister	Rev. Edward Drake, Primitive Methodist

12 December 1903

Robert Bennett Macduff
Amelia Henderson

Robert Bennett Macduff
Amelia Henderson
💍 1903/5363

Bachelor
Spinster

Director, School of Mines
Domestic duties

25 years
24 years

Thames
Thames

25 years
12 years

The House of Mr & Mrs Henderson, Parawai

03/5202

12 December 1903

Rev. Frederick Stubbs, Presbyterian

No	49
Date of Notice	12 December 1903
	Groom	Bride
Names of Parties	Robert Bennett Macduff	Amelia Henderson
	💍 1903/5363
Condition	Bachelor	Spinster
Profession	Director, School of Mines	Domestic duties
Age	25 years	24 years
Dwelling Place	Thames	Thames
Length of Residence	25 years	12 years
Marriage Place	The House of Mr & Mrs Henderson, Parawai
Folio	03/5202
Consent
Date of Certificate	12 December 1903
Officiating Minister	Rev. Frederick Stubbs, Presbyterian

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).