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 1062

District of Gisborne Quarter ending 31 March 1903 Registrar G. H. Johnstone

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

1367

11 March 1903

John Berryborough Brooking
Sarah Elizabeth Smythe

John Berryborough Brooking
Sarah Elizabeth Smythe
💍 1903/629

Bachelor
Spinster

Clerk

21
22

Awami, Waiape County
Napier

21 years
4 months

The Office of the Registrar of Marriages, Gisborne

03/203

11 March 1903

Reg. Mar. Gisborne

No	1367
Date of Notice	11 March 1903
	Groom	Bride
Names of Parties	John Berryborough Brooking	Sarah Elizabeth Smythe
	💍 1903/629
Condition	Bachelor	Spinster
Profession	Clerk
Age	21	22
Dwelling Place	Awami, Waiape County	Napier
Length of Residence	21 years	4 months
Marriage Place	The Office of the Registrar of Marriages, Gisborne
Folio	03/203
Consent
Date of Certificate	11 March 1903
Officiating Minister	Reg. Mar. Gisborne

1368

12 March 1903

Edward Gregg
Ada Williams

Edward Gregg
Ada Williams
💍 1903/3910

Bachelor
Spinster

Laborer

22
21

Gisborne
Gisborne

All his life
2 years

Rev. J. H. Paterson, Presbyterian

03/3291

12 March 1903

Rev. J. H. Paterson, Presbyterian

No	1368
Date of Notice	12 March 1903
	Groom	Bride
Names of Parties	Edward Gregg	Ada Williams
	💍 1903/3910
Condition	Bachelor	Spinster
Profession	Laborer
Age	22	21
Dwelling Place	Gisborne	Gisborne
Length of Residence	All his life	2 years
Marriage Place	Rev. J. H. Paterson, Presbyterian
Folio	03/3291
Consent
Date of Certificate	12 March 1903
Officiating Minister	Rev. J. H. Paterson, Presbyterian

1369

18 March 1903

Henry Edward Beaumont
Elfred Frances Elizabeth Haache

Henry Edward Beaumont
Elfreda Frances Elizabeth Hacche
💍 1903/664

Bachelor
Spinster

Painter

23
20

Gisborne
Darwin Road

1 year
All her life

Office of the Registrar, Gisborne

03/215

Tho Haache, father

18 March 1903

Rev. B. F. Rothwell, Wesleyan

No	1369
Date of Notice	18 March 1903
	Groom	Bride
Names of Parties	Henry Edward Beaumont	Elfred Frances Elizabeth Haache
BDM Match (97%)	Henry Edward Beaumont	Elfreda Frances Elizabeth Hacche
	💍 1903/664
Condition	Bachelor	Spinster
Profession	Painter
Age	23	20
Dwelling Place	Gisborne	Darwin Road
Length of Residence	1 year	All her life
Marriage Place	Office of the Registrar, Gisborne
Folio	03/215
Consent	Tho Haache, father
Date of Certificate	18 March 1903
Officiating Minister	Rev. B. F. Rothwell, Wesleyan

1370

23 March 1903

Francis Kenway
Jessie McIntosh

Francis Kernvey
Jessie McIntosh
💍 1903/2220

Bachelor
Spinster

Sheepfarmer

34
27

Waimata Valley, Poverty Bay
Gisborne, Poverty Bay

17 years
15 months

Holy Trinity Church, Gisborne

03/1794

23 March 1903

Rev. Walter Welsh, Church of England

No	1370
Date of Notice	23 March 1903
	Groom	Bride
Names of Parties	Francis Kenway	Jessie McIntosh
BDM Match (90%)	Francis Kernvey	Jessie McIntosh
	💍 1903/2220
Condition	Bachelor	Spinster
Profession	Sheepfarmer
Age	34	27
Dwelling Place	Waimata Valley, Poverty Bay	Gisborne, Poverty Bay
Length of Residence	17 years	15 months
Marriage Place	Holy Trinity Church, Gisborne
Folio	03/1794
Consent
Date of Certificate	23 March 1903
Officiating Minister	Rev. Walter Welsh, Church of England

1371

27 March 1903

Renata Hichin
Mere Parearan

Renata Huihui
Mere Parearau
💍 1903/630

Bachelor
Spinster

Laborer

17
22

Kaiti, Poverty Bay
Kaiti, Poverty Bay

5 years
2 1/2 years

Office of Registrar of Marriages, Gisborne

03/204

Keeti Hoka, brother

27 March 1903

Reg. Mar. Gisborne

No	1371
Date of Notice	27 March 1903
	Groom	Bride
Names of Parties	Renata Hichin	Mere Parearan
BDM Match (81%)	Renata Huihui	Mere Parearau
	💍 1903/630
Condition	Bachelor	Spinster
Profession	Laborer
Age	17	22
Dwelling Place	Kaiti, Poverty Bay	Kaiti, Poverty Bay
Length of Residence	5 years	2 1/2 years
Marriage Place	Office of Registrar of Marriages, Gisborne
Folio	03/204
Consent	Keeti Hoka, brother
Date of Certificate	27 March 1903
Officiating Minister	Reg. Mar. Gisborne

1372

30 March 1903

Guy Lenlon Porter
Annie Smith

Guy Tenlon Porter
Annie Smith
💍 1903/1268

Bachelor
Spinster

Sheepfarmer

32
25

Huhaka North, Cook County
Waitaria, Patutahi, Poverty Bay

13 years
25 years

Rev. W. S. Smith

03/9530

30 March 1903

Rev. Fred. Goodcote, Church of England

No	1372
Date of Notice	30 March 1903
	Groom	Bride
Names of Parties	Guy Lenlon Porter	Annie Smith
BDM Match (97%)	Guy Tenlon Porter	Annie Smith
	💍 1903/1268
Condition	Bachelor	Spinster
Profession	Sheepfarmer
Age	32	25
Dwelling Place	Huhaka North, Cook County	Waitaria, Patutahi, Poverty Bay
Length of Residence	13 years	25 years
Marriage Place	Rev. W. S. Smith
Folio	03/9530
Consent
Date of Certificate	30 March 1903
Officiating Minister	Rev. Fred. Goodcote, Church of England

1373

30 March 1903

James Smith Williamson
Jessie McRae

James Smith Williamson
Jessie McRae
💍 1903/2216

Widower
Spinster

Butcher

43
40

Kaiti
Kaiti

14 years
1 year

Rev. W. S. Sandlant

03/1720

Rev. B. F. Rothwell, Wesleyan

No	1373
Date of Notice	30 March 1903
	Groom	Bride
Names of Parties	James Smith Williamson	Jessie McRae
	💍 1903/2216
Condition	Widower	Spinster
Profession	Butcher
Age	43	40
Dwelling Place	Kaiti	Kaiti
Length of Residence	14 years	1 year
Marriage Place	Rev. W. S. Sandlant
Folio	03/1720
Consent
Date of Certificate
Officiating Minister	Rev. B. F. Rothwell, Wesleyan

1374

31 March 1903

Andrew Shellabeer
Sarah Eleanor Harris

Andrew Shillabeer
Sarah Eleanor Harris
💍 1903/2217

Bachelor
Spinster

Coachpainter

23
24

Gisborne
Gisborne

2 1/2 years
All her life

Rev. H. McKay

03/1771

31 March 1903

Rev. B. F. Rothwell, Wesleyan

No	1374
Date of Notice	31 March 1903
	Groom	Bride
Names of Parties	Andrew Shellabeer	Sarah Eleanor Harris
BDM Match (97%)	Andrew Shillabeer	Sarah Eleanor Harris
	💍 1903/2217
Condition	Bachelor	Spinster
Profession	Coachpainter
Age	23	24
Dwelling Place	Gisborne	Gisborne
Length of Residence	2 1/2 years	All her life
Marriage Place	Rev. H. McKay
Folio	03/1771
Consent
Date of Certificate	31 March 1903
Officiating Minister	Rev. B. F. Rothwell, Wesleyan

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).