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 1057

District of Gisborne Quarter ending 30 September 1903 Registrar George John Alexander 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

1409

16 September 1903

Samuel Aviss
Edith Macfarlane

Samuel Aviss
Edith Macfarlane
💍 1903/4019

Bachelor
Spinster

Solicitor

27
25

Napier
Te Hapara, Poverty Bay

9 months
10 years

Holy Trinity Church, Gisborne

03/3552

16 September 1903

Rev. Herbert Wm Williams, Church of England

No	1409
Date of Notice	16 September 1903
	Groom	Bride
Names of Parties	Samuel Aviss	Edith Macfarlane
	💍 1903/4019
Condition	Bachelor	Spinster
Profession	Solicitor
Age	27	25
Dwelling Place	Napier	Te Hapara, Poverty Bay
Length of Residence	9 months	10 years
Marriage Place	Holy Trinity Church, Gisborne
Folio	03/3552
Consent
Date of Certificate	16 September 1903
Officiating Minister	Rev. Herbert Wm Williams, Church of England

1410

19 September 1903

James Bennett
Emma Ruth Brown

James Bennett
Emma Ruth Brown
💍 1903/3603

Bachelor
Spinster

Shepherd

33
20

Waipaoa, Poverty Bay
Te Karaka, Poverty Bay

20 years
all her life

Res. of Mr W. J. Brown at Te Karaka

03/3747

W. J. Brown, father

19 September 1903

Rev. F. G. Coote, Church of England

No	1410
Date of Notice	19 September 1903
	Groom	Bride
Names of Parties	James Bennett	Emma Ruth Brown
	💍 1903/3603
Condition	Bachelor	Spinster
Profession	Shepherd
Age	33	20
Dwelling Place	Waipaoa, Poverty Bay	Te Karaka, Poverty Bay
Length of Residence	20 years	all her life
Marriage Place	Res. of Mr W. J. Brown at Te Karaka
Folio	03/3747
Consent	W. J. Brown, father
Date of Certificate	19 September 1903
Officiating Minister	Rev. F. G. Coote, Church of England

1411

22 September 1903

Henry Hope Faram
Hannah Gertrude Sobers

Henry Hope Farram
Hannah Gertrude Sobers
💍 1903/5884

Bachelor
Spinster

Warehouseman's Assistant

25
23

Gisborne
Whatapoke, Poverty Bay

all his life
10 years

St. Andrews, Presbyterian Ch., Gisborne

03/5901

22 September 1903

Rev. Jas. G. Paterson, Presbyterian

No	1411
Date of Notice	22 September 1903
	Groom	Bride
Names of Parties	Henry Hope Faram	Hannah Gertrude Sobers
BDM Match (97%)	Henry Hope Farram	Hannah Gertrude Sobers
	💍 1903/5884
Condition	Bachelor	Spinster
Profession	Warehouseman's Assistant
Age	25	23
Dwelling Place	Gisborne	Whatapoke, Poverty Bay
Length of Residence	all his life	10 years
Marriage Place	St. Andrews, Presbyterian Ch., Gisborne
Folio	03/5901
Consent
Date of Certificate	22 September 1903
Officiating Minister	Rev. Jas. G. Paterson, Presbyterian

1412

23 September 1903

Richard Pascoe
Mary Nelson

Richard Pascoe
Mary Nelson
💍 1903/3988

Bachelor
Spinster

Blacksmith
Domestic Servant

38
35

Whatatutu
Gisborne

12 months
15 months

The Office of the Reg. of Marriages, Gisborne

03/3471

23 September 1903

Reg. Marriages, Gisborne

No	1412
Date of Notice	23 September 1903
	Groom	Bride
Names of Parties	Richard Pascoe	Mary Nelson
	💍 1903/3988
Condition	Bachelor	Spinster
Profession	Blacksmith	Domestic Servant
Age	38	35
Dwelling Place	Whatatutu	Gisborne
Length of Residence	12 months	15 months
Marriage Place	The Office of the Reg. of Marriages, Gisborne
Folio	03/3471
Consent
Date of Certificate	23 September 1903
Officiating Minister	Reg. Marriages, Gisborne

1413

26 September 1903

Alexander Aiton Todd
Jessie Grahame Johnstone

Alexander Aiton Todd
Jessie Grahame Johnstone
💍 1903/3991

Bachelor
Spinster

Sheepfarmer

32
35

Haimata Valley, Poverty Bay
Gisborne

12 1/2 years
3 1/2 weeks

Res. of Mr John Tombleson, Newstead, Makaraka, Poverty Bay

03/3474

26 September 1903

Rev. Robt. Gardner, Presbyterian

No	1413
Date of Notice	26 September 1903
	Groom	Bride
Names of Parties	Alexander Aiton Todd	Jessie Grahame Johnstone
	💍 1903/3991
Condition	Bachelor	Spinster
Profession	Sheepfarmer
Age	32	35
Dwelling Place	Haimata Valley, Poverty Bay	Gisborne
Length of Residence	12 1/2 years	3 1/2 weeks
Marriage Place	Res. of Mr John Tombleson, Newstead, Makaraka, Poverty Bay
Folio	03/3474
Consent
Date of Certificate	26 September 1903
Officiating Minister	Rev. Robt. Gardner, Presbyterian

1414

27 September 1903

Herbert Adderley Clarke
Alice Amelia Chissell

Herbert Adderley Clarke
Alice Amelia Chissell
💍 1903/5883

Bachelor
Spinster

Sawmill hand
Shop assistant

23
20

Gisborne
Gisborne

4 days
4 days

St. Andrews, Presbyterian Church, Gisborne

03/5900

Wm Chissell, father

27 September 1903

Rev. Jas. G. Paterson, Presbyterian

No	1414
Date of Notice	27 September 1903
	Groom	Bride
Names of Parties	Herbert Adderley Clarke	Alice Amelia Chissell
	💍 1903/5883
Condition	Bachelor	Spinster
Profession	Sawmill hand	Shop assistant
Age	23	20
Dwelling Place	Gisborne	Gisborne
Length of Residence	4 days	4 days
Marriage Place	St. Andrews, Presbyterian Church, Gisborne
Folio	03/5900
Consent	Wm Chissell, father
Date of Certificate	27 September 1903
Officiating Minister	Rev. Jas. G. Paterson, Presbyterian

1415

28 September 1903

Walter Stanley Sutton
Minnie Esther Swanson

Walter Stanley Sutton
Minnie Esther Swainson
💍 1903/5900

Bachelor
Spinster

Laborer
Domestic servant

29
22

Gisborne
Gisborne

10 1/2 years
all her life

Office of Reg. of Marriages, Gisborne

03/5733

28 September 1903

Reg. Marriages, Gisborne

No	1415
Date of Notice	28 September 1903
	Groom	Bride
Names of Parties	Walter Stanley Sutton	Minnie Esther Swanson
BDM Match (98%)	Walter Stanley Sutton	Minnie Esther Swainson
	💍 1903/5900
Condition	Bachelor	Spinster
Profession	Laborer	Domestic servant
Age	29	22
Dwelling Place	Gisborne	Gisborne
Length of Residence	10 1/2 years	all her life
Marriage Place	Office of Reg. of Marriages, Gisborne
Folio	03/5733
Consent
Date of Certificate	28 September 1903
Officiating Minister	Reg. Marriages, Gisborne

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).