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 190

District of Shannon Quarter ending 31 December 1903 Registrar William Charles Nation

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

133

7 October 1903

Arthur Ernest Lister
Edith Thompson

Arthur Ernest Lister
Edith Thompson
💍 1903/5635

Bachelor
Spinster

Labourer
Domestic

26
18

Levin
Levin

Three days
Twelve months

Office of Registrar, Levin

03/5504

Edward Thompson, Father

7 October 1903

W. C. Nation, Registrar

No	133
Date of Notice	7 October 1903
	Groom	Bride
Names of Parties	Arthur Ernest Lister	Edith Thompson
	💍 1903/5635
Condition	Bachelor	Spinster
Profession	Labourer	Domestic
Age	26	18
Dwelling Place	Levin	Levin
Length of Residence	Three days	Twelve months
Marriage Place	Office of Registrar, Levin
Folio	03/5504
Consent	Edward Thompson, Father
Date of Certificate	7 October 1903
Officiating Minister	W. C. Nation, Registrar

134

11 November 1903

Thompson Dalzell
Berna Louise Wood

Thompson Dalzell
Bertha Louise Wood
💍 1903/5639

Bachelor
Spinster

Labourer
Domestic duties

25
22

Shannon
Shannon

Two years
Four years

Church of England, Shannon

03/5508

11 November 1903

Rev. J. A. McNickle

No	134
Date of Notice	11 November 1903
	Groom	Bride
Names of Parties	Thompson Dalzell	Berna Louise Wood
BDM Match (94%)	Thompson Dalzell	Bertha Louise Wood
	💍 1903/5639
Condition	Bachelor	Spinster
Profession	Labourer	Domestic duties
Age	25	22
Dwelling Place	Shannon	Shannon
Length of Residence	Two years	Four years
Marriage Place	Church of England, Shannon
Folio	03/5508
Consent
Date of Certificate	11 November 1903
Officiating Minister	Rev. J. A. McNickle

135

21 November 1903

Arthur Lell Duncan
Katherine Mary Saxon

Arthur Lyell Duncan
Katherine Mary Saxon
💍 1903/4212

Arthur Lyell Duncan
Katherine Mary Saxon
💍 1903/5640

Bachelor
Spinster

Storekeeper
Domestic duties

32
27

Kereru
Kereru

Ten months
Three years

Church of England, Levin

03/5509

21 November 1903

Rev. J. A. McNickle

No	135
Date of Notice	21 November 1903
	Groom	Bride
Names of Parties	Arthur Lell Duncan	Katherine Mary Saxon
BDM Match (97%)	Arthur Lyell Duncan	Katherine Mary Saxon
	💍 1903/4212
BDM Match (97%)	Arthur Lyell Duncan	Katherine Mary Saxon
	💍 1903/5640
Condition	Bachelor	Spinster
Profession	Storekeeper	Domestic duties
Age	32	27
Dwelling Place	Kereru	Kereru
Length of Residence	Ten months	Three years
Marriage Place	Church of England, Levin
Folio	03/5509
Consent
Date of Certificate	21 November 1903
Officiating Minister	Rev. J. A. McNickle

136

5 December 1903

Neil Latimer Nelson
Evelyn Muriel Bagge

Neil Latimer Nelson
Evelyn Muriel Bagge
💍 1903/5636

Bachelor
Spinster

Clerk
Domestic duties

19
21

Shannon
Shannon

Four days
Four days

Registrar's Office, Levin

03/5505

Parents dead, no person to give consent

5 December 1903

W. C. Nation, Registrar

No	136
Date of Notice	5 December 1903
	Groom	Bride
Names of Parties	Neil Latimer Nelson	Evelyn Muriel Bagge
	💍 1903/5636
Condition	Bachelor	Spinster
Profession	Clerk	Domestic duties
Age	19	21
Dwelling Place	Shannon	Shannon
Length of Residence	Four days	Four days
Marriage Place	Registrar's Office, Levin
Folio	03/5505
Consent	Parents dead, no person to give consent
Date of Certificate	5 December 1903
Officiating Minister	W. C. Nation, Registrar

137

16 December 1903

Frederick Thomson
Elizabeth Turner

Frederick Thomson
Elizabeth Turner
💍 1903/5617

Bachelor
Spinster

Painter
Domestic duties

28
23

Shannon
Levin

Eight months
Twelve months

Church of England, Levin

03/5510

16 December 1903

Rev. J. A. McNickle

No	137
Date of Notice	16 December 1903
	Groom	Bride
Names of Parties	Frederick Thomson	Elizabeth Turner
	💍 1903/5617
Condition	Bachelor	Spinster
Profession	Painter	Domestic duties
Age	28	23
Dwelling Place	Shannon	Levin
Length of Residence	Eight months	Twelve months
Marriage Place	Church of England, Levin
Folio	03/5510
Consent
Date of Certificate	16 December 1903
Officiating Minister	Rev. J. A. McNickle

138

18 December 1903

Charles Herbert Judd
Mary Elizabeth Rowe

Charles Herbert Judd
Mary Elizabeth Row
💍 1903/5638

Bachelor
Spinster

Farmer
Domestic duties

26
23

Levin
Levin

Five years
Five years

Residence of John Rowe, Heatherlea

03/5507

18 December 1903

Rev. Jas. Wrigley

No	138
Date of Notice	18 December 1903
	Groom	Bride
Names of Parties	Charles Herbert Judd	Mary Elizabeth Rowe
BDM Match (97%)	Charles Herbert Judd	Mary Elizabeth Row
	💍 1903/5638
Condition	Bachelor	Spinster
Profession	Farmer	Domestic duties
Age	26	23
Dwelling Place	Levin	Levin
Length of Residence	Five years	Five years
Marriage Place	Residence of John Rowe, Heatherlea
Folio	03/5507
Consent
Date of Certificate	18 December 1903
Officiating Minister	Rev. Jas. Wrigley

139

23 December 1903

David Mason
Ellen Turbain Smith

David Mason
Ellen Turbam Smith
💍 1903/5637

Bachelor
Spinster

Flaxmiller
Domestic duties

27
27

Levin
Levin

Three days
Three days

Residence of Rev. J. Wrigley, Levin

03/5506

23 December 1903

Rev. Jas. Wrigley

No	139
Date of Notice	23 December 1903
	Groom	Bride
Names of Parties	David Mason	Ellen Turbain Smith
BDM Match (95%)	David Mason	Ellen Turbam Smith
	💍 1903/5637
Condition	Bachelor	Spinster
Profession	Flaxmiller	Domestic duties
Age	27	27
Dwelling Place	Levin	Levin
Length of Residence	Three days	Three days
Marriage Place	Residence of Rev. J. Wrigley, Levin
Folio	03/5506
Consent
Date of Certificate	23 December 1903
Officiating Minister	Rev. Jas. Wrigley

140

29 December 1903

William John Whyte
Elizabeth Mary Rose

William John Whyte
Elizabeth Mary Rose
💍 1903/5618

Bachelor
Spinster

Labourer
Domestic duties

24
19

Levin
Levin

Two years
Fifteen years

Presbyterian Church, Levin

03/5511

James Rose, Father

29 December 1903

Rev. Finlayson

No	140
Date of Notice	29 December 1903
	Groom	Bride
Names of Parties	William John Whyte	Elizabeth Mary Rose
	💍 1903/5618
Condition	Bachelor	Spinster
Profession	Labourer	Domestic duties
Age	24	19
Dwelling Place	Levin	Levin
Length of Residence	Two years	Fifteen years
Marriage Place	Presbyterian Church, Levin
Folio	03/5511
Consent	James Rose, Father
Date of Certificate	29 December 1903
Officiating Minister	Rev. Finlayson

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).