Intentions to Marry, 1903 South Island

Reference: Registrar-General of Births, Deaths and Marriages, Notices of intention to marry, Series 8937, R2840424, Archives New Zealand Te Rua Mahara o te Kāwanatanga, Wellington

Imaged by Carole at Archives NZ Wellington, October 10 2025.

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

Page 073

District of Buller Quarter ending 31 December 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

7 October 1903

Charles Peter Peterson
Elizabeth Margaret Murphy

Charles Peter Peterson
Elizabeth Margaret Murphy
💍 1903/6647

Bachelor
Spinster

Miner

26
23

Westport
Cape Foulwind

3 days
17 years

At the residence of J. Murphy, Cape Foulwind

03/6625

7 October 1903

Rev. J. Walshe

No	29
Date of Notice	7 October 1903
	Groom	Bride
Names of Parties	Charles Peter Peterson	Elizabeth Margaret Murphy
	💍 1903/6647
Condition	Bachelor	Spinster
Profession	Miner
Age	26	23
Dwelling Place	Westport	Cape Foulwind
Length of Residence	3 days	17 years
Marriage Place	At the residence of J. Murphy, Cape Foulwind
Folio	03/6625
Consent
Date of Certificate	7 October 1903
Officiating Minister	Rev. J. Walshe

14 October 1903

Albert Gilbert
Margaret Blanche Richardson

Albert Gilbert
Madge Blanche Richardson
💍 1903/5823

Bachelor
Spinster

Jeweller

29
27

Westport
Westport

3 days
2 weeks

In the Church of England, Westport

03/5780

14 October 1903

Rev. J. R. Dart

No	30
Date of Notice	14 October 1903
	Groom	Bride
Names of Parties	Albert Gilbert	Margaret Blanche Richardson
BDM Match (93%)	Albert Gilbert	Madge Blanche Richardson
	💍 1903/5823
Condition	Bachelor	Spinster
Profession	Jeweller
Age	29	27
Dwelling Place	Westport	Westport
Length of Residence	3 days	2 weeks
Marriage Place	In the Church of England, Westport
Folio	03/5780
Consent
Date of Certificate	14 October 1903
Officiating Minister	Rev. J. R. Dart

11 November 1903

Charles Gray
Mary Jane Sherlock

Charles Gray
Mary Jane Sherlock
💍 1903/6648

Bachelor
Spinster

Miner

29
33

Westport
Westport

3 days
33 years

In the Roman Catholic Church, Westport

03/6626

11 November 1903

Rev. T. Walshe

No	31
Date of Notice	11 November 1903
	Groom	Bride
Names of Parties	Charles Gray	Mary Jane Sherlock
	💍 1903/6648
Condition	Bachelor	Spinster
Profession	Miner
Age	29	33
Dwelling Place	Westport	Westport
Length of Residence	3 days	33 years
Marriage Place	In the Roman Catholic Church, Westport
Folio	03/6626
Consent
Date of Certificate	11 November 1903
Officiating Minister	Rev. T. Walshe

13 November 1903

Edwin Dacre Dunn
Mary Ann Martin Gembitzky

Edwin Dacre Dunn
Mary Ann Martin Gembitzky
💍 1903/5824

Bachelor
Spinster

Medical Practitioner

37
17

Westport
Westport

2 years
2 years

In the Church of England, Westport

03/5781

W. R. C. A. Gembitzky, father

13 November 1903

Rev. J. R. Dart

No	32
Date of Notice	13 November 1903
	Groom	Bride
Names of Parties	Edwin Dacre Dunn	Mary Ann Martin Gembitzky
	💍 1903/5824
Condition	Bachelor	Spinster
Profession	Medical Practitioner
Age	37	17
Dwelling Place	Westport	Westport
Length of Residence	2 years	2 years
Marriage Place	In the Church of England, Westport
Folio	03/5781
Consent	W. R. C. A. Gembitzky, father
Date of Certificate	13 November 1903
Officiating Minister	Rev. J. R. Dart

17 November 1903

William George Ives
Maria Sherlock

William George Ives
Maria Sherlock
💍 1903/6649

Bachelor
Spinster

Blacksmith

28
20

Westport
Westport

3 days
20 years

At the residence of Mr. T. Sherlock, Palmerston Street, Westport

03/6627

T. Sherlock, father

17 November 1903

Rev. J. Walshe

No	33
Date of Notice	17 November 1903
	Groom	Bride
Names of Parties	William George Ives	Maria Sherlock
	💍 1903/6649
Condition	Bachelor	Spinster
Profession	Blacksmith
Age	28	20
Dwelling Place	Westport	Westport
Length of Residence	3 days	20 years
Marriage Place	At the residence of Mr. T. Sherlock, Palmerston Street, Westport
Folio	03/6627
Consent	T. Sherlock, father
Date of Certificate	17 November 1903
Officiating Minister	Rev. J. Walshe

28 November 1903

Albert Solomon
Wilhelmina Martha Edgar

Albert Solomon
Wilhelmina Martha Edgar
💍 1903/5825

Bachelor
Spinster

Labourer

24
23

Westport
Westport

24 years
2 years

In the Residence of Mr. A. Bradshaw, Roebuck Street, Westport

03/5782

28 November 1903

Rev. J. R. Dart

No	34
Date of Notice	28 November 1903
	Groom	Bride
Names of Parties	Albert Solomon	Wilhelmina Martha Edgar
	💍 1903/5825
Condition	Bachelor	Spinster
Profession	Labourer
Age	24	23
Dwelling Place	Westport	Westport
Length of Residence	24 years	2 years
Marriage Place	In the Residence of Mr. A. Bradshaw, Roebuck Street, Westport
Folio	03/5782
Consent
Date of Certificate	28 November 1903
Officiating Minister	Rev. J. R. Dart

3 December 1903

George Arthur Nicholls
Fanny Jane Taylor

George Arthur Nicholls
Fanny Jane Taylor
💍 1903/5830

Bachelor
Spinster

Carpenter

26
25

Westport
Westport

15 months
25 years

In the Wesleyan Church, Westport

03/5787

3 December 1903

Rev. E. R. Blamires

No	35
Date of Notice	3 December 1903
	Groom	Bride
Names of Parties	George Arthur Nicholls	Fanny Jane Taylor
	💍 1903/5830
Condition	Bachelor	Spinster
Profession	Carpenter
Age	26	25
Dwelling Place	Westport	Westport
Length of Residence	15 months	25 years
Marriage Place	In the Wesleyan Church, Westport
Folio	03/5787
Consent
Date of Certificate	3 December 1903
Officiating Minister	Rev. E. R. Blamires

11 December 1903

Arthur Henry Chambers
Maud Simpson

Arthur Henry Chambers
Maud Simpson
💍 1903/5827

Bachelor
Spinster

Commission Agent

34
24

Westport
Westport

9 days
10 years

In the Church of England, Westport

03/5784

11 December 1903

Rev. J. R. Dart

No	36
Date of Notice	11 December 1903
	Groom	Bride
Names of Parties	Arthur Henry Chambers	Maud Simpson
	💍 1903/5827
Condition	Bachelor	Spinster
Profession	Commission Agent
Age	34	24
Dwelling Place	Westport	Westport
Length of Residence	9 days	10 years
Marriage Place	In the Church of England, Westport
Folio	03/5784
Consent
Date of Certificate	11 December 1903
Officiating Minister	Rev. J. R. Dart

11 December 1903

Thomas Courtney Devery
Jessie Bennett Thompson

Thomas Courtney Devery
Jessie Bennett Thompson
💍 1903/5826

Bachelor
Spinster

Fireman

23
18

Westport
Westport

3 years
18 years

At the residence of Mr. Hugh Thompson, Westport

03/5783

Hugh Thompson, father

11 December 1903

Rev. J. R. Dart

No	37
Date of Notice	11 December 1903
	Groom	Bride
Names of Parties	Thomas Courtney Devery	Jessie Bennett Thompson
	💍 1903/5826
Condition	Bachelor	Spinster
Profession	Fireman
Age	23	18
Dwelling Place	Westport	Westport
Length of Residence	3 years	18 years
Marriage Place	At the residence of Mr. Hugh Thompson, Westport
Folio	03/5783
Consent	Hugh Thompson, father
Date of Certificate	11 December 1903
Officiating Minister	Rev. J. R. Dart

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 1908. 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).