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 412

District of Lyttleton Quarter ending 31 March 1903 Registrar William Thumphries

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

10 January 1903

John Henry Thomas
Frances Alice Harris

John Henry Thomas
Francis Alice Harris
💍 1903/996

John Thomas
Beatrice Annie Harris
💍 1903/4588

Bachelor
Spinster

Labourer

25
21

Lyttleton
Lyttleton

25 years
4 days

St. Saviours Church, Lyttleton

03/1109

10 January 1903

Rev. E. E. Chambers, Anglican Minister

No	1
Date of Notice	10 January 1903
	Groom	Bride
Names of Parties	John Henry Thomas	Frances Alice Harris
BDM Match (98%)	John Henry Thomas	Francis Alice Harris
	💍 1903/996
BDM Match (61%)	John Thomas	Beatrice Annie Harris
	💍 1903/4588
Condition	Bachelor	Spinster
Profession	Labourer
Age	25	21
Dwelling Place	Lyttleton	Lyttleton
Length of Residence	25 years	4 days
Marriage Place	St. Saviours Church, Lyttleton
Folio	03/1109
Consent
Date of Certificate	10 January 1903
Officiating Minister	Rev. E. E. Chambers, Anglican Minister

22 January 1903

William George Hinds
Jane Caroline Farman

Arthur George Hinds
Janet Caroline Forman
💍 1903/994

Bachelor
Spinster

Baker

24
19

Lyttleton
Lyttleton

24 years
14 months

Office of Registrar of Marriages, Lyttleton

03/1107

John Farman, father

22 January 1903

W. Thumphries, Registrar

No	2
Date of Notice	22 January 1903
	Groom	Bride
Names of Parties	William George Hinds	Jane Caroline Farman
BDM Match (78%)	Arthur George Hinds	Janet Caroline Forman
	💍 1903/994
Condition	Bachelor	Spinster
Profession	Baker
Age	24	19
Dwelling Place	Lyttleton	Lyttleton
Length of Residence	24 years	14 months
Marriage Place	Office of Registrar of Marriages, Lyttleton
Folio	03/1107
Consent	John Farman, father
Date of Certificate	22 January 1903
Officiating Minister	W. Thumphries, Registrar

24 February 1903

John Henry Olliver
Emma Foote

John Henry Olliver
Emma Foote
💍 1903/997

Bachelor
Spinster

Blacksmith

25
25

Lyttleton
Lyttleton

25 years
25 years

St. Saviours Church, Lyttleton

03/1110

24 February 1903

Rev. E. E. Chambers, Anglican Minister

No	3
Date of Notice	24 February 1903
	Groom	Bride
Names of Parties	John Henry Olliver	Emma Foote
	💍 1903/997
Condition	Bachelor	Spinster
Profession	Blacksmith
Age	25	25
Dwelling Place	Lyttleton	Lyttleton
Length of Residence	25 years	25 years
Marriage Place	St. Saviours Church, Lyttleton
Folio	03/1110
Consent
Date of Certificate	24 February 1903
Officiating Minister	Rev. E. E. Chambers, Anglican Minister

2 March 1903

John Adamson Borthwick
Isabella Crawford

John Adamson Borthwick
Isabella Crawford
💍 1903/998

Bachelor
Spinster

Engineer

20
26

55 Dublin Street, Lyttleton
Lyttleton

3 years

House of Henry Smith, Lyttleton

03/1111

2 March 1903

Rev. A. H. Treadwell, Presbyterian Minister

No	4
Date of Notice	2 March 1903
	Groom	Bride
Names of Parties	John Adamson Borthwick	Isabella Crawford
	💍 1903/998
Condition	Bachelor	Spinster
Profession	Engineer
Age	20	26
Dwelling Place	55 Dublin Street, Lyttleton	Lyttleton
Length of Residence		3 years
Marriage Place	House of Henry Smith, Lyttleton
Folio	03/1111
Consent
Date of Certificate	2 March 1903
Officiating Minister	Rev. A. H. Treadwell, Presbyterian Minister

6 March 1903

Gerald Rupert Rich
Julia Ellen Williams

Gerald Rupert Rich
Julia Ellen Williams
💍 1903/979

Bachelor
Spinster

Labourer

22
25

Lapswood
Lyttleton

12 months
3 years

Salvation Army Church, Lyttleton

03/1114

6 March 1903

Major J. Cain, Salvation Army Minister

No	5
Date of Notice	6 March 1903
	Groom	Bride
Names of Parties	Gerald Rupert Rich	Julia Ellen Williams
	💍 1903/979
Condition	Bachelor	Spinster
Profession	Labourer
Age	22	25
Dwelling Place	Lapswood	Lyttleton
Length of Residence	12 months	3 years
Marriage Place	Salvation Army Church, Lyttleton
Folio	03/1114
Consent
Date of Certificate	6 March 1903
Officiating Minister	Major J. Cain, Salvation Army Minister

7 March 1903

Edward John Davies
Euphemia Agnes Reeves

Edward John Davis
Euphemia Agnes Reeves
💍 1903/999

Bachelor
Spinster

Labourer

21
21

Lyttleton
Lyttleton

6 months
3 months

House of A. R. Davies, Lyttleton

03/1112

7 March 1903

Rev. A. H. Treadwell, Presbyterian Minister

No	6
Date of Notice	7 March 1903
	Groom	Bride
Names of Parties	Edward John Davies	Euphemia Agnes Reeves
BDM Match (97%)	Edward John Davis	Euphemia Agnes Reeves
	💍 1903/999
Condition	Bachelor	Spinster
Profession	Labourer
Age	21	21
Dwelling Place	Lyttleton	Lyttleton
Length of Residence	6 months	3 months
Marriage Place	House of A. R. Davies, Lyttleton
Folio	03/1112
Consent
Date of Certificate	7 March 1903
Officiating Minister	Rev. A. H. Treadwell, Presbyterian Minister

9 March 1903

George Arthur Clifford Whitford
Rosina King Cowlin

George Arthur Clifford Whitford
Rosina King Cowlin
💍 1903/1000

Bachelor
Spinster

Shipwright

20
18

Lyttleton
Lyttleton

7 years
10 months

House of N. Davey, Lyttleton

03/1113

Thomas King Cowlin, father

9 March 1903

Rev. J. A. Pycroft, Wesleyan Minister

No	7
Date of Notice	9 March 1903
	Groom	Bride
Names of Parties	George Arthur Clifford Whitford	Rosina King Cowlin
	💍 1903/1000
Condition	Bachelor	Spinster
Profession	Shipwright
Age	20	18
Dwelling Place	Lyttleton	Lyttleton
Length of Residence	7 years	10 months
Marriage Place	House of N. Davey, Lyttleton
Folio	03/1113
Consent	Thomas King Cowlin, father
Date of Certificate	9 March 1903
Officiating Minister	Rev. J. A. Pycroft, Wesleyan Minister

23 March 1903

Harry Brooker
Annie Johannsen

Harry Brooker
Annie Johannsen
💍 1903/995

Bachelor
Spinster

Wire Worker

25
23

Lyttleton
Lyttleton

7 years
6 weeks

Office of Registrar of Marriages, Lyttleton

03/1108

23 March 1903

W. Thumphries, Registrar

No	8
Date of Notice	23 March 1903
	Groom	Bride
Names of Parties	Harry Brooker	Annie Johannsen
	💍 1903/995
Condition	Bachelor	Spinster
Profession	Wire Worker
Age	25	23
Dwelling Place	Lyttleton	Lyttleton
Length of Residence	7 years	6 weeks
Marriage Place	Office of Registrar of Marriages, Lyttleton
Folio	03/1108
Consent
Date of Certificate	23 March 1903
Officiating Minister	W. Thumphries, Registrar

These records have been automatically transcribed and must be verified using the page image (below)

100% Contrast

100% Brightness

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).