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 798

District of INVERCARGILL Quarter ending 31 March 1903 Registrar John Gaumon Petre

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

4 February 1903

Malcolm McCallum
Isabella Anderson

Malcolm McCallum
Isabella Hanverson
💍 1903/1825

Widower
Spinster

Blacksmith
Domestic

56
50

Eal, INVERCARGILL
Ramornie, INVERCARGILL

19 years
20 years

Residence of James George Henderson, Ramornie, INVERCARGILL

03/1336

4 February 1903

Rev Geo Lindsay

No	15
Date of Notice	4 February 1903
	Groom	Bride
Names of Parties	Malcolm McCallum	Isabella Anderson
BDM Match (92%)	Malcolm McCallum	Isabella Hanverson
	💍 1903/1825
Condition	Widower	Spinster
Profession	Blacksmith	Domestic
Age	56	50
Dwelling Place	Eal, INVERCARGILL	Ramornie, INVERCARGILL
Length of Residence	19 years	20 years
Marriage Place	Residence of James George Henderson, Ramornie, INVERCARGILL
Folio	03/1336
Consent
Date of Certificate	4 February 1903
Officiating Minister	Rev Geo Lindsay

10 February 1903

James Thomas Arman
Ada Richards

James Thomas Annan
Ada Richards
💍 1903/1826

Bachelor
Spinster

Labourer
Domestic

29
26

Dee Street, INVERCARGILL
Yarrow Street, INVERCARGILL

4 days
Many years

Residence of John Loughlen, Yarrow Street, INVERCARGILL

03/1337

10 February 1903

Rev Geo Lindsay

No	16
Date of Notice	10 February 1903
	Groom	Bride
Names of Parties	James Thomas Arman	Ada Richards
BDM Match (94%)	James Thomas Annan	Ada Richards
	💍 1903/1826
Condition	Bachelor	Spinster
Profession	Labourer	Domestic
Age	29	26
Dwelling Place	Dee Street, INVERCARGILL	Yarrow Street, INVERCARGILL
Length of Residence	4 days	Many years
Marriage Place	Residence of John Loughlen, Yarrow Street, INVERCARGILL
Folio	03/1337
Consent
Date of Certificate	10 February 1903
Officiating Minister	Rev Geo Lindsay

10 February 1903

Andrew Stevens
Agnes Dryet

Andrew Stevens
Agnes Dyet
💍 1903/1892

Bachelor
Spinster

Tinsmith
Domestic

23
19

Wallacetown, INVERCARGILL
West Plain, INVERCARGILL

23 years
19 years

Residence of Robert Dryet, West Plain, INVERCARGILL

03/1371

Robert Dryet, Father

10 February 1903

Rev Jas. Cumming

No	17
Date of Notice	10 February 1903
	Groom	Bride
Names of Parties	Andrew Stevens	Agnes Dryet
BDM Match (95%)	Andrew Stevens	Agnes Dyet
	💍 1903/1892
Condition	Bachelor	Spinster
Profession	Tinsmith	Domestic
Age	23	19
Dwelling Place	Wallacetown, INVERCARGILL	West Plain, INVERCARGILL
Length of Residence	23 years	19 years
Marriage Place	Residence of Robert Dryet, West Plain, INVERCARGILL
Folio	03/1371
Consent	Robert Dryet, Father
Date of Certificate	10 February 1903
Officiating Minister	Rev Jas. Cumming

10 February 1903

Alexander Adam Main
Stella Augusta Wenham

Alexander Adam Mair
Stella Augusta Ekensteen
💍 1903/1843

Bachelor
Spinster

Clerk of Court

34
27

Don Street, INVERCARGILL
Don Street, INVERCARGILL

3 days
27 years

English Church, Tay Street, INVERCARGILL

03/1346

10 February 1903

Rev Tom Ronaldson

No	18
Date of Notice	10 February 1903
	Groom	Bride
Names of Parties	Alexander Adam Main	Stella Augusta Wenham
BDM Match (83%)	Alexander Adam Mair	Stella Augusta Ekensteen
	💍 1903/1843
Condition	Bachelor	Spinster
Profession	Clerk of Court
Age	34	27
Dwelling Place	Don Street, INVERCARGILL	Don Street, INVERCARGILL
Length of Residence	3 days	27 years
Marriage Place	English Church, Tay Street, INVERCARGILL
Folio	03/1346
Consent
Date of Certificate	10 February 1903
Officiating Minister	Rev Tom Ronaldson

14 February 1903

William Scully
Margaret Leonard

William Scully
Margaret Leonard
💍 1903/1845

Bachelor
Spinster

Farmer
Domestic

42
22

Woodlands, INVERCARGILL
Rakohouka, INVERCARGILL

4 years
22 years

Residence of Rodger Leonard, Rakohouka, INVERCARGILL

03/1357

14 February 1903

Very Rev Dean Burke

No	19
Date of Notice	14 February 1903
	Groom	Bride
Names of Parties	William Scully	Margaret Leonard
	💍 1903/1845
Condition	Bachelor	Spinster
Profession	Farmer	Domestic
Age	42	22
Dwelling Place	Woodlands, INVERCARGILL	Rakohouka, INVERCARGILL
Length of Residence	4 years	22 years
Marriage Place	Residence of Rodger Leonard, Rakohouka, INVERCARGILL
Folio	03/1357
Consent
Date of Certificate	14 February 1903
Officiating Minister	Very Rev Dean Burke

17 February 1903

Charles Richard Ingram
Nora Elizabeth Jane Crockett

Charles Richard Ingram
Nora Elizabeth Jane Crockett
💍 1903/1854

Bachelor
Spinster

Telegraphist

26
25

Dee Street, INVERCARGILL
Elles Road North, INVERCARGILL

3 days
20 years

English Church, Tay Street, INVERCARGILL

03/1347

17 February 1903

Ven Archdn Stocker

No	20
Date of Notice	17 February 1903
	Groom	Bride
Names of Parties	Charles Richard Ingram	Nora Elizabeth Jane Crockett
	💍 1903/1854
Condition	Bachelor	Spinster
Profession	Telegraphist
Age	26	25
Dwelling Place	Dee Street, INVERCARGILL	Elles Road North, INVERCARGILL
Length of Residence	3 days	20 years
Marriage Place	English Church, Tay Street, INVERCARGILL
Folio	03/1347
Consent
Date of Certificate	17 February 1903
Officiating Minister	Ven Archdn Stocker

17 February 1903

Thomas Ritchie
Jessie Cameron

Thomas Ritchie
Jessie Cameron
💍 1903/1840

Widower
Spinster

Plumber NZR
Domestic

49
28

Crinan, INVERCARGILL
Crinan, INVERCARGILL

8 years
8 years

Office of Registrar of Marriages, INVERCARGILL

03/1327

17 February 1903

Registrar of Marriages, INVERCARGILL

No	21
Date of Notice	17 February 1903
	Groom	Bride
Names of Parties	Thomas Ritchie	Jessie Cameron
	💍 1903/1840
Condition	Widower	Spinster
Profession	Plumber NZR	Domestic
Age	49	28
Dwelling Place	Crinan, INVERCARGILL	Crinan, INVERCARGILL
Length of Residence	8 years	8 years
Marriage Place	Office of Registrar of Marriages, INVERCARGILL
Folio	03/1327
Consent
Date of Certificate	17 February 1903
Officiating Minister	Registrar of Marriages, INVERCARGILL

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).