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 144

District of Nelson Quarter ending 30 June 1903 Registrar Sidney Blomfield

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

11 May 1903

Alfred Charles Blewitt Jenkins
Mary Laird

Alfred Charles Blewitt Jenkins
Mary Laird
💍 1903/147

Bachelor
Spinster

Farmer
Domestic Duties

28
25

Russell Street, Nelson
Russell Street, Nelson

3 days
25 years

Residence of Abraham Laird, Russell Street, Nelson

03/2477

11 May 1903

Jas H Mackenzie, Presbyterian Minister

No	37
Date of Notice	11 May 1903
	Groom	Bride
Names of Parties	Alfred Charles Blewitt Jenkins	Mary Laird
	💍 1903/147
Condition	Bachelor	Spinster
Profession	Farmer	Domestic Duties
Age	28	25
Dwelling Place	Russell Street, Nelson	Russell Street, Nelson
Length of Residence	3 days	25 years
Marriage Place	Residence of Abraham Laird, Russell Street, Nelson
Folio	03/2477
Consent
Date of Certificate	11 May 1903
Officiating Minister	Jas H Mackenzie, Presbyterian Minister

15 May 1903

Alfred Valentine Allport
Amy Biddle

Alfred Valentine Allport
Amy Biddle
💍 1903/163

Bachelor
Widow

Farmer
Domestic Duties

33
33

Stoke
Nelson

33 years
12 days

All Saints' Church, Vanguard Street, Nelson

03/2469

18 May 1903

E. C. Robison, Church of England Minister

No	38
Date of Notice	15 May 1903
	Groom	Bride
Names of Parties	Alfred Valentine Allport	Amy Biddle
	💍 1903/163
Condition	Bachelor	Widow
Profession	Farmer	Domestic Duties
Age	33	33
Dwelling Place	Stoke	Nelson
Length of Residence	33 years	12 days
Marriage Place	All Saints' Church, Vanguard Street, Nelson
Folio	03/2469
Consent
Date of Certificate	18 May 1903
Officiating Minister	E. C. Robison, Church of England Minister

19 May 1903

Frederick Stevens Houghton
Wilhelmina Matilda Bayley

Fredrick Stevens Houghton
Wilhelmina Matilda Bayley
💍 1903/164

Bachelor
Widow

Farmer
Domestic Duties

26
22

Weka Street, Nelson
Weka Street, Nelson

3 days
22 years

Residence of Harriet White Pahl, Weka Street, Nelson

03/2470

19 May 1903

E. C. Robison, Church of England Minister

No	39
Date of Notice	19 May 1903
	Groom	Bride
Names of Parties	Frederick Stevens Houghton	Wilhelmina Matilda Bayley
BDM Match (98%)	Fredrick Stevens Houghton	Wilhelmina Matilda Bayley
	💍 1903/164
Condition	Bachelor	Widow
Profession	Farmer	Domestic Duties
Age	26	22
Dwelling Place	Weka Street, Nelson	Weka Street, Nelson
Length of Residence	3 days	22 years
Marriage Place	Residence of Harriet White Pahl, Weka Street, Nelson
Folio	03/2470
Consent
Date of Certificate	19 May 1903
Officiating Minister	E. C. Robison, Church of England Minister

23 May 1903

Harold Wood
Olive Alberta Child

Harold Wood
Olive Alberta Child
💍 1903/154

Bachelor
Spinster

Painter
Domestic Duties

23
21

Halifax Street, Nelson
Neka Street, Nelson

23 years
21 years

Baptist Church, Bridge Street, Nelson

03/2484

23 May 1903

F. G. Buckingham, Baptist Minister

No	40
Date of Notice	23 May 1903
	Groom	Bride
Names of Parties	Harold Wood	Olive Alberta Child
	💍 1903/154
Condition	Bachelor	Spinster
Profession	Painter	Domestic Duties
Age	23	21
Dwelling Place	Halifax Street, Nelson	Neka Street, Nelson
Length of Residence	23 years	21 years
Marriage Place	Baptist Church, Bridge Street, Nelson
Folio	03/2484
Consent
Date of Certificate	23 May 1903
Officiating Minister	F. G. Buckingham, Baptist Minister

27 May 1903

John Lamb
Jenney Trimble

John Lamb
Jenney Trimble
💍 1903/148

Divorced
Spinster

Contractor
Household Duties

49
31

Hardy Street, Nelson
Hardy Street, Nelson

3 days
3 days

Trinity Presbyterian Church, Nile Street, Nelson

03/2478

27 May 1903

Jas H Mackenzie, Presbyterian Minister

No	41
Date of Notice	27 May 1903
	Groom	Bride
Names of Parties	John Lamb	Jenney Trimble
	💍 1903/148
Condition	Divorced	Spinster
Profession	Contractor	Household Duties
Age	49	31
Dwelling Place	Hardy Street, Nelson	Hardy Street, Nelson
Length of Residence	3 days	3 days
Marriage Place	Trinity Presbyterian Church, Nile Street, Nelson
Folio	03/2478
Consent
Date of Certificate	27 May 1903
Officiating Minister	Jas H Mackenzie, Presbyterian Minister

2 June 1903

Albert Scott
Lilian May Roberts

Albert Scott
Lilian May Roberts
💍 1903/149

Bachelor
Spinster

Carter
Domestic Duties

23
23

Bridge Street, Nelson
Grove Street, Nelson

23 years
23 years

Residence of Thomas Johnson, Grove Street, Nelson

03/2479

2 June 1903

Jas H Mackenzie, Presbyterian Minister

No	42
Date of Notice	2 June 1903
	Groom	Bride
Names of Parties	Albert Scott	Lilian May Roberts
	💍 1903/149
Condition	Bachelor	Spinster
Profession	Carter	Domestic Duties
Age	23	23
Dwelling Place	Bridge Street, Nelson	Grove Street, Nelson
Length of Residence	23 years	23 years
Marriage Place	Residence of Thomas Johnson, Grove Street, Nelson
Folio	03/2479
Consent
Date of Certificate	2 June 1903
Officiating Minister	Jas H Mackenzie, Presbyterian Minister

4 June 1903

Arthur Chaytor
Mary Evelyn Allen

Arthur Chaytor
Mary Evelyn Allen
💍 1903/165

Widower
Spinster

Farmer
Household Duties

59
37

Richmond
Nelson

3 years
3 days

All Saints' Church, Vanguard Street, Nelson

03/2471

4 June 1903

E. C. Robison, Church of England Minister

No	43
Date of Notice	4 June 1903
	Groom	Bride
Names of Parties	Arthur Chaytor	Mary Evelyn Allen
	💍 1903/165
Condition	Widower	Spinster
Profession	Farmer	Household Duties
Age	59	37
Dwelling Place	Richmond	Nelson
Length of Residence	3 years	3 days
Marriage Place	All Saints' Church, Vanguard Street, Nelson
Folio	03/2471
Consent
Date of Certificate	4 June 1903
Officiating Minister	E. C. Robison, Church of England Minister

10 June 1903

Henry Kerr
Mabel Grace Sutton

Henry Kerr
Mabel Grace Sutton
💍 1903/151

Bachelor
Spinster

Run Manager
Household Duties

27
25

Richmond
Richmond

6 days
25 years

Residence of Mrs. Henry Sutton, Richmond

03/2481

10 June 1903

John D. Jory, Wesleyan Minister

No	44
Date of Notice	10 June 1903
	Groom	Bride
Names of Parties	Henry Kerr	Mabel Grace Sutton
	💍 1903/151
Condition	Bachelor	Spinster
Profession	Run Manager	Household Duties
Age	27	25
Dwelling Place	Richmond	Richmond
Length of Residence	6 days	25 years
Marriage Place	Residence of Mrs. Henry Sutton, Richmond
Folio	03/2481
Consent
Date of Certificate	10 June 1903
Officiating Minister	John D. Jory, Wesleyan Minister

16 June 1903

Esdale Henry Lawrence
Jane McCormack

Esdale Henry Laurence
Jane McCormack
💍 1903/4398

Bachelor
Spinster

Labourer
Household Duties

23
20

Bridge Street, Nelson
Nile Street, Nelson

23 years
20 years

Residence of Frederick Lawrence, Bridge Street, Nelson

03/4042

1 July 1903

D. McKee Wright, Congregational Minister

No	45
Date of Notice	16 June 1903
	Groom	Bride
Names of Parties	Esdale Henry Lawrence	Jane McCormack
BDM Match (98%)	Esdale Henry Laurence	Jane McCormack
	💍 1903/4398
Condition	Bachelor	Spinster
Profession	Labourer	Household Duties
Age	23	20
Dwelling Place	Bridge Street, Nelson	Nile Street, Nelson
Length of Residence	23 years	20 years
Marriage Place	Residence of Frederick Lawrence, Bridge Street, Nelson
Folio	03/4042
Consent
Date of Certificate	1 July 1903
Officiating Minister	D. McKee Wright, Congregational Minister

17 June 1903

Arthur McBeth
Lucy Gertrude Dunn

Arthur McBeth
Lucy Gertrude Dunn
💍 1903/167

Bachelor
Spinster

Sheep Farmer

39
28

Tuamarina, Blenheim
Richmond

11 years

Church of England, Richmond

03/2473

17 June 1903

A. C. Wright, Church of England Minister

No	46
Date of Notice	17 June 1903
	Groom	Bride
Names of Parties	Arthur McBeth	Lucy Gertrude Dunn
	💍 1903/167
Condition	Bachelor	Spinster
Profession	Sheep Farmer
Age	39	28
Dwelling Place	Tuamarina, Blenheim	Richmond
Length of Residence		11 years
Marriage Place	Church of England, Richmond
Folio	03/2473
Consent
Date of Certificate	17 June 1903
Officiating Minister	A. C. Wright, Church of England Minister

22 June 1903

Alexander Turbayne Robertson Duncan
Helena Robertson

Alexander Turbayne Robertson Duncan
Helena Robertson
💍 1903/166

Bachelor
Spinster

Railway Employee
Domestic Duties

27
19

Hampden Street, Nelson
Examiner Street, Nelson

27 years
11 1/2 years

Residence of Thomas John Robertson, Examiner Street, Nelson

03/2472

Thomas John Robertson, Father

22 June 1903

E. C. Robison, Church of England Minister

No	47
Date of Notice	22 June 1903
	Groom	Bride
Names of Parties	Alexander Turbayne Robertson Duncan	Helena Robertson
	💍 1903/166
Condition	Bachelor	Spinster
Profession	Railway Employee	Domestic Duties
Age	27	19
Dwelling Place	Hampden Street, Nelson	Examiner Street, Nelson
Length of Residence	27 years	11 1/2 years
Marriage Place	Residence of Thomas John Robertson, Examiner Street, Nelson
Folio	03/2472
Consent	Thomas John Robertson, Father
Date of Certificate	22 June 1903
Officiating Minister	E. C. Robison, Church of England Minister

25 June 1903

Colin Gunn Macdonald
Veda Blanche Burfield Galland

Colin Gunn Macdonald
Veda Blanche Burfield Galland
💍 1903/150

Bachelor
Spinster

Ship Fitter
Domestic Duties

26
19

The Port, Nelson
The Port, Nelson

3 days
19 years

Residence of George Burfield Galland, The Port, Nelson

03/2480

George Burfield Galland, Father

25 June 1903

Jas H Mackenzie, Presbyterian Minister

No	48
Date of Notice	25 June 1903
	Groom	Bride
Names of Parties	Colin Gunn Macdonald	Veda Blanche Burfield Galland
	💍 1903/150
Condition	Bachelor	Spinster
Profession	Ship Fitter	Domestic Duties
Age	26	19
Dwelling Place	The Port, Nelson	The Port, Nelson
Length of Residence	3 days	19 years
Marriage Place	Residence of George Burfield Galland, The Port, Nelson
Folio	03/2480
Consent	George Burfield Galland, Father
Date of Certificate	25 June 1903
Officiating Minister	Jas H Mackenzie, Presbyterian Minister

30 June 1903

Edward Robert Andrews
Clara Stratford

Edward Robert Andrews
Clara Stratford
💍 1903/4370

Bachelor
Spinster

Farmer
Domestic Duties

26
22

Aniseed Valley, Hope
Aniseed Valley, Hope

3 days
22 years

Residence of Frederick Stratford, Aniseed Valley, Hope

03/4132

30 June 1903

W. G. Baker, Church of England Minister

No	49
Date of Notice	30 June 1903
	Groom	Bride
Names of Parties	Edward Robert Andrews	Clara Stratford
	💍 1903/4370
Condition	Bachelor	Spinster
Profession	Farmer	Domestic Duties
Age	26	22
Dwelling Place	Aniseed Valley, Hope	Aniseed Valley, Hope
Length of Residence	3 days	22 years
Marriage Place	Residence of Frederick Stratford, Aniseed Valley, Hope
Folio	03/4132
Consent
Date of Certificate	30 June 1903
Officiating Minister	W. G. Baker, Church of England Minister

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).