Intentions to Marry, 1904 South Island

Reference: Registrar-General of Births, Deaths and Marriages, Notices of intention to marry, Series 8937, R2840426, Archives New Zealand Te Rua Mahara o te Kāwanatanga, Wellington

Imaged by Carole at Archives NZ Wellington, October 13 2025.

1904 is bound in two volumes, North Island districts and South Island districts.

Page 835

District of Invercargill Quarter ending 30 June 1904 Registrar J. G. Peter

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

30 April 1904

Frederick William Sargeant
Margaret Shea

Frederick William Sargeant
Margaret Shea
💍 1904/2882

Bachelor
Spinster

Railway Fireman
Domestic

27
22

Tweed Street, Invercargill
Tweed Street, Invercargill

3 days
22 years

Residence of Amstsa, Tweed Street, Invercargill

04/3447

20 April 1904

Very Rev. W. Burke

No	62
Date of Notice	30 April 1904
	Groom	Bride
Names of Parties	Frederick William Sargeant	Margaret Shea
	💍 1904/2882
Condition	Bachelor	Spinster
Profession	Railway Fireman	Domestic
Age	27	22
Dwelling Place	Tweed Street, Invercargill	Tweed Street, Invercargill
Length of Residence	3 days	22 years
Marriage Place	Residence of Amstsa, Tweed Street, Invercargill
Folio	04/3447
Consent
Date of Certificate	20 April 1904
Officiating Minister	Very Rev. W. Burke

2 May 1904

William James McNaught
Winifred Townsend Owen

William James McNaught
Winifred Townsend Owen
💍 1904/2874

Bachelor
Spinster

Sawmill Hand
Domestic

19
23

Richmond Grove, Invercargill
Long Bush, Invercargill

15 years
22 years

Office of the Registrar of Marriages, Invercargill

04/3458

Robert McNaught, Father

2 May 1904

Registrar of Marriages, Invercargill

No	63
Date of Notice	2 May 1904
	Groom	Bride
Names of Parties	William James McNaught	Winifred Townsend Owen
	💍 1904/2874
Condition	Bachelor	Spinster
Profession	Sawmill Hand	Domestic
Age	19	23
Dwelling Place	Richmond Grove, Invercargill	Long Bush, Invercargill
Length of Residence	15 years	22 years
Marriage Place	Office of the Registrar of Marriages, Invercargill
Folio	04/3458
Consent	Robert McNaught, Father
Date of Certificate	2 May 1904
Officiating Minister	Registrar of Marriages, Invercargill

3 May 1904

John William Padget
Elizabeth Mayhew

John William Padget
Elizabeth Mayhew
💍 1904/7146

Bachelor
Spinster

Tailor
Domestic

19
18

Leadel Street, Invercargill
Ormond, Invercargill

1 year
18 years

Office of the Registrar of Marriages, Invercargill

04/3456

Samuel Padget, Father; George Mayhew, Father

3 May 1904

Registrar of Marriages, Invercargill

No	64
Date of Notice	3 May 1904
	Groom	Bride
Names of Parties	John William Padget	Elizabeth Mayhew
	💍 1904/7146
Condition	Bachelor	Spinster
Profession	Tailor	Domestic
Age	19	18
Dwelling Place	Leadel Street, Invercargill	Ormond, Invercargill
Length of Residence	1 year	18 years
Marriage Place	Office of the Registrar of Marriages, Invercargill
Folio	04/3456
Consent	Samuel Padget, Father; George Mayhew, Father
Date of Certificate	3 May 1904
Officiating Minister	Registrar of Marriages, Invercargill

4 May 1904

Charles Armstrong Anderson
Amy Henrietta Hill

Charles Armstrong Anderson
Amy Henrietta Wells
💍 1904/2873

Bachelor
Spinster

Labourer
Domestic

24
18

Earl, Invercargill
Ocean View, Campbelltown, Invercargill

24 years
10 years

Office of the Registrar of Marriages, Campbelltown, Invercargill

04/3457

Mary Aitken, Mother

4 May 1904

Registrar of Marriages, Campbelltown, Invercargill

No	65
Date of Notice	4 May 1904
	Groom	Bride
Names of Parties	Charles Armstrong Anderson	Amy Henrietta Hill
BDM Match (92%)	Charles Armstrong Anderson	Amy Henrietta Wells
	💍 1904/2873
Condition	Bachelor	Spinster
Profession	Labourer	Domestic
Age	24	18
Dwelling Place	Earl, Invercargill	Ocean View, Campbelltown, Invercargill
Length of Residence	24 years	10 years
Marriage Place	Office of the Registrar of Marriages, Campbelltown, Invercargill
Folio	04/3457
Consent	Mary Aitken, Mother
Date of Certificate	4 May 1904
Officiating Minister	Registrar of Marriages, Campbelltown, Invercargill

9 May 1904

John Spence
Lucinda Torvell

John Spencer
Lucinda Powell
💍 1904/2370

Bachelor
Spinster

Labourer
Domestic

22
23

Mataura, Invercargill
Wallace Town, Invercargill

22 years
23 years

English Church, Tay Street, Invercargill

04/3466

9 May 1904

Very Rev. J. Cocker

No	66
Date of Notice	9 May 1904
	Groom	Bride
Names of Parties	John Spence	Lucinda Torvell
BDM Match (86%)	John Spencer	Lucinda Powell
	💍 1904/2370
Condition	Bachelor	Spinster
Profession	Labourer	Domestic
Age	22	23
Dwelling Place	Mataura, Invercargill	Wallace Town, Invercargill
Length of Residence	22 years	23 years
Marriage Place	English Church, Tay Street, Invercargill
Folio	04/3466
Consent
Date of Certificate	9 May 1904
Officiating Minister	Very Rev. J. Cocker

16 May 1904

Alfred James
Louisa Jane Elizabeth Price

Alfred James
Louise Jane Elizabeth Price
💍 1904/2349

Widower
Spinster

Solicitor

43
34

Dee Street, Invercargill
Eye Street, Invercargill

3 days
13 years

Residence of William & Lucy, Eye Street, Invercargill

04/3469

16 May 1904

Rev. Geo. Lindsay

No	67
Date of Notice	16 May 1904
	Groom	Bride
Names of Parties	Alfred James	Louisa Jane Elizabeth Price
BDM Match (98%)	Alfred James	Louise Jane Elizabeth Price
	💍 1904/2349
Condition	Widower	Spinster
Profession	Solicitor
Age	43	34
Dwelling Place	Dee Street, Invercargill	Eye Street, Invercargill
Length of Residence	3 days	13 years
Marriage Place	Residence of William & Lucy, Eye Street, Invercargill
Folio	04/3469
Consent
Date of Certificate	16 May 1904
Officiating Minister	Rev. Geo. Lindsay

16 May 1904

Charles Small
Mary Margaret Robert

Charles Small
Mary Margaret Roberts
💍 1904/2883

Bachelor
Spinster

Labourer
Domestic

26
20

North, Invercargill
Leet Street, Invercargill

26 years
20 years

Roman Catholic Church, Clyde Street, Invercargill

04/3448

David Robert, Father

16 May 1904

Very Rev. W. Burke

No	68
Date of Notice	16 May 1904
	Groom	Bride
Names of Parties	Charles Small	Mary Margaret Robert
BDM Match (98%)	Charles Small	Mary Margaret Roberts
	💍 1904/2883
Condition	Bachelor	Spinster
Profession	Labourer	Domestic
Age	26	20
Dwelling Place	North, Invercargill	Leet Street, Invercargill
Length of Residence	26 years	20 years
Marriage Place	Roman Catholic Church, Clyde Street, Invercargill
Folio	04/3448
Consent	David Robert, Father
Date of Certificate	16 May 1904
Officiating Minister	Very Rev. W. Burke

16 May 1904

Michael Halpin
Agnes Donoghue

Michael Halpin
Mary Agnes Donoghue
💍 1904/2867

Bachelor
Spinster

Blacksmith
Domestic

35
26

Dee Street, Invercargill
Gore, Invercargill

12 years
1 month

Roman Catholic Church, Clyde Street, Invercargill

04/3449

16 May 1904

Very Rev. W. Burke

No	69
Date of Notice	16 May 1904
	Groom	Bride
Names of Parties	Michael Halpin	Agnes Donoghue
BDM Match (87%)	Michael Halpin	Mary Agnes Donoghue
	💍 1904/2867
Condition	Bachelor	Spinster
Profession	Blacksmith	Domestic
Age	35	26
Dwelling Place	Dee Street, Invercargill	Gore, Invercargill
Length of Residence	12 years	1 month
Marriage Place	Roman Catholic Church, Clyde Street, Invercargill
Folio	04/3449
Consent
Date of Certificate	16 May 1904
Officiating Minister	Very Rev. W. Burke

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).