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 842

District of INVERCARGILL Quarter ending 30 September 1904 Registrar John Gaumon Petw

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

2 July 1904

Thomas Wilson Walker
Margaret Elizabeth Bexon

Thomas Wilson Walker
Margaret Elizabeth Dixon
💍 1904/4071

Bachelor
Spinster

Clerk
Domestic

43
22

Liddel Street, INVERCARGILL
Leet Street, INVERCARGILL

30 years
27 years

Residence of John Henry Deacon, Leet Street, INVERCARGILL

04/4939

2 July 1904

Rev. S. F. Prior

No	96
Date of Notice	2 July 1904
	Groom	Bride
Names of Parties	Thomas Wilson Walker	Margaret Elizabeth Bexon
BDM Match (96%)	Thomas Wilson Walker	Margaret Elizabeth Dixon
	💍 1904/4071
Condition	Bachelor	Spinster
Profession	Clerk	Domestic
Age	43	22
Dwelling Place	Liddel Street, INVERCARGILL	Leet Street, INVERCARGILL
Length of Residence	30 years	27 years
Marriage Place	Residence of John Henry Deacon, Leet Street, INVERCARGILL
Folio	04/4939
Consent
Date of Certificate	2 July 1904
Officiating Minister	Rev. S. F. Prior

2 July 1904

Alfred Elliott
Angelina Grigg (MN Pedlar)

Alfred Elliott
Angelina Grigg McCreath
💍 1904/4072

Bachelor
Widow

Labourer
Domestic

25
34

North INVERCARGILL
North INVERCARGILL

25 years
20 years

Residence of C. W. Ledgerwood, Clifton Street, North INVERCARGILL

04/4940

2 July 1904

Rev. T. A. Ryburn

No	97
Date of Notice	2 July 1904
	Groom	Bride
Names of Parties	Alfred Elliott	Angelina Grigg (MN Pedlar)
BDM Match (85%)	Alfred Elliott	Angelina Grigg McCreath
	💍 1904/4072
Condition	Bachelor	Widow
Profession	Labourer	Domestic
Age	25	34
Dwelling Place	North INVERCARGILL	North INVERCARGILL
Length of Residence	25 years	20 years
Marriage Place	Residence of C. W. Ledgerwood, Clifton Street, North INVERCARGILL
Folio	04/4940
Consent
Date of Certificate	2 July 1904
Officiating Minister	Rev. T. A. Ryburn

5 July 1904

Thomas Robert Dillon
Sarah Cull

Thomas Robert Dillon
Sarah Cull
💍 1904/320

Bachelor
Spinster

Labourer
Domestic

25
18

Wright's Bush, INVERCARGILL
Mataura, INVERCARGILL

2 years
18 years

Office of the Registrar of Marriages, INVERCARGILL

04/4953

Thomas Cull, Father

5 July 1904

Registrar of Marriages, INVERCARGILL

No	98
Date of Notice	5 July 1904
	Groom	Bride
Names of Parties	Thomas Robert Dillon	Sarah Cull
	💍 1904/320
Condition	Bachelor	Spinster
Profession	Labourer	Domestic
Age	25	18
Dwelling Place	Wright's Bush, INVERCARGILL	Mataura, INVERCARGILL
Length of Residence	2 years	18 years
Marriage Place	Office of the Registrar of Marriages, INVERCARGILL
Folio	04/4953
Consent	Thomas Cull, Father
Date of Certificate	5 July 1904
Officiating Minister	Registrar of Marriages, INVERCARGILL

5 July 1904

William Herrett
Mary Ann Kinnies Sims

William Herrett
Mary Ann Ninnies Sims
💍 1904/4076

Bachelor
Spinster

Cabinetmaker
Domestic

21
18

Dee Street N, INVERCARGILL
Catherine Street, North INVERCARGILL

21 years
9 years

Residence of George Lindsay, Kelvin Street, INVERCARGILL

04/4944

Isabella Filippini, Mother

5 July 1904

Rev. George Lindsay

No	99
Date of Notice	5 July 1904
	Groom	Bride
Names of Parties	William Herrett	Mary Ann Kinnies Sims
BDM Match (98%)	William Herrett	Mary Ann Ninnies Sims
	💍 1904/4076
Condition	Bachelor	Spinster
Profession	Cabinetmaker	Domestic
Age	21	18
Dwelling Place	Dee Street N, INVERCARGILL	Catherine Street, North INVERCARGILL
Length of Residence	21 years	9 years
Marriage Place	Residence of George Lindsay, Kelvin Street, INVERCARGILL
Folio	04/4944
Consent	Isabella Filippini, Mother
Date of Certificate	5 July 1904
Officiating Minister	Rev. George Lindsay

100

11 July 1904

Charles Dixon Stewart
Joan Agnes Thompson

Charles Dixon Stewart
Joan Agnes Thompson
💍 1904/6866

Bachelor
Spinster

Warehouseman
Domestic

28
26

Dee Street, INVERCARGILL
Biggar Street, INVERCARGILL

3 days
26 years

Residence of Adam Dewar Thompson, Biggar Street, INVERCARGILL

04/4945

11 July 1904

Rev. Geo. Lindsay

No	100
Date of Notice	11 July 1904
	Groom	Bride
Names of Parties	Charles Dixon Stewart	Joan Agnes Thompson
	💍 1904/6866
Condition	Bachelor	Spinster
Profession	Warehouseman	Domestic
Age	28	26
Dwelling Place	Dee Street, INVERCARGILL	Biggar Street, INVERCARGILL
Length of Residence	3 days	26 years
Marriage Place	Residence of Adam Dewar Thompson, Biggar Street, INVERCARGILL
Folio	04/4945
Consent
Date of Certificate	11 July 1904
Officiating Minister	Rev. Geo. Lindsay

101

12 July 1904

Henry Abel Murch
Ellen Ethel Lydia Cottrell

Henry Abel Murch
Ellen Ethel Lydia Cottrell
💍 1904/4073

Bachelor
Spinster

Barber
Domestic

22
18

Grace Street, Appleby, INVERCARGILL
Appleby, INVERCARGILL

10 years
18 years

Residence of William Thomas Murch, Grace Street, Appleby, INVERCARGILL

04/4941

Thomas Murch, Father

12 July 1904

Rev. T. A. Ryburn

No	101
Date of Notice	12 July 1904
	Groom	Bride
Names of Parties	Henry Abel Murch	Ellen Ethel Lydia Cottrell
	💍 1904/4073
Condition	Bachelor	Spinster
Profession	Barber	Domestic
Age	22	18
Dwelling Place	Grace Street, Appleby, INVERCARGILL	Appleby, INVERCARGILL
Length of Residence	10 years	18 years
Marriage Place	Residence of William Thomas Murch, Grace Street, Appleby, INVERCARGILL
Folio	04/4941
Consent	Thomas Murch, Father
Date of Certificate	12 July 1904
Officiating Minister	Rev. T. A. Ryburn

102

13 July 1904

Robert Amess Lower
Maria Anthony Sheills

Robert Amers Power
Maria Anthony
💍 1904/4063

Bachelor
Spinster

Mechanic
Domestic

32
21

Tweed Street, INVERCARGILL
Tweed Street, INVERCARGILL

3 days
6 years

Rowan Catholic Church, Clyde Street, INVERCARGILL

04/4932

13 July 1904

Very Rev. W. Burke

No	102
Date of Notice	13 July 1904
	Groom	Bride
Names of Parties	Robert Amess Lower	Maria Anthony Sheills
BDM Match (75%)	Robert Amers Power	Maria Anthony
	💍 1904/4063
Condition	Bachelor	Spinster
Profession	Mechanic	Domestic
Age	32	21
Dwelling Place	Tweed Street, INVERCARGILL	Tweed Street, INVERCARGILL
Length of Residence	3 days	6 years
Marriage Place	Rowan Catholic Church, Clyde Street, INVERCARGILL
Folio	04/4932
Consent
Date of Certificate	13 July 1904
Officiating Minister	Very Rev. W. Burke

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 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).