Intentions to Marry, 1905 Auckland, Taranaki, Hawke's Bay

Reference: Registrar-General of Births, Deaths and Marriages, Notices of intention to marry, Series 8937, R2840427, Archives New Zealand Te Rua Mahara o te Kāwanatanga, Wellington

1905 is bound in three volumes - Auckland, Taranaki, Hawke's Bay (1905a), Wellington, Marlborough, Nelson, Westland (1905b), and Canterbury, Otago, Chatham Islands (1905c).

Page 094

District of Napier Quarter ending 30 September 1905 Registrar George Thomas Cross

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 September 1905

Alfred Edward Harris
Eliza Alice Gertrude Presling

Alfred Edward Francis
Eliza Alice Gertrude Presting
💍 1905/1836

Bachelor
Spinster

Cellar man
General Servant

27
19

Taradale
Napier

9 months
19 years

Wesleyan Church, Napier

05/4022

George William Presling, father

4 September 1905

Rev. C. E. Beecroft

No	75
Date of Notice	4 September 1905
	Groom	Bride
Names of Parties	Alfred Edward Harris	Eliza Alice Gertrude Presling
BDM Match (89%)	Alfred Edward Francis	Eliza Alice Gertrude Presting
	💍 1905/1836
Condition	Bachelor	Spinster
Profession	Cellar man	General Servant
Age	27	19
Dwelling Place	Taradale	Napier
Length of Residence	9 months	19 years
Marriage Place	Wesleyan Church, Napier
Folio	05/4022
Consent	George William Presling, father
Date of Certificate	4 September 1905
Officiating Minister	Rev. C. E. Beecroft

5 September 1905

Frederick George Brown
Georgina Mabel Hall

Frederick George Brown
Georgina Mabel Hall
💍 1905/1738

Bachelor
Spinster

Engine driver
General Servant

26
21

Napier
Napier

4 years
4 years

Office of Registrar of Marriages, Napier

05/4010

5 September 1905

Registrar of Marriages

No	76
Date of Notice	5 September 1905
	Groom	Bride
Names of Parties	Frederick George Brown	Georgina Mabel Hall
	💍 1905/1738
Condition	Bachelor	Spinster
Profession	Engine driver	General Servant
Age	26	21
Dwelling Place	Napier	Napier
Length of Residence	4 years	4 years
Marriage Place	Office of Registrar of Marriages, Napier
Folio	05/4010
Consent
Date of Certificate	5 September 1905
Officiating Minister	Registrar of Marriages

6 September 1905

Arthur John Sandy Thayer
Lilla Eliza Wallace

Arthur John Sandy Thayer
Lillia Eliza Wallace
💍 1905/7225

Bachelor
Spinster

Baker
General Servant

26
23

Napier
Taradale

26 years
8 years

All Saints Church

05/4452

6 September 1905

Rev. A. P. Clarke

No	77
Date of Notice	6 September 1905
	Groom	Bride
Names of Parties	Arthur John Sandy Thayer	Lilla Eliza Wallace
BDM Match (98%)	Arthur John Sandy Thayer	Lillia Eliza Wallace
	💍 1905/7225
Condition	Bachelor	Spinster
Profession	Baker	General Servant
Age	26	23
Dwelling Place	Napier	Taradale
Length of Residence	26 years	8 years
Marriage Place	All Saints Church
Folio	05/4452
Consent
Date of Certificate	6 September 1905
Officiating Minister	Rev. A. P. Clarke

8 September 1905

Herbert Croucher
Elizabeth Goodall

Herbert Crouden
Elizabeth Goodall
💍 1905/1848

Bachelor
Spinster

Labourer
Domestic duties

30
21

Napier
Napier

8 years
21 years

Office of Registrar of Marriages, Napier

05/4028

8 September 1905

Rev. C. L. Luke

No	78
Date of Notice	8 September 1905
	Groom	Bride
Names of Parties	Herbert Croucher	Elizabeth Goodall
BDM Match (91%)	Herbert Crouden	Elizabeth Goodall
	💍 1905/1848
Condition	Bachelor	Spinster
Profession	Labourer	Domestic duties
Age	30	21
Dwelling Place	Napier	Napier
Length of Residence	8 years	21 years
Marriage Place	Office of Registrar of Marriages, Napier
Folio	05/4028
Consent
Date of Certificate	8 September 1905
Officiating Minister	Rev. C. L. Luke

9 September 1905

James Robert Thompson
Susan Selina Beachen

James Robert Thompson
Susan Selina Beachen
💍 1905/1739

Bachelor
Spinster

Shepherd
Domestic duties

27
27

Napier
Napier

3 days
3 days

Office of Registrar of Marriages, Napier

05/4011

9 September 1905

Registrar of Marriages

No	79
Date of Notice	9 September 1905
	Groom	Bride
Names of Parties	James Robert Thompson	Susan Selina Beachen
	💍 1905/1739
Condition	Bachelor	Spinster
Profession	Shepherd	Domestic duties
Age	27	27
Dwelling Place	Napier	Napier
Length of Residence	3 days	3 days
Marriage Place	Office of Registrar of Marriages, Napier
Folio	05/4011
Consent
Date of Certificate	9 September 1905
Officiating Minister	Registrar of Marriages

19 September 1905

Frederick Coker
Mary Agnes Jeffares

Frederick Coker
Mary Agnes Jeffares
💍 1905/1741

Bachelor
Spinster

Steward S.S. Tangaroa
Domestic duties

23
22

Napier
Greenmeadows

23 years
22 years

Office of Registrar of Marriages, Napier

05/4013

19 September 1905

Registrar of Marriages

No	80
Date of Notice	19 September 1905
	Groom	Bride
Names of Parties	Frederick Coker	Mary Agnes Jeffares
	💍 1905/1741
Condition	Bachelor	Spinster
Profession	Steward S.S. Tangaroa	Domestic duties
Age	23	22
Dwelling Place	Napier	Greenmeadows
Length of Residence	23 years	22 years
Marriage Place	Office of Registrar of Marriages, Napier
Folio	05/4013
Consent
Date of Certificate	19 September 1905
Officiating Minister	Registrar of Marriages

22 September 1905

Simon Scullion
Gwenddolen Jones

Simon Scullion
Gwenddolen Jones
💍 1905/1742

Bachelor
Spinster

Labourer
Domestic Servant

25
20

Meanee
Napier

25 years
12 years

Office of Registrar of Marriages, Napier

05/4014

Henry Parry Jones, father

22 September 1905

Registrar of Marriages

No	81
Date of Notice	22 September 1905
	Groom	Bride
Names of Parties	Simon Scullion	Gwenddolen Jones
	💍 1905/1742
Condition	Bachelor	Spinster
Profession	Labourer	Domestic Servant
Age	25	20
Dwelling Place	Meanee	Napier
Length of Residence	25 years	12 years
Marriage Place	Office of Registrar of Marriages, Napier
Folio	05/4014
Consent	Henry Parry Jones, father
Date of Certificate	22 September 1905
Officiating Minister	Registrar of Marriages

23 September 1905

Alfred Henry Nelson
Esther Maxwell

Alfred Henry Nelson
Esther Maxwell
💍 1905/1849

Bachelor
Spinster

Labourer
Domestic Servant

25
25

Napier
Napier

25 years
4 months

Baptist Church, Napier

05/4029

23 September 1905

Rev. C. Dallaston

No	82
Date of Notice	23 September 1905
	Groom	Bride
Names of Parties	Alfred Henry Nelson	Esther Maxwell
	💍 1905/1849
Condition	Bachelor	Spinster
Profession	Labourer	Domestic Servant
Age	25	25
Dwelling Place	Napier	Napier
Length of Residence	25 years	4 months
Marriage Place	Baptist Church, Napier
Folio	05/4029
Consent
Date of Certificate	23 September 1905
Officiating Minister	Rev. C. Dallaston

25 September 1905

Henry Frederick James Moss
Rachel Briley Ogden

Henry Frederick James Moss
Rachel Briley Ogden
💍 1905/1740

Bachelor
Spinster

Ploughman
General Servant

28
24

West Clive
Napier

28 years
24 years

Office of Registrar of Marriages, Napier

05/4012

25 September 1905

Registrar of Marriages

No	83
Date of Notice	25 September 1905
	Groom	Bride
Names of Parties	Henry Frederick James Moss	Rachel Briley Ogden
	💍 1905/1740
Condition	Bachelor	Spinster
Profession	Ploughman	General Servant
Age	28	24
Dwelling Place	West Clive	Napier
Length of Residence	28 years	24 years
Marriage Place	Office of Registrar of Marriages, Napier
Folio	05/4012
Consent
Date of Certificate	25 September 1905
Officiating Minister	Registrar of Marriages

28 September 1905

Thomas Philip Vantier
Florence Russell

Thomas Philip Vautier
Florence Russell
💍 1905/3831

Bachelor
Spinster

Accountant
Domestic duties

39
26

Napier
Napier

39 years
24 years

St. John's Cathedral, Napier

05/6342

28 September 1905

Rev. C. L. Luke

No	84
Date of Notice	28 September 1905
	Groom	Bride
Names of Parties	Thomas Philip Vantier	Florence Russell
BDM Match (98%)	Thomas Philip Vautier	Florence Russell
	💍 1905/3831
Condition	Bachelor	Spinster
Profession	Accountant	Domestic duties
Age	39	26
Dwelling Place	Napier	Napier
Length of Residence	39 years	24 years
Marriage Place	St. John's Cathedral, Napier
Folio	05/6342
Consent
Date of Certificate	28 September 1905
Officiating Minister	Rev. C. L. Luke

29 September 1905

William Peter Mitchell
May Paulsen

William Peter Mitchell
May Paulsen
💍 1905/3214

Bachelor
Spinster

Accountant
Domestic duties

24
19

Napier
Napier

3 years
19 years

St. Augustine's Church, Napier

05/5713

Annie Christine Elizabeth Paulsen, mother

29 September 1905

Rev. C. L. Luke

No	85
Date of Notice	29 September 1905
	Groom	Bride
Names of Parties	William Peter Mitchell	May Paulsen
	💍 1905/3214
Condition	Bachelor	Spinster
Profession	Accountant	Domestic duties
Age	24	19
Dwelling Place	Napier	Napier
Length of Residence	3 years	19 years
Marriage Place	St. Augustine's Church, Napier
Folio	05/5713
Consent	Annie Christine Elizabeth Paulsen, mother
Date of Certificate	29 September 1905
Officiating Minister	Rev. C. L. Luke

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).