Intentions to Marry, 1905 Canterbury, Otago, Chatham Islands

Reference: Registrar-General of Births, Deaths and Marriages, Notices of intention to marry, Series 8937, R2840429, 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 CHRISTCHURCH Quarter ending 30 September 1905 Registrar Lyonel Charles Williams

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

457

19 July 1905

William George Belton
Annie Adelaide Davis

William George Belton
Annie Adelaide Davis
💍 1905/3999

Bachelor
Spinster

Farmer
Florist

23
22

Christchurch
Christchurch

3 days
22 Years

Baptist Church Oxford Terrace Ch Ch

05/6566

19 July 1905

Rev. R. S. Gray Baptist

No	457
Date of Notice	19 July 1905
	Groom	Bride
Names of Parties	William George Belton	Annie Adelaide Davis
	💍 1905/3999
Condition	Bachelor	Spinster
Profession	Farmer	Florist
Age	23	22
Dwelling Place	Christchurch	Christchurch
Length of Residence	3 days	22 Years
Marriage Place	Baptist Church Oxford Terrace Ch Ch
Folio	05/6566
Consent
Date of Certificate	19 July 1905
Officiating Minister	Rev. R. S. Gray Baptist

458

19 July 1905

Cyril Kendrick Whale
Rose Annie Edmunds

Cyril Kendrick Whale
Rose Annie Edmonds
💍 1905/2251

Bachelor
Spinster

Watchmaker

24
23

Ch Ch
Ch Ch

24 Years
23 Years

Res of Mr J. Edmunds Gloucester St Ch Ch

05/4732

19 July 1905

Rev J. Orchard Methodist

No	458
Date of Notice	19 July 1905
	Groom	Bride
Names of Parties	Cyril Kendrick Whale	Rose Annie Edmunds
BDM Match (97%)	Cyril Kendrick Whale	Rose Annie Edmonds
	💍 1905/2251
Condition	Bachelor	Spinster
Profession	Watchmaker
Age	24	23
Dwelling Place	Ch Ch	Ch Ch
Length of Residence	24 Years	23 Years
Marriage Place	Res of Mr J. Edmunds Gloucester St Ch Ch
Folio	05/4732
Consent
Date of Certificate	19 July 1905
Officiating Minister	Rev J. Orchard Methodist

459

19 July 1905

Frederick Barnabas Aldous
Margaret Alice Ingram

Frederick Barnabas Aldous
Margaret Alice Ingham
💍 1905/2343

Bachelor
Spinster

Confectioner
Machinist

21
18

Ch Ch
Ch Ch

17 Years
18 Years

St Peters Woolston

05/4694

John Ingram Father

19 July 1905

Rev. T. H. O'Donald Presbyterian

No	459
Date of Notice	19 July 1905
	Groom	Bride
Names of Parties	Frederick Barnabas Aldous	Margaret Alice Ingram
BDM Match (98%)	Frederick Barnabas Aldous	Margaret Alice Ingham
	💍 1905/2343
Condition	Bachelor	Spinster
Profession	Confectioner	Machinist
Age	21	18
Dwelling Place	Ch Ch	Ch Ch
Length of Residence	17 Years	18 Years
Marriage Place	St Peters Woolston
Folio	05/4694
Consent	John Ingram Father
Date of Certificate	19 July 1905
Officiating Minister	Rev. T. H. O'Donald Presbyterian

460

19 July 1905

Selby Colling Prideaux Scaife
Ellen Martha Englefield

Walter William Prideaux Scarff
Ellen Martha Englefield
💍 1905/2351

Bachelor
Spinster

Carter
Tailoress

25
25

Ch Ch
Ch Ch

4 Years
9 Years

St Lukes Ch Ch

05/4682

19 July 1905

Rev C. W. Sedgwick Anglican

No	460
Date of Notice	19 July 1905
	Groom	Bride
Names of Parties	Selby Colling Prideaux Scaife	Ellen Martha Englefield
BDM Match (82%)	Walter William Prideaux Scarff	Ellen Martha Englefield
	💍 1905/2351
Condition	Bachelor	Spinster
Profession	Carter	Tailoress
Age	25	25
Dwelling Place	Ch Ch	Ch Ch
Length of Residence	4 Years	9 Years
Marriage Place	St Lukes Ch Ch
Folio	05/4682
Consent
Date of Certificate	19 July 1905
Officiating Minister	Rev C. W. Sedgwick Anglican

461

20 July 1905

William Newell
Eliza Lewis Richards

William Newell
Eliza Lewis Richards
💍 1905/4000

Bachelor
Spinster

Carter
Tailoress

30
26

Ch Ch
Ch Ch

6 months
26 Years

Baptist Church Oxford Terrace Ch Ch

05/6567

20 July 1905

Rev. R. S. Gray Baptist

No	461
Date of Notice	20 July 1905
	Groom	Bride
Names of Parties	William Newell	Eliza Lewis Richards
	💍 1905/4000
Condition	Bachelor	Spinster
Profession	Carter	Tailoress
Age	30	26
Dwelling Place	Ch Ch	Ch Ch
Length of Residence	6 months	26 Years
Marriage Place	Baptist Church Oxford Terrace Ch Ch
Folio	05/6567
Consent
Date of Certificate	20 July 1905
Officiating Minister	Rev. R. S. Gray Baptist

462

20 July 1905

Francis John Scott Cavehill
Grace Anderson

William John Simons
Grace Anderson
💍 1905/3210

Bachelor
Spinster

Engineer
Typist

22
23

Papanui
Christchurch

5 Years
23 Years

St Andrews Church Ch Ch

05/5750

20 July 1905

Rev J. Mackenzie Presbyterian

No	462
Date of Notice	20 July 1905
	Groom	Bride
Names of Parties	Francis John Scott Cavehill	Grace Anderson
BDM Match (63%)	William John Simons	Grace Anderson
	💍 1905/3210
Condition	Bachelor	Spinster
Profession	Engineer	Typist
Age	22	23
Dwelling Place	Papanui	Christchurch
Length of Residence	5 Years	23 Years
Marriage Place	St Andrews Church Ch Ch
Folio	05/5750
Consent
Date of Certificate	20 July 1905
Officiating Minister	Rev J. Mackenzie Presbyterian

463

20 July 1905

Willie Henry Albrecht
Emma Kate Harrison

Walter Henry Albrecht
Emma Kate Harrison
💍 1905/2453

Bachelor
Spinster

Tinsmith

27
24

Ch Ch
Ch Ch

7 Years
24 Years

Res of Mr Harrison 132 Barbadoes St Ch Ch

05/4729

20 July 1905

Rev. W. Ready Methodist

No	463
Date of Notice	20 July 1905
	Groom	Bride
Names of Parties	Willie Henry Albrecht	Emma Kate Harrison
BDM Match (91%)	Walter Henry Albrecht	Emma Kate Harrison
	💍 1905/2453
Condition	Bachelor	Spinster
Profession	Tinsmith
Age	27	24
Dwelling Place	Ch Ch	Ch Ch
Length of Residence	7 Years	24 Years
Marriage Place	Res of Mr Harrison 132 Barbadoes St Ch Ch
Folio	05/4729
Consent
Date of Certificate	20 July 1905
Officiating Minister	Rev. W. Ready Methodist

464

21 July 1905

Sydney Francis Moore
Elizabeth Hulmes McCook

Sydney Francis Poore
Elizabeth Gilmour McCool
💍 1905/2711

Bachelor
Spinster

Clicker
Tailoress

29
30

Ch Ch
Ch Ch

29 Years
25 Years

St Andrews Manse Ch Ch

05/5751

21 July 1905

Rev J. Mackenzie Presbyterian

No	464
Date of Notice	21 July 1905
	Groom	Bride
Names of Parties	Sydney Francis Moore	Elizabeth Hulmes McCook
BDM Match (85%)	Sydney Francis Poore	Elizabeth Gilmour McCool
	💍 1905/2711
Condition	Bachelor	Spinster
Profession	Clicker	Tailoress
Age	29	30
Dwelling Place	Ch Ch	Ch Ch
Length of Residence	29 Years	25 Years
Marriage Place	St Andrews Manse Ch Ch
Folio	05/5751
Consent
Date of Certificate	21 July 1905
Officiating Minister	Rev J. Mackenzie Presbyterian

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).