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 120

District of Christchurch Quarter ending 31 December 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

643

12 October 1905

Arthur Thomas Joseph Frost Breach
Bertha Helen Davis

Arthur Edward Joseph Frost
Edith Helen Davis
💍 1905/203

Bachelor
Spinster

Draper
Saleswoman

25
26

Christchurch
Christchurch

26 years
26 years

St. Michael's

05/6417

12 October 1905

Rev. T. Archdall, Anglican

No	643
Date of Notice	12 October 1905
	Groom	Bride
Names of Parties	Arthur Thomas Joseph Frost Breach	Bertha Helen Davis
BDM Match (69%)	Arthur Edward Joseph Frost	Edith Helen Davis
	💍 1905/203
Condition	Bachelor	Spinster
Profession	Draper	Saleswoman
Age	25	26
Dwelling Place	Christchurch	Christchurch
Length of Residence	26 years	26 years
Marriage Place	St. Michael's
Folio	05/6417
Consent
Date of Certificate	12 October 1905
Officiating Minister	Rev. T. Archdall, Anglican

644

12 October 1905

Francis Charles John Fantham
Adella Harrison

Francis Charles John Fantham
Edith Harrison
💍 1905/3998

Bachelor
Spinster

Customs Officer

27
23

Christchurch
Hillmorton

24 years
23 years

St. Paul's, Harrison Street

05/6565

12 October 1905

Rev. J. Chaston, Baptist

No	644
Date of Notice	12 October 1905
	Groom	Bride
Names of Parties	Francis Charles John Fantham	Adella Harrison
BDM Match (83%)	Francis Charles John Fantham	Edith Harrison
	💍 1905/3998
Condition	Bachelor	Spinster
Profession	Customs Officer
Age	27	23
Dwelling Place	Christchurch	Hillmorton
Length of Residence	24 years	23 years
Marriage Place	St. Paul's, Harrison Street
Folio	05/6565
Consent
Date of Certificate	12 October 1905
Officiating Minister	Rev. J. Chaston, Baptist

645

12 October 1905

John Murphy
Jane Davison

John Murphy
Jane Davison
💍 1905/3948

Bachelor
Spinster

Postman
Machinist

26
20

Christchurch
Christchurch

26 years
20 years

Catholic Cathedral

05/6572

12 October 1905

Rev. J. O'Connell, Roman Catholic

No	645
Date of Notice	12 October 1905
	Groom	Bride
Names of Parties	John Murphy	Jane Davison
	💍 1905/3948
Condition	Bachelor	Spinster
Profession	Postman	Machinist
Age	26	20
Dwelling Place	Christchurch	Christchurch
Length of Residence	26 years	20 years
Marriage Place	Catholic Cathedral
Folio	05/6572
Consent
Date of Certificate	12 October 1905
Officiating Minister	Rev. J. O'Connell, Roman Catholic

646

13 October 1905

Frank Percy Cannon Huscomb
Gertrude Griffiths

Frank Percisy Carwin Harcomb
Gertrude Griffiths
💍 1905/3911

Bachelor
Spinster

Fruiterer
Mantle Maker

30
24

Christchurch
Christchurch

15 years
24 years

St. Saviour's, Sydenham

05/6447

13 October 1905

Rev. G. Scott, Anglican

No	646
Date of Notice	13 October 1905
	Groom	Bride
Names of Parties	Frank Percy Cannon Huscomb	Gertrude Griffiths
BDM Match (88%)	Frank Percisy Carwin Harcomb	Gertrude Griffiths
	💍 1905/3911
Condition	Bachelor	Spinster
Profession	Fruiterer	Mantle Maker
Age	30	24
Dwelling Place	Christchurch	Christchurch
Length of Residence	15 years	24 years
Marriage Place	St. Saviour's, Sydenham
Folio	05/6447
Consent
Date of Certificate	13 October 1905
Officiating Minister	Rev. G. Scott, Anglican

647

16 October 1905

Isaac Henry Pentecost
Rose Cecilia Pearson

Isaac Henry Pentecost
Rose Cecilia Pearson
💍 1905/3960

Bachelor
Spinster

Carpenter
Dressmaker

26
23

Woolston
Linwood

1 month
2 months

Wesleyan Church, East Belt, Christchurch

05/6523

16 October 1905

Rev. W. Ready, Methodist

No	647
Date of Notice	16 October 1905
	Groom	Bride
Names of Parties	Isaac Henry Pentecost	Rose Cecilia Pearson
	💍 1905/3960
Condition	Bachelor	Spinster
Profession	Carpenter	Dressmaker
Age	26	23
Dwelling Place	Woolston	Linwood
Length of Residence	1 month	2 months
Marriage Place	Wesleyan Church, East Belt, Christchurch
Folio	05/6523
Consent
Date of Certificate	16 October 1905
Officiating Minister	Rev. W. Ready, Methodist

648

16 October 1905

Robert Ashworth
Edith Meddings

Robert Ashworth
Edith Meddings
💍 1905/3896

Bachelor
Spinster

Dentist

28
25

Christchurch
Christchurch

8 years
25 years

St. Luke's

05/6456

16 October 1905

Rev. G. W. Heaslop, Anglican

No	648
Date of Notice	16 October 1905
	Groom	Bride
Names of Parties	Robert Ashworth	Edith Meddings
BDM Match (97%)	Robert Ashworth	Edith Meddings
	💍 1905/3896
Condition	Bachelor	Spinster
Profession	Dentist
Age	28	25
Dwelling Place	Christchurch	Christchurch
Length of Residence	8 years	25 years
Marriage Place	St. Luke's
Folio	05/6456
Consent
Date of Certificate	16 October 1905
Officiating Minister	Rev. G. W. Heaslop, Anglican

649

16 October 1905

Joseph Henry Bennett
Margaret Emma Bennett

Joseph Henry Cox
Margaret Gennett
💍 1905/3976

Bachelor
Spinster

Builder

33
26

Christchurch
Christchurch

28 years
26 years

St. John's, Latimer Square

05/6542

16 October 1905

Rev. J. Richards, Methodist

No	649
Date of Notice	16 October 1905
	Groom	Bride
Names of Parties	Joseph Henry Bennett	Margaret Emma Bennett
BDM Match (68%)	Joseph Henry Cox	Margaret Gennett
	💍 1905/3976
Condition	Bachelor	Spinster
Profession	Builder
Age	33	26
Dwelling Place	Christchurch	Christchurch
Length of Residence	28 years	26 years
Marriage Place	St. John's, Latimer Square
Folio	05/6542
Consent
Date of Certificate	16 October 1905
Officiating Minister	Rev. J. Richards, Methodist

650

17 October 1905

Hubert Thorne Whittingham
Estelle Jennie Bushell

Hubert Thorne Whittingham
Edith Jennie Bushell
💍 1905/3902

Bachelor
Spinster

Accountant

39
24

Christchurch
Christchurch

10 years
15 years

St. John's

05/6461

17 October 1905

Rev. G. C. Hopkins, Anglican

No	650
Date of Notice	17 October 1905
	Groom	Bride
Names of Parties	Hubert Thorne Whittingham	Estelle Jennie Bushell
BDM Match (86%)	Hubert Thorne Whittingham	Edith Jennie Bushell
	💍 1905/3902
Condition	Bachelor	Spinster
Profession	Accountant
Age	39	24
Dwelling Place	Christchurch	Christchurch
Length of Residence	10 years	15 years
Marriage Place	St. John's
Folio	05/6461
Consent
Date of Certificate	17 October 1905
Officiating Minister	Rev. G. C. Hopkins, Anglican

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).