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 542

District of Gabriels Quarter ending 31 December 1905 Registrar Alexander Miller Eyes

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

157

2 October 1905

William Hayes Gare
Hester Ann Frances Rainham

William Hayes Gare
Hester Ann Frances Rainham
💍 1905/4338

Bachelor
Spinster

Miner

26 years
24 years

Haipori
Haipori

23 years
1 year

House of Mr John Gare, Haipori

05/6930

2 October 1905

Rev. R. Scott Allan (Presbyterian)

No	157
Date of Notice	2 October 1905
	Groom	Bride
Names of Parties	William Hayes Gare	Hester Ann Frances Rainham
	💍 1905/4338
Condition	Bachelor	Spinster
Profession	Miner
Age	26 years	24 years
Dwelling Place	Haipori	Haipori
Length of Residence	23 years	1 year
Marriage Place	House of Mr John Gare, Haipori
Folio	05/6930
Consent
Date of Certificate	2 October 1905
Officiating Minister	Rev. R. Scott Allan (Presbyterian)

158

23 October 1905

Thomas Wells
Margaret Ann Guthrie

Thomas Wells
Margaret Ann Guthrie
💍 1905/4335

Bachelor
Spinster

Baker

28 years
27 years

Tuapeka West
Tuapeka West

7 days
2 months

House of Mr Sam Young, Tuapeka West

05/6927

23 October 1905

Rev. Jno. Chisholm (Presbyterian)

No	158
Date of Notice	23 October 1905
	Groom	Bride
Names of Parties	Thomas Wells	Margaret Ann Guthrie
	💍 1905/4335
Condition	Bachelor	Spinster
Profession	Baker
Age	28 years	27 years
Dwelling Place	Tuapeka West	Tuapeka West
Length of Residence	7 days	2 months
Marriage Place	House of Mr Sam Young, Tuapeka West
Folio	05/6927
Consent
Date of Certificate	23 October 1905
Officiating Minister	Rev. Jno. Chisholm (Presbyterian)

159

11 November 1905

George Linklater
Isabella Margaret Cartwright

George Linklater
Isabella Margaret Cartwright
💍 1905/4339

Bachelor
Spinster

Dredgeowner
Housemaid

36 years
23 years

Haipori
Haipori

9 years
23 years

The Public Hall, Haipori

05/6931

11 November 1905

Rev. R. Scott Allan (Presbyterian)

No	159
Date of Notice	11 November 1905
	Groom	Bride
Names of Parties	George Linklater	Isabella Margaret Cartwright
	💍 1905/4339
Condition	Bachelor	Spinster
Profession	Dredgeowner	Housemaid
Age	36 years	23 years
Dwelling Place	Haipori	Haipori
Length of Residence	9 years	23 years
Marriage Place	The Public Hall, Haipori
Folio	05/6931
Consent
Date of Certificate	11 November 1905
Officiating Minister	Rev. R. Scott Allan (Presbyterian)

160

15 November 1905

Edward Charles Strong
Matilda Anderson Seque

Edward Charles Mong
Matilda Anderson Seque
💍 1905/4337

Bachelor
Spinster

Laborer

26 years
24 years

Tuapeka Flat
Tuapeka Flat

26 years
24 years

Office of Registrar of Marriages, Lawrence

05/6929

15 November 1905

A. M. Eyes (Registrar of Marriages)

No	160
Date of Notice	15 November 1905
	Groom	Bride
Names of Parties	Edward Charles Strong	Matilda Anderson Seque
BDM Match (93%)	Edward Charles Mong	Matilda Anderson Seque
	💍 1905/4337
Condition	Bachelor	Spinster
Profession	Laborer
Age	26 years	24 years
Dwelling Place	Tuapeka Flat	Tuapeka Flat
Length of Residence	26 years	24 years
Marriage Place	Office of Registrar of Marriages, Lawrence
Folio	05/6929
Consent
Date of Certificate	15 November 1905
Officiating Minister	A. M. Eyes (Registrar of Marriages)

161

22 December 1905

Finlay Munro Jnr.
Catherine Sutherland Hendry

Finlay Munro Jr
Catherine Sutherland Hendry
💍 1906/2774

Bachelor
Spinster

Farmer

34 years
31 years

Tuapeka Flat
Lawrence

34 years
1 month

House of Mr George Hendry, Harrington St., Lawrence

06/1357

22 December 1905

Rev. R. Scott Allan (Presbyterian)

No	161
Date of Notice	22 December 1905
	Groom	Bride
Names of Parties	Finlay Munro Jnr.	Catherine Sutherland Hendry
BDM Match (94%)	Finlay Munro Jr	Catherine Sutherland Hendry
	💍 1906/2774
Condition	Bachelor	Spinster
Profession	Farmer
Age	34 years	31 years
Dwelling Place	Tuapeka Flat	Lawrence
Length of Residence	34 years	1 month
Marriage Place	House of Mr George Hendry, Harrington St., Lawrence
Folio	06/1357
Consent
Date of Certificate	22 December 1905
Officiating Minister	Rev. R. Scott Allan (Presbyterian)

162

26 December 1905

Andrew Wilson Webster
Mary Moore Christie

Andrew Wilson Webster
Mary Moore Christie
💍 1905/4340

Bachelor
Spinster

Bootmaker

36 years
30 years

Blue Spur
Blue Spur

3 days
3 days

The Presbyterian Church, Blue Spur

05/6932

26 December 1905

Rev. R. Scott Allan (Presbyterian)

No	162
Date of Notice	26 December 1905
	Groom	Bride
Names of Parties	Andrew Wilson Webster	Mary Moore Christie
	💍 1905/4340
Condition	Bachelor	Spinster
Profession	Bootmaker
Age	36 years	30 years
Dwelling Place	Blue Spur	Blue Spur
Length of Residence	3 days	3 days
Marriage Place	The Presbyterian Church, Blue Spur
Folio	05/6932
Consent
Date of Certificate	26 December 1905
Officiating Minister	Rev. R. Scott Allan (Presbyterian)

163

28 December 1905

Walter McKinley
Elizabeth Jane Taylor

Walter McKinlay
Elizabeth Jane Taylor
💍 1905/4548

Widower
Spinster

Bootmaker
Saleswoman

38 years
28 years

Tuapeka West
Tuapeka West

3 days
6 weeks

House of Mr Jno. Mackay, Tuapeka West

05/7093

28 December 1905

Rev. Jno. McCaw (Presbyterian)

No	163
Date of Notice	28 December 1905
	Groom	Bride
Names of Parties	Walter McKinley	Elizabeth Jane Taylor
BDM Match (97%)	Walter McKinlay	Elizabeth Jane Taylor
	💍 1905/4548
Condition	Widower	Spinster
Profession	Bootmaker	Saleswoman
Age	38 years	28 years
Dwelling Place	Tuapeka West	Tuapeka West
Length of Residence	3 days	6 weeks
Marriage Place	House of Mr Jno. Mackay, Tuapeka West
Folio	05/7093
Consent
Date of Certificate	28 December 1905
Officiating Minister	Rev. Jno. McCaw (Presbyterian)

164

28 December 1905

John Glennon
Catherine Esther Smith

John Glennon
Catherine Esther Smith
💍 1905/4336

Bachelor
Spinster

Iron moulder
Housemaid

35 years
30 years

Lawrence
Tuapeka Flat

4 days
7 days

Roman Catholic Church, Lawrence

05/6928

28 December 1905

Rev. P. O'Leary (Roman Catholic)

No	164
Date of Notice	28 December 1905
	Groom	Bride
Names of Parties	John Glennon	Catherine Esther Smith
	💍 1905/4336
Condition	Bachelor	Spinster
Profession	Iron moulder	Housemaid
Age	35 years	30 years
Dwelling Place	Lawrence	Tuapeka Flat
Length of Residence	4 days	7 days
Marriage Place	Roman Catholic Church, Lawrence
Folio	05/6928
Consent
Date of Certificate	28 December 1905
Officiating Minister	Rev. P. O'Leary (Roman Catholic)

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).