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 139

District of Christchurch Quarter ending 31 December 1905 Registrar L. C. Alivard

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

795

14 December 1905

John Allen Mitchell
Ellen Elizabeth A'Court

John Allen Mitchell
Winifred Elizabeth Ellen A'Court
💍 1905/3865

Bachelor
Spinster

Compositor
Domestic

29
29

Christchurch
Christchurch

2 hours
4 days

Registrar's Office, Christchurch

05/6399

14 December 1905

See Registrar, Marriage

No	795
Date of Notice	14 December 1905
	Groom	Bride
Names of Parties	John Allen Mitchell	Ellen Elizabeth A'Court
BDM Match (80%)	John Allen Mitchell	Winifred Elizabeth Ellen A'Court
	💍 1905/3865
Condition	Bachelor	Spinster
Profession	Compositor	Domestic
Age	29	29
Dwelling Place	Christchurch	Christchurch
Length of Residence	2 hours	4 days
Marriage Place	Registrar's Office, Christchurch
Folio	05/6399
Consent
Date of Certificate	14 December 1905
Officiating Minister	See Registrar, Marriage

796

14 December 1905

William Henry Bayliss
Alice Harris

William Henry Barton
Eliza Harris
💍 1905/3963

Bachelor
Spinster

Storeman
Tailoress

36
33

Christchurch
50 Durham Street, Sydenham

3 years
33 years

House of Mrs. Harris, 50 Durham Street, Sydenham

05/6504

14 December 1905

Rev. C. Murray, Presbyterian

No	796
Date of Notice	14 December 1905
	Groom	Bride
Names of Parties	William Henry Bayliss	Alice Harris
BDM Match (76%)	William Henry Barton	Eliza Harris
	💍 1905/3963
Condition	Bachelor	Spinster
Profession	Storeman	Tailoress
Age	36	33
Dwelling Place	Christchurch	50 Durham Street, Sydenham
Length of Residence	3 years	33 years
Marriage Place	House of Mrs. Harris, 50 Durham Street, Sydenham
Folio	05/6504
Consent
Date of Certificate	14 December 1905
Officiating Minister	Rev. C. Murray, Presbyterian

797

14 December 1905

Charles Blyth
Agnes Howard Speight

Charles Blyth
Agnes Forward
💍 1905/191

Bachelor
Spinster

Lineman
Domestic

24
18

Christchurch
Christchurch

24 years
17 years

St. Michael's, Christchurch

05/6429

Catherine Speight, mother of bride

14 December 1905

Archdeacon Averill, Anglican

No	797
Date of Notice	14 December 1905
	Groom	Bride
Names of Parties	Charles Blyth	Agnes Howard Speight
BDM Match (75%)	Charles Blyth	Agnes Forward
	💍 1905/191
Condition	Bachelor	Spinster
Profession	Lineman	Domestic
Age	24	18
Dwelling Place	Christchurch	Christchurch
Length of Residence	24 years	17 years
Marriage Place	St. Michael's, Christchurch
Folio	05/6429
Consent	Catherine Speight, mother of bride
Date of Certificate	14 December 1905
Officiating Minister	Archdeacon Averill, Anglican

798

15 December 1905

Samuel Rack
Jessie Helen Charters

Samuel McRae
Jessie Helm Charters
💍 1905/3866

Bachelor
Spinster

Farmer
Domestic

45
34

Christchurch
Christchurch

3 days
3 days

Registrar's Office, Christchurch

05/6400

15 December 1905

See Registrar, Marriage

No	798
Date of Notice	15 December 1905
	Groom	Bride
Names of Parties	Samuel Rack	Jessie Helen Charters
BDM Match (79%)	Samuel McRae	Jessie Helm Charters
	💍 1905/3866
Condition	Bachelor	Spinster
Profession	Farmer	Domestic
Age	45	34
Dwelling Place	Christchurch	Christchurch
Length of Residence	3 days	3 days
Marriage Place	Registrar's Office, Christchurch
Folio	05/6400
Consent
Date of Certificate	15 December 1905
Officiating Minister	See Registrar, Marriage

799

15 December 1905

Stephen Clinch
Mary Ann June

Stephen Clinch
Mary Ann Eagle
💍 1905/3867

Widower
Widow

Carpenter
Housekeeper

75
47

Christchurch
Christchurch

3 days
3 days

Registrar's Office, Christchurch

05/6401

15 December 1905

See Registrar, Marriage

No	799
Date of Notice	15 December 1905
	Groom	Bride
Names of Parties	Stephen Clinch	Mary Ann June
BDM Match (86%)	Stephen Clinch	Mary Ann Eagle
	💍 1905/3867
Condition	Widower	Widow
Profession	Carpenter	Housekeeper
Age	75	47
Dwelling Place	Christchurch	Christchurch
Length of Residence	3 days	3 days
Marriage Place	Registrar's Office, Christchurch
Folio	05/6401
Consent
Date of Certificate	15 December 1905
Officiating Minister	See Registrar, Marriage

800

15 December 1905

Archibald Harvey
Casey Hampton Speight

Archibald Harvey
Essey Hampton
💍 1906/2523

Bachelor
Spinster

Farmer
Domestic

35
27

Rolleston
Weedons

35 years
2 years

Methodist Church, Weedons

06/1141

15 December 1905

Rev. C. Abernethy, Methodist

No	800
Date of Notice	15 December 1905
	Groom	Bride
Names of Parties	Archibald Harvey	Casey Hampton Speight
BDM Match (76%)	Archibald Harvey	Essey Hampton
	💍 1906/2523
Condition	Bachelor	Spinster
Profession	Farmer	Domestic
Age	35	27
Dwelling Place	Rolleston	Weedons
Length of Residence	35 years	2 years
Marriage Place	Methodist Church, Weedons
Folio	06/1141
Consent
Date of Certificate	15 December 1905
Officiating Minister	Rev. C. Abernethy, Methodist

801

15 December 1905

Alfred Walshaw
Jessie Duggan

Alfred Walshaw
Jessie Duggan
💍 1905/3995

Bachelor
Spinster

Draper
Domestic

28
27

Christchurch
231 Cashel Street, Christchurch

28 years
27 years

House of Mrs. Dalgarn, 231 Cashel Street, Christchurch

05/6562

15 December 1905

Rev. J. Saunderson, Congregationalist

No	801
Date of Notice	15 December 1905
	Groom	Bride
Names of Parties	Alfred Walshaw	Jessie Duggan
	💍 1905/3995
Condition	Bachelor	Spinster
Profession	Draper	Domestic
Age	28	27
Dwelling Place	Christchurch	231 Cashel Street, Christchurch
Length of Residence	28 years	27 years
Marriage Place	House of Mrs. Dalgarn, 231 Cashel Street, Christchurch
Folio	05/6562
Consent
Date of Certificate	15 December 1905
Officiating Minister	Rev. J. Saunderson, Congregationalist

802

15 December 1905

Frank Taylor Sandford
Hilda Mary Spinks

Frank Taylor Sandford
Hilda May Meadows
💍 1905/3972

Bachelor
Spinster

Clerk
Dressmaker

27
27

Christchurch
Christchurch

4 years
27 years

Methodist Church, Dalgarn Street, Christchurch

05/6538

15 December 1905

Rev. H. R. Swarbrick, Methodist

No	802
Date of Notice	15 December 1905
	Groom	Bride
Names of Parties	Frank Taylor Sandford	Hilda Mary Spinks
BDM Match (79%)	Frank Taylor Sandford	Hilda May Meadows
	💍 1905/3972
Condition	Bachelor	Spinster
Profession	Clerk	Dressmaker
Age	27	27
Dwelling Place	Christchurch	Christchurch
Length of Residence	4 years	27 years
Marriage Place	Methodist Church, Dalgarn Street, Christchurch
Folio	05/6538
Consent
Date of Certificate	15 December 1905
Officiating Minister	Rev. H. R. Swarbrick, Methodist

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).