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 045

District of Christchurch Quarter ending 31 March 1905 Registrar L. C. 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

13 February 1905

Adam Hillar Backer
Ellen Taylor Smith

Adam Millar
Ellen Taylor
💍 1905/4996

Bachelor
Spinster

Groom

26
21

Christchurch
Christchurch

18 months
21 years

Registrar's Office, Christchurch

05/1018

13 February 1905

Registrar C. Williams

No	88
Date of Notice	13 February 1905
	Groom	Bride
Names of Parties	Adam Hillar Backer	Ellen Taylor Smith
BDM Match (61%)	Adam Millar	Ellen Taylor
	💍 1905/4996
Condition	Bachelor	Spinster
Profession	Groom
Age	26	21
Dwelling Place	Christchurch	Christchurch
Length of Residence	18 months	21 years
Marriage Place	Registrar's Office, Christchurch
Folio	05/1018
Consent
Date of Certificate	13 February 1905
Officiating Minister	Registrar C. Williams

14 February 1905

Charles Nelson Hodder Bailey
Charlotte Sarah Bailey

Charles Nelson Hodder
Charlotte Sarah Bailey
💍 1905/6121

Widower
Widow

Insurance Agent

34
39

Christchurch
Christchurch

2 years
9 months

Church of Good Shepherd, Phillipstown

05/1068

14 February 1905

Rev. E. Eusor, Anglican

No	89
Date of Notice	14 February 1905
	Groom	Bride
Names of Parties	Charles Nelson Hodder Bailey	Charlotte Sarah Bailey
BDM Match (88%)	Charles Nelson Hodder	Charlotte Sarah Bailey
	💍 1905/6121
Condition	Widower	Widow
Profession	Insurance Agent
Age	34	39
Dwelling Place	Christchurch	Christchurch
Length of Residence	2 years	9 months
Marriage Place	Church of Good Shepherd, Phillipstown
Folio	05/1068
Consent
Date of Certificate	14 February 1905
Officiating Minister	Rev. E. Eusor, Anglican

15 February 1905

Charles William Bods
Elira Ann French

Charles William Dodd
Eliza Ann French
💍 1905/4985

Bachelor
Spinster

Salesman
Machinist

25
19

Sydenham
Sydenham

1 year
19 years

Addington

05/1041

William Henry French, father

15 February 1905

Rev. C. J. Beau, Anglican

No	90
Date of Notice	15 February 1905
	Groom	Bride
Names of Parties	Charles William Bods	Elira Ann French
BDM Match (92%)	Charles William Dodd	Eliza Ann French
	💍 1905/4985
Condition	Bachelor	Spinster
Profession	Salesman	Machinist
Age	25	19
Dwelling Place	Sydenham	Sydenham
Length of Residence	1 year	19 years
Marriage Place	Addington
Folio	05/1041
Consent	William Henry French, father
Date of Certificate	15 February 1905
Officiating Minister	Rev. C. J. Beau, Anglican

15 February 1905

Mark Hargreave
Alice Ada Clarke

Mark Hargreave
Alice Jane Clarke
💍 1905/6133

Bachelor
Widow

Tailor

35
34

Christchurch
Christchurch

3 days
18 months

House of Mrs. Clarke, Bromley

05/1129

15 February 1905

Rev. T. R. Richard, Methodist

No	91
Date of Notice	15 February 1905
	Groom	Bride
Names of Parties	Mark Hargreave	Alice Ada Clarke
BDM Match (88%)	Mark Hargreave	Alice Jane Clarke
	💍 1905/6133
Condition	Bachelor	Widow
Profession	Tailor
Age	35	34
Dwelling Place	Christchurch	Christchurch
Length of Residence	3 days	18 months
Marriage Place	House of Mrs. Clarke, Bromley
Folio	05/1129
Consent
Date of Certificate	15 February 1905
Officiating Minister	Rev. T. R. Richard, Methodist

15 February 1905

Henry James Abbott
Mary O'Connell

Henry Abbott
Mary Elizabeth O'Connell
💍 1905/6148

Bachelor
Spinster

Farmer

36
29

Christchurch
Christchurch

3 days
29 years

Roman Catholic Cathedral

05/1120

15 February 1905

Rev. J. Q. O'Connell, Romanist

No	92
Date of Notice	15 February 1905
	Groom	Bride
Names of Parties	Henry James Abbott	Mary O'Connell
BDM Match (63%)	Henry Abbott	Mary Elizabeth O'Connell
	💍 1905/6148
Condition	Bachelor	Spinster
Profession	Farmer
Age	36	29
Dwelling Place	Christchurch	Christchurch
Length of Residence	3 days	29 years
Marriage Place	Roman Catholic Cathedral
Folio	05/1120
Consent
Date of Certificate	15 February 1905
Officiating Minister	Rev. J. Q. O'Connell, Romanist

15 February 1905

William Hampton
Leicester Jane Smith

William Hampton
Leicester Jane Smith
💍 1905/6169

Bachelor
Spinster

Engineer
Dressmaker

36
28

Weedons
Broadfields

30 years
25 years

Methodist Church

05/1141

15 February 1905

Rev. C. Herbert, Methodist

No	93
Date of Notice	15 February 1905
	Groom	Bride
Names of Parties	William Hampton	Leicester Jane Smith
	💍 1905/6169
Condition	Bachelor	Spinster
Profession	Engineer	Dressmaker
Age	36	28
Dwelling Place	Weedons	Broadfields
Length of Residence	30 years	25 years
Marriage Place	Methodist Church
Folio	05/1141
Consent
Date of Certificate	15 February 1905
Officiating Minister	Rev. C. Herbert, Methodist

15 February 1905

William Henry Joseph Burton
Laura Annie Ellingham

William Henry Joseph Burton
Jane Elliott Gillingham
💍 1905/6152

Bachelor
Spinster

Storeman
Tailoress

31
20

Christchurch
Sydenham

3 years
8 months

St. Paul's Church, Falsgrave Street, Sydenham

05/1148

Thomas Ellingham, father

15 February 1905

Rev. R. J. Murray, Methodist

No	94
Date of Notice	15 February 1905
	Groom	Bride
Names of Parties	William Henry Joseph Burton	Laura Annie Ellingham
BDM Match (74%)	William Henry Joseph Burton	Jane Elliott Gillingham
	💍 1905/6152
Condition	Bachelor	Spinster
Profession	Storeman	Tailoress
Age	31	20
Dwelling Place	Christchurch	Sydenham
Length of Residence	3 years	8 months
Marriage Place	St. Paul's Church, Falsgrave Street, Sydenham
Folio	05/1148
Consent	Thomas Ellingham, father
Date of Certificate	15 February 1905
Officiating Minister	Rev. R. J. Murray, Methodist

15 February 1905

Josephus Fararelli
Olivia Benuanai

Josephus Faravelli
Olivia Bennassai
💍 1905/6125

Bachelor
Spinster

Waiter
Domestic

26
27

Christchurch
Christchurch

6 months
3 days

Roman Catholic Cathedral ChCh

05/1121

15 February 1905

Rev. J. A. O'Connell, R. marist [?]

No	95
Date of Notice	15 February 1905
	Groom	Bride
Names of Parties	Josephus Fararelli	Olivia Benuanai
BDM Match (88%)	Josephus Faravelli	Olivia Bennassai
	💍 1905/6125
Condition	Bachelor	Spinster
Profession	Waiter	Domestic
Age	26	27
Dwelling Place	Christchurch	Christchurch
Length of Residence	6 months	3 days
Marriage Place	Roman Catholic Cathedral ChCh
Folio	05/1121
Consent
Date of Certificate	15 February 1905
Officiating Minister	Rev. J. A. O'Connell, R. marist [?]

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).