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 041

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

30 January 1905

George Forsyth
Laura Annie FRUDE

George Forsyth
Laura Annie Frude
💍 1905/6075

Widower
Spinster

Dairy Expert

30
31

Christchurch
Christchurch

3 days
1 year

St. Michael's, Ferry Road

05/1096

30 January 1905

Rev. R. A. Macdonald, Presbyterian

No	56
Date of Notice	30 January 1905
	Groom	Bride
Names of Parties	George Forsyth	Laura Annie FRUDE
BDM Match (88%)	George Forsyth	Laura Annie Frude
	💍 1905/6075
Condition	Widower	Spinster
Profession	Dairy Expert
Age	30	31
Dwelling Place	Christchurch	Christchurch
Length of Residence	3 days	1 year
Marriage Place	St. Michael's, Ferry Road
Folio	05/1096
Consent
Date of Certificate	30 January 1905
Officiating Minister	Rev. R. A. Macdonald, Presbyterian

30 January 1905

John MULLINS
Rose Emily Ferris

John Mullins
Rose Emily Ferris
💍 1905/6145

Bachelor
Spinster

Labourer
Domestic

47
30

Halswell
Halswell

20 years
3 years

Pro Cathedral, Christchurch

05/1117

30 January 1905

Rev. J. S. Mahoney, Romanist

No	57
Date of Notice	30 January 1905
	Groom	Bride
Names of Parties	John MULLINS	Rose Emily Ferris
BDM Match (75%)	John Mullins	Rose Emily Ferris
	💍 1905/6145
Condition	Bachelor	Spinster
Profession	Labourer	Domestic
Age	47	30
Dwelling Place	Halswell	Halswell
Length of Residence	20 years	3 years
Marriage Place	Pro Cathedral, Christchurch
Folio	05/1117
Consent
Date of Certificate	30 January 1905
Officiating Minister	Rev. J. S. Mahoney, Romanist

31 January 1905

Arthur Jeffrey CLOVER
Violet Louise PARNELL

Arthur Jeffery Clowes
Violet Louise Purnell
💍 1905/6522

Bachelor
Spinster

Bank Clerk

30
26

Christchurch
Ashburton

3 years
23 years

St. Stephen's, Ashburton

05/1583

31 January 1905

Rev. E. Whitchorn, Anglican

No	58
Date of Notice	31 January 1905
	Groom	Bride
Names of Parties	Arthur Jeffrey CLOVER	Violet Louise PARNELL
BDM Match (69%)	Arthur Jeffery Clowes	Violet Louise Purnell
	💍 1905/6522
Condition	Bachelor	Spinster
Profession	Bank Clerk
Age	30	26
Dwelling Place	Christchurch	Ashburton
Length of Residence	3 years	23 years
Marriage Place	St. Stephen's, Ashburton
Folio	05/1583
Consent
Date of Certificate	31 January 1905
Officiating Minister	Rev. E. Whitchorn, Anglican

31 January 1905

William LOCH
Ellen Frances POWER

William Leck
Ellen Frances Power
💍 1905/6147

Bachelor
Spinster

Labourer
Housekeeper

27
30

Christchurch
Christchurch

6 months
18 months

Pro Cathedral, Christchurch

05/1119

31 January 1905

Rev. J. O'Connell, Romanist

No	59
Date of Notice	31 January 1905
	Groom	Bride
Names of Parties	William LOCH	Ellen Frances POWER
BDM Match (77%)	William Leck	Ellen Frances Power
	💍 1905/6147
Condition	Bachelor	Spinster
Profession	Labourer	Housekeeper
Age	27	30
Dwelling Place	Christchurch	Christchurch
Length of Residence	6 months	18 months
Marriage Place	Pro Cathedral, Christchurch
Folio	05/1119
Consent
Date of Certificate	31 January 1905
Officiating Minister	Rev. J. O'Connell, Romanist

31 January 1905

William GRENFELL
Cecile Kerrenhappuch Charlotte RUMP

William Grenfell
Cicely Kerenhappuch Charlotte Rump
💍 1905/4968

Bachelor
Spinster

Painter
Shop Assistant

24
19

Christchurch
Christchurch

19 years
19 years

St. Michael's, Christchurch

05/1048

Alfred Barnard Rump, father

31 January 1905

Rev. Archd. Averill, Anglican

No	60
Date of Notice	31 January 1905
	Groom	Bride
Names of Parties	William GRENFELL	Cecile Kerrenhappuch Charlotte RUMP
BDM Match (68%)	William Grenfell	Cicely Kerenhappuch Charlotte Rump
	💍 1905/4968
Condition	Bachelor	Spinster
Profession	Painter	Shop Assistant
Age	24	19
Dwelling Place	Christchurch	Christchurch
Length of Residence	19 years	19 years
Marriage Place	St. Michael's, Christchurch
Folio	05/1048
Consent	Alfred Barnard Rump, father
Date of Certificate	31 January 1905
Officiating Minister	Rev. Archd. Averill, Anglican

1 February 1905

John MELLOUK
Mary DUNN

John Mallouk
Mary Dunn
💍 1905/6146

Bachelor
Spinster

Storekeeper

30
22

Christchurch
Christchurch

3 days
10 years

Pro Cathedral, Christchurch

05/1118

1 February 1905

Rev. J. O'Connell, Romanist

No	61
Date of Notice	1 February 1905
	Groom	Bride
Names of Parties	John MELLOUK	Mary DUNN
BDM Match (58%)	John Mallouk	Mary Dunn
	💍 1905/6146
Condition	Bachelor	Spinster
Profession	Storekeeper
Age	30	22
Dwelling Place	Christchurch	Christchurch
Length of Residence	3 days	10 years
Marriage Place	Pro Cathedral, Christchurch
Folio	05/1118
Consent
Date of Certificate	1 February 1905
Officiating Minister	Rev. J. O'Connell, Romanist

2 February 1905

William Edward GRIFFIN
Grace Bettridge

William Edward Griffin
Grace Bettridge
💍 1905/4975

Bachelor
Spinster

Carpenter
Clerk

25
20

Armside
Christchurch

20 years
2 years

Trinity Church, Armside

05/1055

George Frederick Bettridge, father

2 February 1905

Rev. Canon Pascoe, Anglican

No	62
Date of Notice	2 February 1905
	Groom	Bride
Names of Parties	William Edward GRIFFIN	Grace Bettridge
BDM Match (86%)	William Edward Griffin	Grace Bettridge
	💍 1905/4975
Condition	Bachelor	Spinster
Profession	Carpenter	Clerk
Age	25	20
Dwelling Place	Armside	Christchurch
Length of Residence	20 years	2 years
Marriage Place	Trinity Church, Armside
Folio	05/1055
Consent	George Frederick Bettridge, father
Date of Certificate	2 February 1905
Officiating Minister	Rev. Canon Pascoe, Anglican

3 February 1905

William Craib Angus
Eurydice Lillie Lancaster

William Craib Angus
Eurydice Lillie Lancaster
💍 1905/6188

Bachelor
Spinster

Railway Guard

36
24

Christchurch
Lyttelton

36 years
24 years

St. John's, Lyttelton

05/1183

3 February 1905

Rev. E. E. Chambers, Anglican

No	63
Date of Notice	3 February 1905
	Groom	Bride
Names of Parties	William Craib Angus	Eurydice Lillie Lancaster
	💍 1905/6188
Condition	Bachelor	Spinster
Profession	Railway Guard
Age	36	24
Dwelling Place	Christchurch	Lyttelton
Length of Residence	36 years	24 years
Marriage Place	St. John's, Lyttelton
Folio	05/1183
Consent
Date of Certificate	3 February 1905
Officiating Minister	Rev. E. E. Chambers, 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).