Intentions to Marry, 1906 Auckland, Taranaki, Hawke's Bay

Reference: Registrar-General of Births, Deaths and Marriages, Notices of intention to marry, Series 8937, R2840430, Archives New Zealand Te Rua Mahara o te Kāwanatanga, Wellington

1906 is bound in three volumes - Auckland, Taranaki, Hawke's Bay (1906a), Wellington, Marlborough, Nelson, Westland (1906b), and Canterbury, Otago, Chatham Islands (1906c).

Page 772

District of Hastings Quarter ending 31 March 1906 Registrar R Brathwaite

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

4 January 1906

William Augustine Harrington
Agnes Frances Hawkins

William Augustine Farrington
Agnes Frances Hawkins
💍 1906/4142

Bachelor
Spinster

Railway Porter
Dressmaker

28
28

Hastings
Hastings

3 yrs
2 1/2 yrs

R.C. Church Hastings

06/4157

4 January 1906

Rev. P.J. Smyth

No	1
Date of Notice	4 January 1906
	Groom	Bride
Names of Parties	William Augustine Harrington	Agnes Frances Hawkins
BDM Match (98%)	William Augustine Farrington	Agnes Frances Hawkins
	💍 1906/4142
Condition	Bachelor	Spinster
Profession	Railway Porter	Dressmaker
Age	28	28
Dwelling Place	Hastings	Hastings
Length of Residence	3 yrs	2 1/2 yrs
Marriage Place	R.C. Church Hastings
Folio	06/4157
Consent
Date of Certificate	4 January 1906
Officiating Minister	Rev. P.J. Smyth

10 January 1906

Tom Douglas Sinclair
Gertrude Marcella McNamara

Tom Douglas Sinclair
Gertrude Marcella McNamara
💍 1906/4119

Bachelor
Spinster

Cycle Mechanic
Tailoress

23
24

Hastings
Hastings

2 yrs
12 yrs

R.C. Church Hastings

06/4152

10 January 1906

Rev. P.J. Smyth

No	2
Date of Notice	10 January 1906
	Groom	Bride
Names of Parties	Tom Douglas Sinclair	Gertrude Marcella McNamara
	💍 1906/4119
Condition	Bachelor	Spinster
Profession	Cycle Mechanic	Tailoress
Age	23	24
Dwelling Place	Hastings	Hastings
Length of Residence	2 yrs	12 yrs
Marriage Place	R.C. Church Hastings
Folio	06/4152
Consent
Date of Certificate	10 January 1906
Officiating Minister	Rev. P.J. Smyth

12 January 1906

Oliver Nelson Firth
Frances Anne Hayes

Oliver Nelson Firth
Frances Ann Hayes
💍 1906/1703

Bachelor
Spinster

Manager Coal Coy
Teacher

36
23

Hastings
Hastings

3 days
2-3 yrs

Presbyterian Church, Hastings

06/398

12 January 1906

Rev. W.J. Comrie

No	3
Date of Notice	12 January 1906
	Groom	Bride
Names of Parties	Oliver Nelson Firth	Frances Anne Hayes
BDM Match (97%)	Oliver Nelson Firth	Frances Ann Hayes
	💍 1906/1703
Condition	Bachelor	Spinster
Profession	Manager Coal Coy	Teacher
Age	36	23
Dwelling Place	Hastings	Hastings
Length of Residence	3 days	2-3 yrs
Marriage Place	Presbyterian Church, Hastings
Folio	06/398
Consent
Date of Certificate	12 January 1906
Officiating Minister	Rev. W.J. Comrie

15 January 1906

Archibald McBurnie
Mary Annie Whittle

Archibald McBirnie
Annie Whittle
💍 1906/1704

Bachelor
Spinster

Shepherd
Domestic

30
21

Hastings
Hastings

10 yrs
4 days

At House of Mrs Hugh Dillon Hastings

06/399

15 January 1906

Rev. B. Connor

No	4
Date of Notice	15 January 1906
	Groom	Bride
Names of Parties	Archibald McBurnie	Mary Annie Whittle
BDM Match (83%)	Archibald McBirnie	Annie Whittle
	💍 1906/1704
Condition	Bachelor	Spinster
Profession	Shepherd	Domestic
Age	30	21
Dwelling Place	Hastings	Hastings
Length of Residence	10 yrs	4 days
Marriage Place	At House of Mrs Hugh Dillon Hastings
Folio	06/399
Consent
Date of Certificate	15 January 1906
Officiating Minister	Rev. B. Connor

15 January 1906

John Irwin
Mary McLean McLeod

John Irwin
Mary McLean McLeod
💍 1906/1705

Bachelor
Spinster

Labourer
Domestic

22
24

Hastings
Hastings

3 months
2-4 yrs

At the House of Mrs McLeod Hastings

06/400

15 January 1906

Rev W.J. Comrie

No	5
Date of Notice	15 January 1906
	Groom	Bride
Names of Parties	John Irwin	Mary McLean McLeod
	💍 1906/1705
Condition	Bachelor	Spinster
Profession	Labourer	Domestic
Age	22	24
Dwelling Place	Hastings	Hastings
Length of Residence	3 months	2-4 yrs
Marriage Place	At the House of Mrs McLeod Hastings
Folio	06/400
Consent
Date of Certificate	15 January 1906
Officiating Minister	Rev W.J. Comrie

22 January 1906

James Wells
Elizabeth Jane Watts

James Wells
Elizabeth Jane Watts
💍 1906/1710

Bachelor
Spinster

Carpenter
Domestic

32
28

Hastings
Hastings

3 days
3 days

St Matthews Church, Hastings

06/404

22 January 1906

Rev. M.A. Cockerill

No	6
Date of Notice	22 January 1906
	Groom	Bride
Names of Parties	James Wells	Elizabeth Jane Watts
	💍 1906/1710
Condition	Bachelor	Spinster
Profession	Carpenter	Domestic
Age	32	28
Dwelling Place	Hastings	Hastings
Length of Residence	3 days	3 days
Marriage Place	St Matthews Church, Hastings
Folio	06/404
Consent
Date of Certificate	22 January 1906
Officiating Minister	Rev. M.A. Cockerill

22 January 1906

William Edwin Watts
Margaret Harriet Maud Bamforth

William Edwin Watts
Margaret Harriett Maud Bamforth
💍 1906/1747

Bachelor
Spinster

Clerk
Shop Assistant

26
24

Hastings
Hastings

2 weeks
2-4 yrs

St Matthews Church, Hastings

06/405

22 January 1906

Rev M.A. Cockerill

No	7
Date of Notice	22 January 1906
	Groom	Bride
Names of Parties	William Edwin Watts	Margaret Harriet Maud Bamforth
BDM Match (98%)	William Edwin Watts	Margaret Harriett Maud Bamforth
	💍 1906/1747
Condition	Bachelor	Spinster
Profession	Clerk	Shop Assistant
Age	26	24
Dwelling Place	Hastings	Hastings
Length of Residence	2 weeks	2-4 yrs
Marriage Place	St Matthews Church, Hastings
Folio	06/405
Consent
Date of Certificate	22 January 1906
Officiating Minister	Rev M.A. Cockerill

3 February 1906

Francis Charles Saunders
Abigal Annie Moss

Francis Charles Saunders
Abigail Annie Moss
💍 1906/1708

Bachelor
Spinster

Carpenter
Domestic

28
24

Hastings
Hastings

3 days
2-4 yrs

At the House of Mrs J. Moss, Hastings

06/402

3 February 1906

Rev. Alex Whyte

No	8
Date of Notice	3 February 1906
	Groom	Bride
Names of Parties	Francis Charles Saunders	Abigal Annie Moss
BDM Match (97%)	Francis Charles Saunders	Abigail Annie Moss
	💍 1906/1708
Condition	Bachelor	Spinster
Profession	Carpenter	Domestic
Age	28	24
Dwelling Place	Hastings	Hastings
Length of Residence	3 days	2-4 yrs
Marriage Place	At the House of Mrs J. Moss, Hastings
Folio	06/402
Consent
Date of Certificate	3 February 1906
Officiating Minister	Rev. Alex Whyte

20 February 1906

Herbert Sydney Tombs
Laura Mary Damers

Herbert Sydney Tom Tyers
Laura Mary Danvers
💍 1906/1763

Bachelor
Spinster

Surveyor

34
31

Hastings
Hastings

3-8 yrs
3 1/2 yrs

St Matthews Church Hastings

06/407

No	9
Date of Notice	20 February 1906
	Groom	Bride
Names of Parties	Herbert Sydney Tombs	Laura Mary Damers
BDM Match (84%)	Herbert Sydney Tom Tyers	Laura Mary Danvers
	💍 1906/1763
Condition	Bachelor	Spinster
Profession	Surveyor
Age	34	31
Dwelling Place	Hastings	Hastings
Length of Residence	3-8 yrs	3 1/2 yrs
Marriage Place	St Matthews Church Hastings
Folio	06/407
Consent
Date of Certificate
Officiating Minister

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).