Intentions to Marry, 1906 Canterbury, Otago, Chatham Islands

Reference: Registrar-General of Births, Deaths and Marriages, Notices of intention to marry, Series 8937, R2840432, 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 091

District of CHRISTCHURCH Quarter ending 30 September 1906 Registrar LYONEL CHARLES 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

427

2 July 1906

George Henry Edwards
Florence Annie Willoughby

George Henry Alfred Edwards
Florence Annie Willoughby
💍 1906/5195

Bachelor
Spinster

Labourer

26
27

Christchurch
Christchurch

11 months
20 years

House of F. Willoughby, 20 Lees Road, Linwood

06/4927

2 July 1906

Rev. R. Murray, Presbyterian

No	427
Date of Notice	2 July 1906
	Groom	Bride
Names of Parties	George Henry Edwards	Florence Annie Willoughby
BDM Match (87%)	George Henry Alfred Edwards	Florence Annie Willoughby
	💍 1906/5195
Condition	Bachelor	Spinster
Profession	Labourer
Age	26	27
Dwelling Place	Christchurch	Christchurch
Length of Residence	11 months	20 years
Marriage Place	House of F. Willoughby, 20 Lees Road, Linwood
Folio	06/4927
Consent
Date of Certificate	2 July 1906
Officiating Minister	Rev. R. Murray, Presbyterian

428

2 July 1906

George Rowley
Hannah Price

Widower
Spinster

Steward
Domestic

31
22

Christchurch
Christchurch

3 months
10 years

House of F. Price, 60 Cotters Road, Linwood

06/4994

2 July 1906

Rev. G. T. Jones, Presbyterian

No	428
Date of Notice	2 July 1906
	Groom	Bride
Names of Parties	George Rowley	Hannah Price
Condition	Widower	Spinster
Profession	Steward	Domestic
Age	31	22
Dwelling Place	Christchurch	Christchurch
Length of Residence	3 months	10 years
Marriage Place	House of F. Price, 60 Cotters Road, Linwood
Folio	06/4994
Consent
Date of Certificate	2 July 1906
Officiating Minister	Rev. G. T. Jones, Presbyterian

429

2 July 1906

Charles William Acland
Eleanor Hill

Charles William Weller
Eleanor Hill
💍 1906/5644

Bachelor
Spinster

Labourer

30
29

Christchurch
Christchurch

30 years
24 years

House of Dr. Emslie, Cashel Street, Christchurch

06/5454

2 July 1906

Rev. T. Emslie, Presbyterian

No	429
Date of Notice	2 July 1906
	Groom	Bride
Names of Parties	Charles William Acland	Eleanor Hill
BDM Match (89%)	Charles William Weller	Eleanor Hill
	💍 1906/5644
Condition	Bachelor	Spinster
Profession	Labourer
Age	30	29
Dwelling Place	Christchurch	Christchurch
Length of Residence	30 years	24 years
Marriage Place	House of Dr. Emslie, Cashel Street, Christchurch
Folio	06/5454
Consent
Date of Certificate	2 July 1906
Officiating Minister	Rev. T. Emslie, Presbyterian

430

2 July 1906

James Edward Thompson
Emma Sacre

Thomas Edward Thompson
Emma Dacre
💍 1906/5243

Bachelor
Spinster

Labourer
Domestic

34
29

Christchurch
Woolston

3 years
5 years

Methodist Church, East Belt

06/4980

2 July 1906

Rev. G. Ready, Methodist

No	430
Date of Notice	2 July 1906
	Groom	Bride
Names of Parties	James Edward Thompson	Emma Sacre
BDM Match (86%)	Thomas Edward Thompson	Emma Dacre
	💍 1906/5243
Condition	Bachelor	Spinster
Profession	Labourer	Domestic
Age	34	29
Dwelling Place	Christchurch	Woolston
Length of Residence	3 years	5 years
Marriage Place	Methodist Church, East Belt
Folio	06/4980
Consent
Date of Certificate	2 July 1906
Officiating Minister	Rev. G. Ready, Methodist

431

3 July 1906

William Rhind
Isabella Smythe

William Rhind
Isabella Smythe
💍 1906/1400

Bachelor
Spinster

Carpenter

45
29

Christchurch
Christchurch

45 years
29 years

Registrar's Office, Christchurch

06/4809

3 July 1906

Registrar of Marriages

No	431
Date of Notice	3 July 1906
	Groom	Bride
Names of Parties	William Rhind	Isabella Smythe
	💍 1906/1400
Condition	Bachelor	Spinster
Profession	Carpenter
Age	45	29
Dwelling Place	Christchurch	Christchurch
Length of Residence	45 years	29 years
Marriage Place	Registrar's Office, Christchurch
Folio	06/4809
Consent
Date of Certificate	3 July 1906
Officiating Minister	Registrar of Marriages

432

3 July 1906

Albert John Scott
Nora Vales

Gilbert John Scott
Nora Evangeline Oakes
💍 1906/5133

Bachelor
Spinster

Sawyer
Boarder

23
28

Avonside
Avonside

23 years
2 years

Anglican Church, Avonside

06/4887

3 July 1906

Rev. Canon Pascoe, Anglican

No	432
Date of Notice	3 July 1906
	Groom	Bride
Names of Parties	Albert John Scott	Nora Vales
BDM Match (66%)	Gilbert John Scott	Nora Evangeline Oakes
	💍 1906/5133
Condition	Bachelor	Spinster
Profession	Sawyer	Boarder
Age	23	28
Dwelling Place	Avonside	Avonside
Length of Residence	23 years	2 years
Marriage Place	Anglican Church, Avonside
Folio	06/4887
Consent
Date of Certificate	3 July 1906
Officiating Minister	Rev. Canon Pascoe, Anglican

433

4 July 1906

David Mitchell
Elizabeth Mary Burrows

David Mitchell
Elizabeth Mary Burrows
💍 1906/5242

Bachelor
Spinster

Labourer

29
24

Papanui
Papanui

20 years
12 years

Methodist Chapel, Harwood Road

06/4979

4 July 1906

Rev. J. N. Griffin, Methodist

No	433
Date of Notice	4 July 1906
	Groom	Bride
Names of Parties	David Mitchell	Elizabeth Mary Burrows
	💍 1906/5242
Condition	Bachelor	Spinster
Profession	Labourer
Age	29	24
Dwelling Place	Papanui	Papanui
Length of Residence	20 years	12 years
Marriage Place	Methodist Chapel, Harwood Road
Folio	06/4979
Consent
Date of Certificate	4 July 1906
Officiating Minister	Rev. J. N. Griffin, Methodist

434

4 July 1906

George Low
Annie Wood

George Low
Annie Wood
💍 1906/5190

Bachelor
Spinster

Fitter

25
29

Christchurch
Christchurch

14 years
16 days

House of G. Low, 93 Worcester Street, Linwood

06/4945

4 July 1906

Rev. T. R. Donald, Presbyterian

No	434
Date of Notice	4 July 1906
	Groom	Bride
Names of Parties	George Low	Annie Wood
	💍 1906/5190
Condition	Bachelor	Spinster
Profession	Fitter
Age	25	29
Dwelling Place	Christchurch	Christchurch
Length of Residence	14 years	16 days
Marriage Place	House of G. Low, 93 Worcester Street, Linwood
Folio	06/4945
Consent
Date of Certificate	4 July 1906
Officiating Minister	Rev. T. R. Donald, Presbyterian

435

5 July 1906

Arthur Taylor
Elizabeth Jane Kempthorne

Arthur Taylor
Elizabeth Jane Kempthorne
💍 1906/5208

Bachelor
Spinster

Labourer

20
26

Springston
Rolleston

25 years
20 years

Methodist Church, Weedons

06/4965

5 July 1906

Rev. S. Lawry, Methodist

No	435
Date of Notice	5 July 1906
	Groom	Bride
Names of Parties	Arthur Taylor	Elizabeth Jane Kempthorne
	💍 1906/5208
Condition	Bachelor	Spinster
Profession	Labourer
Age	20	26
Dwelling Place	Springston	Rolleston
Length of Residence	25 years	20 years
Marriage Place	Methodist Church, Weedons
Folio	06/4965
Consent
Date of Certificate	5 July 1906
Officiating Minister	Rev. S. Lawry, 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 1908. 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).