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 140

District of CHRISTCHURCH Quarter ending 31 December 1906 Registrar A. 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

765

24 November 1906

Philip Reddington
Lillian May White

Philip Reddington
Lillian May White
💍 1906/6973

Bachelor
Spinster

Platelayer
Domestic

30
22

Bromley
Bromley

2 years
2 years

House of Mr. White, Bromley

06/6947

24 November 1906

Rev. W. Ready, Methodist

No	765
Date of Notice	24 November 1906
	Groom	Bride
Names of Parties	Philip Reddington	Lillian May White
	💍 1906/6973
Condition	Bachelor	Spinster
Profession	Platelayer	Domestic
Age	30	22
Dwelling Place	Bromley	Bromley
Length of Residence	2 years	2 years
Marriage Place	House of Mr. White, Bromley
Folio	06/6947
Consent
Date of Certificate	24 November 1906
Officiating Minister	Rev. W. Ready, Methodist

766

24 November 1906

Arthur Rainsford Craddock
Annie Haewell Hunt

Arthur Rainsford Craddock
Annie Haswell Hunt
💍 1906/6868

Bachelor
Spinster

Electrical Engineer

29
24

Shirley
Shirley

Life
6 years

All Saints, Burwood

06/6864

24 November 1906

Rev. J. R. Inwood, Anglican

No	766
Date of Notice	24 November 1906
	Groom	Bride
Names of Parties	Arthur Rainsford Craddock	Annie Haewell Hunt
BDM Match (97%)	Arthur Rainsford Craddock	Annie Haswell Hunt
	💍 1906/6868
Condition	Bachelor	Spinster
Profession	Electrical Engineer
Age	29	24
Dwelling Place	Shirley	Shirley
Length of Residence	Life	6 years
Marriage Place	All Saints, Burwood
Folio	06/6864
Consent
Date of Certificate	24 November 1906
Officiating Minister	Rev. J. R. Inwood, Anglican

767

24 November 1906

Francis Bramwell
Mary Murphy

Francis Bramwell
Mary Murphy
💍 1906/7464

Bachelor
Spinster

Carter
Domestic

23
23

Linwood
Linwood

6 months
3 years

Roman Catholic Cathedral, Christchurch

06/1526

26 November 1906

Rev. W. Peoples, Romanist

No	767
Date of Notice	24 November 1906
	Groom	Bride
Names of Parties	Francis Bramwell	Mary Murphy
	💍 1906/7464
Condition	Bachelor	Spinster
Profession	Carter	Domestic
Age	23	23
Dwelling Place	Linwood	Linwood
Length of Residence	6 months	3 years
Marriage Place	Roman Catholic Cathedral, Christchurch
Folio	06/1526
Consent
Date of Certificate	26 November 1906
Officiating Minister	Rev. W. Peoples, Romanist

768

26 November 1906

Sydney Lloyd Daylor Peters
Annie Thirza Peters

Sydney Lloyd Taylor
Annie Thirza Peters
💍 1906/6835

Bachelor
Spinster

Gardener

22
23

Christchurch
St. Albans

18 years
6 months

Registrar's Office, Christchurch

06/6822

26 November 1906

A. C. Williams, Registrar

No	768
Date of Notice	26 November 1906
	Groom	Bride
Names of Parties	Sydney Lloyd Daylor Peters	Annie Thirza Peters
BDM Match (85%)	Sydney Lloyd Taylor	Annie Thirza Peters
	💍 1906/6835
Condition	Bachelor	Spinster
Profession	Gardener
Age	22	23
Dwelling Place	Christchurch	St. Albans
Length of Residence	18 years	6 months
Marriage Place	Registrar's Office, Christchurch
Folio	06/6822
Consent
Date of Certificate	26 November 1906
Officiating Minister	A. C. Williams, Registrar

769

26 November 1906

Francis Thomas McLanchlin
Bridget Monica Prendergast

Thomas Francis McLaughlin
Bridget Maria Prendergast
💍 1906/7465

Bachelor
Spinster

District Tourist Agent
Massense

46
34

Christchurch
Heathcote

3 days
34 years

Roman Catholic Cathedral, Christchurch

06/7527

26 November 1906

Rev. J. O'Connell, Christchurch

No	769
Date of Notice	26 November 1906
	Groom	Bride
Names of Parties	Francis Thomas McLanchlin	Bridget Monica Prendergast
BDM Match (66%)	Thomas Francis McLaughlin	Bridget Maria Prendergast
	💍 1906/7465
Condition	Bachelor	Spinster
Profession	District Tourist Agent	Massense
Age	46	34
Dwelling Place	Christchurch	Heathcote
Length of Residence	3 days	34 years
Marriage Place	Roman Catholic Cathedral, Christchurch
Folio	06/7527
Consent
Date of Certificate	26 November 1906
Officiating Minister	Rev. J. O'Connell, Christchurch

770

26 November 1906

John McMullan
Beatrice Elizabeth Farrell

John McMullan
Elizabeth Beatrice Farrell
💍 1906/7466

Bachelor
Spinster

Labourer
Tailoress

38
37

Christchurch
Christchurch

1 year
22 years

Roman Catholic Cathedral, Christchurch

06/7528

26 November 1906

Rev. T. Le Menan & des Chavis, Romanist

No	770
Date of Notice	26 November 1906
	Groom	Bride
Names of Parties	John McMullan	Beatrice Elizabeth Farrell
BDM Match (67%)	John McMullan	Elizabeth Beatrice Farrell
	💍 1906/7466
Condition	Bachelor	Spinster
Profession	Labourer	Tailoress
Age	38	37
Dwelling Place	Christchurch	Christchurch
Length of Residence	1 year	22 years
Marriage Place	Roman Catholic Cathedral, Christchurch
Folio	06/7528
Consent
Date of Certificate	26 November 1906
Officiating Minister	Rev. T. Le Menan & des Chavis, Romanist

771

27 November 1906

Archibald Brown
Una Dorothea Carmichael

Archibald Brown
Alma Dorothea Carmichael
💍 1906/6927

Bachelor
Spinster

Farmer

26
22

Christchurch
Christchurch

3 days
3 months

Residence of Rev. Dr. Erwin, Papanui Road, St. Albans

06/6900

27 November 1906

Rev. Dr. Erwin, Presbyterian

No	771
Date of Notice	27 November 1906
	Groom	Bride
Names of Parties	Archibald Brown	Una Dorothea Carmichael
BDM Match (94%)	Archibald Brown	Alma Dorothea Carmichael
	💍 1906/6927
Condition	Bachelor	Spinster
Profession	Farmer
Age	26	22
Dwelling Place	Christchurch	Christchurch
Length of Residence	3 days	3 months
Marriage Place	Residence of Rev. Dr. Erwin, Papanui Road, St. Albans
Folio	06/6900
Consent
Date of Certificate	27 November 1906
Officiating Minister	Rev. Dr. Erwin, Presbyterian

772

27 November 1906

Thomas Henry Rosevear
Lhay Jean Sellar

Thomas Henry Roseveare
Lucy Jean Sellar
💍 1907/1355

Bachelor
Spinster

Minister
Saleswoman

26
26

Christchurch
Christchurch

8 days
4 years

St. Peter's, Ferry Road

07/1459

27 November 1906

Rev. T. McDonald, Presbyterian

No	772
Date of Notice	27 November 1906
	Groom	Bride
Names of Parties	Thomas Henry Rosevear	Lhay Jean Sellar
BDM Match (92%)	Thomas Henry Roseveare	Lucy Jean Sellar
	💍 1907/1355
Condition	Bachelor	Spinster
Profession	Minister	Saleswoman
Age	26	26
Dwelling Place	Christchurch	Christchurch
Length of Residence	8 days	4 years
Marriage Place	St. Peter's, Ferry Road
Folio	07/1459
Consent
Date of Certificate	27 November 1906
Officiating Minister	Rev. T. McDonald, Presbyterian

773

28 November 1906

Edward Oakley Mills
Janet Craighead

Edward Oakley Mills
Janet Craighead
💍 1906/4781

Bachelor
Spinster

Labourer

25
20

Kirwee
Christchurch

2 months
4 months

House of Mr. J. Craighead, 2 Creswick Street, Christchurch

06/1578

No one in Colony authorised to give consent

12 December 1906

Rev. J. Maxwell, Presbyterian

No	773
Date of Notice	28 November 1906
	Groom	Bride
Names of Parties	Edward Oakley Mills	Janet Craighead
	💍 1906/4781
Condition	Bachelor	Spinster
Profession	Labourer
Age	25	20
Dwelling Place	Kirwee	Christchurch
Length of Residence	2 months	4 months
Marriage Place	House of Mr. J. Craighead, 2 Creswick Street, Christchurch
Folio	06/1578
Consent	No one in Colony authorised to give consent
Date of Certificate	12 December 1906
Officiating Minister	Rev. J. Maxwell, Presbyterian

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).