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 296

District of Timaru Quarter ending 31 March 1906 Registrar Alexander Montgomery

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

5 January 1906

Edward Walter Townsend
Sarah Matilda Hlynes

Edward Walter Townsend
Sarah Matilda Dynes
💍 1906/3540

Bachelor
Spinster

Cabman
Sailoress

24
25

Timaru
Kingsdown

2 years
25 years

English Church Kingsdown

06/3212

5 January 1906

Rev. Thos. Garley, Church of England Clergyman

No	1
Date of Notice	5 January 1906
	Groom	Bride
Names of Parties	Edward Walter Townsend	Sarah Matilda Hlynes
BDM Match (95%)	Edward Walter Townsend	Sarah Matilda Dynes
	💍 1906/3540
Condition	Bachelor	Spinster
Profession	Cabman	Sailoress
Age	24	25
Dwelling Place	Timaru	Kingsdown
Length of Residence	2 years	25 years
Marriage Place	English Church Kingsdown
Folio	06/3212
Consent
Date of Certificate	5 January 1906
Officiating Minister	Rev. Thos. Garley, Church of England Clergyman

5 January 1906

William Philip
Lizzie Alexander

William Philip
Lizzie Alexander
💍 1906/2587

Widower
Spinster

Contractor
Domestic Duties

37
23

Waimataitai
Waimataitai

6 months
3 months

Dwellinghouse of Rev S.J. Serpell

06/1215

5 January 1906

Rev. S.J. Serpell, Wesleyan Minister

No	2
Date of Notice	5 January 1906
	Groom	Bride
Names of Parties	William Philip	Lizzie Alexander
	💍 1906/2587
Condition	Widower	Spinster
Profession	Contractor	Domestic Duties
Age	37	23
Dwelling Place	Waimataitai	Waimataitai
Length of Residence	6 months	3 months
Marriage Place	Dwellinghouse of Rev S.J. Serpell
Folio	06/1215
Consent
Date of Certificate	5 January 1906
Officiating Minister	Rev. S.J. Serpell, Wesleyan Minister

8 January 1906

Ernest Alfred England
Estelle May Edge

Ernest Alfred England
Estelle Mary Edge
💍 1906/2364

Widower
Spinster

Accountant
Domestic Duties

43
25

Timaru
Timaru

10 years
15 years

St. Marys English Church Timaru

06/1205

8 January 1906

Archdeacon J.d.W. Harper, Church of England Clergyman

No	3
Date of Notice	8 January 1906
	Groom	Bride
Names of Parties	Ernest Alfred England	Estelle May Edge
BDM Match (97%)	Ernest Alfred England	Estelle Mary Edge
	💍 1906/2364
Condition	Widower	Spinster
Profession	Accountant	Domestic Duties
Age	43	25
Dwelling Place	Timaru	Timaru
Length of Residence	10 years	15 years
Marriage Place	St. Marys English Church Timaru
Folio	06/1205
Consent
Date of Certificate	8 January 1906
Officiating Minister	Archdeacon J.d.W. Harper, Church of England Clergyman

10 January 1906

Timothy Harnett
Winnifred Wade

Timothy Harnett
Winifred Wade
💍 1906/3525

Widower
Widow

Driver
Domestic Duties

48
43

Timaru
Timaru

3 days
10 days

Roman Catholic Church Timaru

06/3220

10 January 1906

Rev. John Lubman, Roman Catholic Priest

No	4
Date of Notice	10 January 1906
	Groom	Bride
Names of Parties	Timothy Harnett	Winnifred Wade
BDM Match (96%)	Timothy Harnett	Winifred Wade
	💍 1906/3525
Condition	Widower	Widow
Profession	Driver	Domestic Duties
Age	48	43
Dwelling Place	Timaru	Timaru
Length of Residence	3 days	10 days
Marriage Place	Roman Catholic Church Timaru
Folio	06/3220
Consent
Date of Certificate	10 January 1906
Officiating Minister	Rev. John Lubman, Roman Catholic Priest

10 January 1906

William Penman
Ada Eliza Wood

William Penman
Ada Eliza Wood
💍 1906/2569

Bachelor
Spinster

Sailor
Domestic Duties

27
29

Timaru
Timaru

27 years
10 years

Dwellinghouse of William Wood High Street Timaru

06/1213

10 January 1906

Rev. S.J. Serpell, Wesleyan Minister

No	5
Date of Notice	10 January 1906
	Groom	Bride
Names of Parties	William Penman	Ada Eliza Wood
	💍 1906/2569
Condition	Bachelor	Spinster
Profession	Sailor	Domestic Duties
Age	27	29
Dwelling Place	Timaru	Timaru
Length of Residence	27 years	10 years
Marriage Place	Dwellinghouse of William Wood High Street Timaru
Folio	06/1213
Consent
Date of Certificate	10 January 1906
Officiating Minister	Rev. S.J. Serpell, Wesleyan Minister

13 January 1906

Albert Glynn Stocker
Jane Dawe

Albert Glynn Stocker
Jane Dawe
💍 1906/2570

Bachelor
Spinster

Contractor
Domestic Duties

28
22

Washdyke
Washdyke

25 years
10 months

Dwellinghouse of Richard Dawe, Washdyke

06/1222

13 January 1906

Rev. Thos. Garley, Church of England Clergyman

No	6
Date of Notice	13 January 1906
	Groom	Bride
Names of Parties	Albert Glynn Stocker	Jane Dawe
	💍 1906/2570
Condition	Bachelor	Spinster
Profession	Contractor	Domestic Duties
Age	28	22
Dwelling Place	Washdyke	Washdyke
Length of Residence	25 years	10 months
Marriage Place	Dwellinghouse of Richard Dawe, Washdyke
Folio	06/1222
Consent
Date of Certificate	13 January 1906
Officiating Minister	Rev. Thos. Garley, Church of England Clergyman

16 January 1906

John Darling Smith
Emma Saplin

John Darling Smith
Emma Taplin
💍 1906/2367

Bachelor
Spinster

Grocer
Domestic Duties

26
27

Timaru
Timaru

2 years
27 years

St. Marys English Church Timaru

06/1208

16 January 1906

Archdeacon J.d.W. Harper, Church of England Clergyman

No	7
Date of Notice	16 January 1906
	Groom	Bride
Names of Parties	John Darling Smith	Emma Saplin
BDM Match (95%)	John Darling Smith	Emma Taplin
	💍 1906/2367
Condition	Bachelor	Spinster
Profession	Grocer	Domestic Duties
Age	26	27
Dwelling Place	Timaru	Timaru
Length of Residence	2 years	27 years
Marriage Place	St. Marys English Church Timaru
Folio	06/1208
Consent
Date of Certificate	16 January 1906
Officiating Minister	Archdeacon J.d.W. Harper, Church of England Clergyman

17 January 1906

Robert Still McConnell
Harriet Eliza Ada Finch

Robert Hill McConnochie
Harriet Eliza Ada Finch
💍 1906/2580

Bachelor
Spinster

Gas Fitter
Milliner

28
29

Timaru
Timaru

3 days
3 days

Wesleyan Church Timaru

06/1214

17 January 1906

Rev. S.J. Serpell, Wesleyan Minister

No	8
Date of Notice	17 January 1906
	Groom	Bride
Names of Parties	Robert Still McConnell	Harriet Eliza Ada Finch
BDM Match (85%)	Robert Hill McConnochie	Harriet Eliza Ada Finch
	💍 1906/2580
Condition	Bachelor	Spinster
Profession	Gas Fitter	Milliner
Age	28	29
Dwelling Place	Timaru	Timaru
Length of Residence	3 days	3 days
Marriage Place	Wesleyan Church Timaru
Folio	06/1214
Consent
Date of Certificate	17 January 1906
Officiating Minister	Rev. S.J. Serpell, Wesleyan 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 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).