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 802

District of Tokomairiro Quarter ending 31 December 1906 Registrar C. W. Oxley

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 October 1906

Thomas Welnoski
Annie Bell Dypart

Thomas Welnoski
Annie Bell Dysart
💍 1906/7530

Bachelor
Spinster

Labourer
Domestic duties

37
25

Waihola
Milton

32 years
10 years

Catholic Church, Milton

06/7642

4 October 1906

Rev. Jas. O'Neill

No	19
Date of Notice	4 October 1906
	Groom	Bride
Names of Parties	Thomas Welnoski	Annie Bell Dypart
BDM Match (97%)	Thomas Welnoski	Annie Bell Dysart
	💍 1906/7530
Condition	Bachelor	Spinster
Profession	Labourer	Domestic duties
Age	37	25
Dwelling Place	Waihola	Milton
Length of Residence	32 years	10 years
Marriage Place	Catholic Church, Milton
Folio	06/7642
Consent
Date of Certificate	4 October 1906
Officiating Minister	Rev. Jas. O'Neill

3 November 1906

James Cleghorn
Mary Hellen Sutherland

James Cleghorn
Mary Hellen Brown Sutherland
💍 1906/4875

Bachelor
Spinster

Farmer
Domestic duties

28
33

Kelso
Kelso

13 years
30 years

House of Mr. J. E. Brown, Milton

06/7436

7 November 1906

Rev. G. Miller

No	20
Date of Notice	3 November 1906
	Groom	Bride
Names of Parties	James Cleghorn	Mary Hellen Sutherland
BDM Match (89%)	James Cleghorn	Mary Hellen Brown Sutherland
	💍 1906/4875
Condition	Bachelor	Spinster
Profession	Farmer	Domestic duties
Age	28	33
Dwelling Place	Kelso	Kelso
Length of Residence	13 years	30 years
Marriage Place	House of Mr. J. E. Brown, Milton
Folio	06/7436
Consent
Date of Certificate	7 November 1906
Officiating Minister	Rev. G. Miller

5 November 1906

Alex Littlejohn
Lucy Elizabeth Jane Plowley

Alexander Littlejohn
Lucy Elizabeth Jane Powley
💍 1906/4876

Bachelor
Spinster

Carpenter
Dressmaker

26
19

Milton
Milton

26 years
19 years

House of Mr. J. Plowley, Milton

06/7437

7 November 1906

Rev. G. Miller

No	21
Date of Notice	5 November 1906
	Groom	Bride
Names of Parties	Alex Littlejohn	Lucy Elizabeth Jane Plowley
BDM Match (86%)	Alexander Littlejohn	Lucy Elizabeth Jane Powley
	💍 1906/4876
Condition	Bachelor	Spinster
Profession	Carpenter	Dressmaker
Age	26	19
Dwelling Place	Milton	Milton
Length of Residence	26 years	19 years
Marriage Place	House of Mr. J. Plowley, Milton
Folio	06/7437
Consent
Date of Certificate	7 November 1906
Officiating Minister	Rev. G. Miller

30 November 1906

George Gordon
Sarah Johnston

George Gordon
Sarah Johnston
💍 1906/4878

Bachelor
Spinster

Labourer
Domestic duties

28
25

Milton
Milton

28 years
3 years

House of Mr. J. Johnston, Milton

06/7439

30 November 1906

Rev. G. Miller

No	22
Date of Notice	30 November 1906
	Groom	Bride
Names of Parties	George Gordon	Sarah Johnston
	💍 1906/4878
Condition	Bachelor	Spinster
Profession	Labourer	Domestic duties
Age	28	25
Dwelling Place	Milton	Milton
Length of Residence	28 years	3 years
Marriage Place	House of Mr. J. Johnston, Milton
Folio	06/7439
Consent
Date of Certificate	30 November 1906
Officiating Minister	Rev. G. Miller

8 December 1906

James Grigg Tomkinson
Willimena Frances Elizabeth Barker

James Grigg Tomkinson
Willimena Francis Elizabeth Barker
💍 1906/4880

Bachelor
Spinster

Labourer
Domestic duties

27
18

Waihola
Milton

20 years
18 years

House of Mr. George Barker

06/7441

8 December 1906

Rev. C. H. Standage

No	23
Date of Notice	8 December 1906
	Groom	Bride
Names of Parties	James Grigg Tomkinson	Willimena Frances Elizabeth Barker
BDM Match (99%)	James Grigg Tomkinson	Willimena Francis Elizabeth Barker
	💍 1906/4880
Condition	Bachelor	Spinster
Profession	Labourer	Domestic duties
Age	27	18
Dwelling Place	Waihola	Milton
Length of Residence	20 years	18 years
Marriage Place	House of Mr. George Barker
Folio	06/7441
Consent
Date of Certificate	8 December 1906
Officiating Minister	Rev. C. H. Standage

15 December 1906

William Hewitson Fraser
Sarah Jane Johnston Watson

William Hewitson Fraser
Sarah Jane Johnston Watson
💍 1906/4877

Bachelor
Spinster

Storekeeper
Domestic duties

26
23

Lovells Flat
Dunedin

26 years
1 month

Presbyterian Church, Milton

06/7438

15 December 1906

Rev. T. B. Fraser

No	24
Date of Notice	15 December 1906
	Groom	Bride
Names of Parties	William Hewitson Fraser	Sarah Jane Johnston Watson
	💍 1906/4877
Condition	Bachelor	Spinster
Profession	Storekeeper	Domestic duties
Age	26	23
Dwelling Place	Lovells Flat	Dunedin
Length of Residence	26 years	1 month
Marriage Place	Presbyterian Church, Milton
Folio	06/7438
Consent
Date of Certificate	15 December 1906
Officiating Minister	Rev. T. B. Fraser

24 December 1906

Thomas Moir Lockhart
Jane Trotter Thomson

Thomas Moir Lockhart
Jane Trotter Thomson
💍 1906/4879

Bachelor
Spinster

Storeman
Domestic duties

35
25

Milton
Milton

35 years
25 years

House of Mr. J. Thomson, Milton

06/7440

24 December 1906

Rev. G. Miller

No	25
Date of Notice	24 December 1906
	Groom	Bride
Names of Parties	Thomas Moir Lockhart	Jane Trotter Thomson
	💍 1906/4879
Condition	Bachelor	Spinster
Profession	Storeman	Domestic duties
Age	35	25
Dwelling Place	Milton	Milton
Length of Residence	35 years	25 years
Marriage Place	House of Mr. J. Thomson, Milton
Folio	06/7440
Consent
Date of Certificate	24 December 1906
Officiating Minister	Rev. G. Miller

27 December 1906

Amos George Winsley
Margaret Anne Wright

Amos George Winsley
Margaret Ann Wight
💍 1907/1714

Bachelor
Spinster

Carpenter
Domestic duties

26
22

Milton
Milton

3 days
22 years

House of Mr. G. Wright, Milton

07/1809

27 December 1906

Rev. G. Miller

No	26
Date of Notice	27 December 1906
	Groom	Bride
Names of Parties	Amos George Winsley	Margaret Anne Wright
BDM Match (95%)	Amos George Winsley	Margaret Ann Wight
	💍 1907/1714
Condition	Bachelor	Spinster
Profession	Carpenter	Domestic duties
Age	26	22
Dwelling Place	Milton	Milton
Length of Residence	3 days	22 years
Marriage Place	House of Mr. G. Wright, Milton
Folio	07/1809
Consent
Date of Certificate	27 December 1906
Officiating Minister	Rev. G. Miller

28 December 1906

James Milne Tough
Margaret McArthur

James Milne Tough
Margaret McArthur
💍 1907/1715

Bachelor
Spinster

Miner
Domestic duties

52
31

Millers Flat
Table Hill

15 years
3 days

House of Mr. McArthur, Table Hill

07/1810

28 December 1906

Rev. W. H. Hawes

No	27
Date of Notice	28 December 1906
	Groom	Bride
Names of Parties	James Milne Tough	Margaret McArthur
	💍 1907/1715
Condition	Bachelor	Spinster
Profession	Miner	Domestic duties
Age	52	31
Dwelling Place	Millers Flat	Table Hill
Length of Residence	15 years	3 days
Marriage Place	House of Mr. McArthur, Table Hill
Folio	07/1810
Consent
Date of Certificate	28 December 1906
Officiating Minister	Rev. W. H. Hawes

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).