Intentions to Marry, 1907 Auckland, Taranaki, Hawke's Bay

Reference: Registrar-General of Births, Deaths and Marriages, Notices of intention to marry, Series 8937, R2840433, Archives New Zealand Te Rua Mahara o te Kāwanatanga, Wellington

1907 is bound in three volumes - Auckland, Taranaki, Hawke's Bay (1907a), Wellington, Marlborough, Nelson, Westland (1907b), and Canterbury, Otago, Chatham Islands (1907c).

Page 259

District of Dargaville Quarter ending 30 June 1907 Registrar J. J. Lay

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

6 April 1907

William Prindeville Bleasel
Pearl Mary Neill

William Prendeville Bleasel
Pearl Mary Neill
💍 1907/2325

Bachelor
Spinster

Bushman
Domestic duties

31
20

Tangowahine
Tangowahine

1 year
7 months

Public Hall, Tangowahine

07/2453

Mary Neill, mother

6 April 1907

Rev. J. W. Young, Church of England

No	4
Date of Notice	6 April 1907
	Groom	Bride
Names of Parties	William Prindeville Bleasel	Pearl Mary Neill
BDM Match (98%)	William Prendeville Bleasel	Pearl Mary Neill
	💍 1907/2325
Condition	Bachelor	Spinster
Profession	Bushman	Domestic duties
Age	31	20
Dwelling Place	Tangowahine	Tangowahine
Length of Residence	1 year	7 months
Marriage Place	Public Hall, Tangowahine
Folio	07/2453
Consent	Mary Neill, mother
Date of Certificate	6 April 1907
Officiating Minister	Rev. J. W. Young, Church of England

9 April 1907

Edwin Fitzpatrick Smith
Elizabeth Faith Helen May

Edwin Fitzpatrick Smith
Elizabeth Edith Helen Hay
💍 1907/2324

Bachelor
Spinster

Storeman
Domestic duties

26
25

Dargaville
Dargaville

6 years
9 years

Church of England

07/2452

9 April 1907

Rev. J. W. Young, Church of England

No	5
Date of Notice	9 April 1907
	Groom	Bride
Names of Parties	Edwin Fitzpatrick Smith	Elizabeth Faith Helen May
BDM Match (94%)	Edwin Fitzpatrick Smith	Elizabeth Edith Helen Hay
	💍 1907/2324
Condition	Bachelor	Spinster
Profession	Storeman	Domestic duties
Age	26	25
Dwelling Place	Dargaville	Dargaville
Length of Residence	6 years	9 years
Marriage Place	Church of England
Folio	07/2452
Consent
Date of Certificate	9 April 1907
Officiating Minister	Rev. J. W. Young, Church of England

9 April 1907

John Sherman
Janet White Evans

John Sherman
Janet White Evans
💍 1907/2326

Bachelor
Spinster

Bushman
Domestic duties

32
17

Mangatu
Mangatu

5 years
9 years

Residence of Bride's parents, Mangatu

07/2454

John Sherman, father

9 April 1907

Rev. J. W. Young, Church of England

No	6
Date of Notice	9 April 1907
	Groom	Bride
Names of Parties	John Sherman	Janet White Evans
	💍 1907/2326
Condition	Bachelor	Spinster
Profession	Bushman	Domestic duties
Age	32	17
Dwelling Place	Mangatu	Mangatu
Length of Residence	5 years	9 years
Marriage Place	Residence of Bride's parents, Mangatu
Folio	07/2454
Consent	John Sherman, father
Date of Certificate	9 April 1907
Officiating Minister	Rev. J. W. Young, Church of England

18 May 1907

William Smith
Terua Te How

William Smith
Terua Te Hou
💍 1907/2322

William Smith
Maude Alice Mould
💍 1908/262

William Smith
Florence Jane Muldrock
💍 1907/320

William Smith
Janet Parkhill Anderson
💍 1907/1487

William Smith
Amelia Dorreen
💍 1908/3868

William Smith
Catherine Sutherland
💍 1907/1657

Bachelor
Widow

Bushman
Domestic duties

25
30

Dargaville
Dargaville

9 years
20 years

Registrar's Office, Dargaville

07/2451

18 May 1907

J. J. Lay, Registrar

No	7
Date of Notice	18 May 1907
	Groom	Bride
Names of Parties	William Smith	Terua Te How
BDM Match (96%)	William Smith	Terua Te Hou
	💍 1907/2322
BDM Match (62%)	William Smith	Maude Alice Mould
	💍 1908/262
BDM Match (61%)	William Smith	Florence Jane Muldrock
	💍 1907/320
BDM Match (61%)	William Smith	Janet Parkhill Anderson
	💍 1907/1487
BDM Match (61%)	William Smith	Amelia Dorreen
	💍 1908/3868
BDM Match (60%)	William Smith	Catherine Sutherland
	💍 1907/1657
Condition	Bachelor	Widow
Profession	Bushman	Domestic duties
Age	25	30
Dwelling Place	Dargaville	Dargaville
Length of Residence	9 years	20 years
Marriage Place	Registrar's Office, Dargaville
Folio	07/2451
Consent
Date of Certificate	18 May 1907
Officiating Minister	J. J. Lay, Registrar

28 May 1907

John Greenwood Speight
Miriam Beatrice Stehr

Colin Greenwood Speight
Miriam Beatrice Stehr
💍 1907/2319

Bachelor
Spinster

Accountant
Domestic duties

30
27

Dargaville
Dargaville

2 years
20 years

Church of England, Dargaville

07/2447

28 May 1907

Rev. J. W. Young, Church of England

No	8
Date of Notice	28 May 1907
	Groom	Bride
Names of Parties	John Greenwood Speight	Miriam Beatrice Stehr
BDM Match (94%)	Colin Greenwood Speight	Miriam Beatrice Stehr
	💍 1907/2319
Condition	Bachelor	Spinster
Profession	Accountant	Domestic duties
Age	30	27
Dwelling Place	Dargaville	Dargaville
Length of Residence	2 years	20 years
Marriage Place	Church of England, Dargaville
Folio	07/2447
Consent
Date of Certificate	28 May 1907
Officiating Minister	Rev. J. W. Young, Church of England

18 June 1907

John Alexander Mackenzie
Clara Mitchelson

John Alexander Mackenzie
Clara Mitchelson
💍 1907/2321

Bachelor
Spinster

Station Master
Domestic duties

32
25

Dargaville
Dargaville

4 days
25 years

Residence of Bride's parents, Dargaville

07/2450

18 June 1907

Rev. W. Wills, Wesleyan Minister

No	9
Date of Notice	18 June 1907
	Groom	Bride
Names of Parties	John Alexander Mackenzie	Clara Mitchelson
	💍 1907/2321
Condition	Bachelor	Spinster
Profession	Station Master	Domestic duties
Age	32	25
Dwelling Place	Dargaville	Dargaville
Length of Residence	4 days	25 years
Marriage Place	Residence of Bride's parents, Dargaville
Folio	07/2450
Consent
Date of Certificate	18 June 1907
Officiating Minister	Rev. W. Wills, Wesleyan Minister

20 June 1907

Leslie Bannatyne Culham
Maud Phoebe Mills

Leslie Bannatyne Pulham
Maud Phoebe Mills
💍 1907/2320

Bachelor
Spinster

Farm Hand
Domestic duties

19
20

Aoroa
Aoroa

5 years
3 days

Wesleyan Parsonage, Mangawhare

07/2448

George Culham, father; George Mills, father

20 June 1907

Rev. W. Wills, Wesleyan Minister

No	10
Date of Notice	20 June 1907
	Groom	Bride
Names of Parties	Leslie Bannatyne Culham	Maud Phoebe Mills
BDM Match (98%)	Leslie Bannatyne Pulham	Maud Phoebe Mills
	💍 1907/2320
Condition	Bachelor	Spinster
Profession	Farm Hand	Domestic duties
Age	19	20
Dwelling Place	Aoroa	Aoroa
Length of Residence	5 years	3 days
Marriage Place	Wesleyan Parsonage, Mangawhare
Folio	07/2448
Consent	George Culham, father; George Mills, father
Date of Certificate	20 June 1907
Officiating Minister	Rev. W. Wills, Wesleyan Minister

27 June 1907

Robert Hughey Taylor
Ellen McMahon

Robert Hughey Taylor
Ellen McMahon
💍 1907/3898

Bachelor
Spinster

Bushman
Domestic duties

32
24

Avoca
Avoca

2 years
12 years

Residence of Bride's parents, Avoca

07/5378

Father of Bride

27 June 1907

Catholic Priest

No	11
Date of Notice	27 June 1907
	Groom	Bride
Names of Parties	Robert Hughey Taylor	Ellen McMahon
	💍 1907/3898
Condition	Bachelor	Spinster
Profession	Bushman	Domestic duties
Age	32	24
Dwelling Place	Avoca	Avoca
Length of Residence	2 years	12 years
Marriage Place	Residence of Bride's parents, Avoca
Folio	07/5378
Consent	Father of Bride
Date of Certificate	27 June 1907
Officiating Minister	Catholic Priest

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).

Primary digitisation of registers between 1855 and 1925 is now complete. Our digitisation volunteers are now working on verifying the currently digitised pages against printed district/page indexes, to identify pages which may have been missed or out of focus. These pages can be re-imaged as required.

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.

How can I help?

You can sign up to correct errors in the transcribed records and match ITMs with registered marriages.

You can also support this project by ☕ Buying us a coffee 🌳

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).