Intentions to Marry, 1907 Canterbury, Otago, Chatham Islands

Reference: Registrar-General of Births, Deaths and Marriages, Notices of intention to marry, Series 8937, R2840435, 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 034

District of CHRISTCHURCH Quarter ending 31 March 1907 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

7 January 1907

William Henry Morris
Mary Thomas

William Henry Morris
Mary Thomas
💍 1907/1029

Bachelor
Spinster

Farmer

21
22

Christchurch
Lincoln

10 days
22 years

Registrar's Office, Christchurch

07/1126

7 January 1907

L. C. Williams, Registrar

No	18
Date of Notice	7 January 1907
	Groom	Bride
Names of Parties	William Henry Morris	Mary Thomas
	💍 1907/1029
Condition	Bachelor	Spinster
Profession	Farmer
Age	21	22
Dwelling Place	Christchurch	Lincoln
Length of Residence	10 days	22 years
Marriage Place	Registrar's Office, Christchurch
Folio	07/1126
Consent
Date of Certificate	7 January 1907
Officiating Minister	L. C. Williams, Registrar

8 January 1907

Patrick John Malloy
Margaret Curtin

Patrick J Molloy
Margaret Curtin
💍 1907/1204

Bachelor
Spinster

Shoemaker

32
26

Sydenham
Christchurch

44 years
21 years

Roman Catholic Cathedral, Barbadoes Street, Christchurch

07/1308

8 January 1907

Rev. P. Galerne, Romanist

No	19
Date of Notice	8 January 1907
	Groom	Bride
Names of Parties	Patrick John Malloy	Margaret Curtin
BDM Match (89%)	Patrick J Molloy	Margaret Curtin
	💍 1907/1204
Condition	Bachelor	Spinster
Profession	Shoemaker
Age	32	26
Dwelling Place	Sydenham	Christchurch
Length of Residence	44 years	21 years
Marriage Place	Roman Catholic Cathedral, Barbadoes Street, Christchurch
Folio	07/1308
Consent
Date of Certificate	8 January 1907
Officiating Minister	Rev. P. Galerne, Romanist

8 January 1907

Hubert Hill
Alice Maud Trefry

Hubert Hill
Alice Maud Trefry
💍 1907/1156

Bachelor
Spinster

Art Metal Worker
Dressmaker

28
24

Christchurch
Christchurch

3 days
3 days

Residence of Rev. S. Lawry, Harper St., Sydenham

07/1259

8 January 1907

Rev. S. Lawry, Methodist

No	20
Date of Notice	8 January 1907
	Groom	Bride
Names of Parties	Hubert Hill	Alice Maud Trefry
	💍 1907/1156
Condition	Bachelor	Spinster
Profession	Art Metal Worker	Dressmaker
Age	28	24
Dwelling Place	Christchurch	Christchurch
Length of Residence	3 days	3 days
Marriage Place	Residence of Rev. S. Lawry, Harper St., Sydenham
Folio	07/1259
Consent
Date of Certificate	8 January 1907
Officiating Minister	Rev. S. Lawry, Methodist

8 January 1907

Leonard Ballantyne
Emily Isabella Kibblewhite

Leonard Ballantyne
Emily Isabella Kibblewhite
💍 1907/1116

Bachelor
Spinster

Sheepfarmer

26
30

Christchurch
Christchurch

14 days
30 years

St. Mary's, Merivale

07/1191

8 January 1907

Rev. C. H. Gosset, Anglican

No	21
Date of Notice	8 January 1907
	Groom	Bride
Names of Parties	Leonard Ballantyne	Emily Isabella Kibblewhite
	💍 1907/1116
Condition	Bachelor	Spinster
Profession	Sheepfarmer
Age	26	30
Dwelling Place	Christchurch	Christchurch
Length of Residence	14 days	30 years
Marriage Place	St. Mary's, Merivale
Folio	07/1191
Consent
Date of Certificate	8 January 1907
Officiating Minister	Rev. C. H. Gosset, Anglican

8 January 1907

John Jamie
Jessie Jane Cunningham

John Jamie
Jessie Jane Cunningham
💍 1907/1224

Bachelor
Spinster

Watchmaker
Dressmaker

30
24

Christchurch
Christchurch

5 days
5 days

St. Paul's, Christchurch

07/1328

8 January 1907

Rev. T. Tait, Presbyterian

No	22
Date of Notice	8 January 1907
	Groom	Bride
Names of Parties	John Jamie	Jessie Jane Cunningham
	💍 1907/1224
Condition	Bachelor	Spinster
Profession	Watchmaker	Dressmaker
Age	30	24
Dwelling Place	Christchurch	Christchurch
Length of Residence	5 days	5 days
Marriage Place	St. Paul's, Christchurch
Folio	07/1328
Consent
Date of Certificate	8 January 1907
Officiating Minister	Rev. T. Tait, Presbyterian

8 January 1907

Benjamin William Hoxman
Annie Fox

Benjamin William Hoxman
Annie Fox
💍 1907/1031

Bachelor
Spinster

Bootmaker

25
24

Christchurch
Christchurch

3 years
12 months

Registrar's Office, Christchurch

07/1128

8 January 1907

L. C. Williams, Registrar

No	23
Date of Notice	8 January 1907
	Groom	Bride
Names of Parties	Benjamin William Hoxman	Annie Fox
	💍 1907/1031
Condition	Bachelor	Spinster
Profession	Bootmaker
Age	25	24
Dwelling Place	Christchurch	Christchurch
Length of Residence	3 years	12 months
Marriage Place	Registrar's Office, Christchurch
Folio	07/1128
Consent
Date of Certificate	8 January 1907
Officiating Minister	L. C. Williams, Registrar

8 January 1907

Francis Andrew Cunningham
Margaret Isobel Jamieson

Francis Andrew Cunningham
Margaret Isabel Jamieson
💍 1907/1109

Bachelor
Spinster

Sheepfarmer

38
29

Rangiora
St. Albans

4 days
1 month

St. Mary's, Merrivale

07/1189

8 January 1907

Rev. C. H. Gosset, Anglican

No	24
Date of Notice	8 January 1907
	Groom	Bride
Names of Parties	Francis Andrew Cunningham	Margaret Isobel Jamieson
BDM Match (98%)	Francis Andrew Cunningham	Margaret Isabel Jamieson
	💍 1907/1109
Condition	Bachelor	Spinster
Profession	Sheepfarmer
Age	38	29
Dwelling Place	Rangiora	St. Albans
Length of Residence	4 days	1 month
Marriage Place	St. Mary's, Merrivale
Folio	07/1189
Consent
Date of Certificate	8 January 1907
Officiating Minister	Rev. C. H. Gosset, Anglican

9 January 1907

William Willcox
Frances Violet Reid

William Willcox
Frances Violet Reid
💍 1907/1223

Widower (9/12/05)
Spinster

Gardener

45
34

Christchurch
Christchurch

3 days
5 years

St. Paul's, Christchurch

07/1327

9 January 1907

Rev. T. Tait, Presbyterian

No	25
Date of Notice	9 January 1907
	Groom	Bride
Names of Parties	William Willcox	Frances Violet Reid
	💍 1907/1223
Condition	Widower (9/12/05)	Spinster
Profession	Gardener
Age	45	34
Dwelling Place	Christchurch	Christchurch
Length of Residence	3 days	5 years
Marriage Place	St. Paul's, Christchurch
Folio	07/1327
Consent
Date of Certificate	9 January 1907
Officiating Minister	Rev. T. Tait, Presbyterian

9 January 1907

William Cameron Cleary
Mary Ann Carter

William Cameron Cleary
Mary Ann Carter
💍 1907/1232

Bachelor
Spinster

Shipping Agent

32
27

Christchurch
Christchurch

4 days
1 month

St. Michael's, Christchurch

07/1335

9 January 1907

Archdeacon Averill, Anglican

No	26
Date of Notice	9 January 1907
	Groom	Bride
Names of Parties	William Cameron Cleary	Mary Ann Carter
	💍 1907/1232
Condition	Bachelor	Spinster
Profession	Shipping Agent
Age	32	27
Dwelling Place	Christchurch	Christchurch
Length of Residence	4 days	1 month
Marriage Place	St. Michael's, Christchurch
Folio	07/1335
Consent
Date of Certificate	9 January 1907
Officiating Minister	Archdeacon Averill, Anglican

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).