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 168

District of Geraldine Quarter ending 30 June 1907 Registrar Agnes Andrews

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

739

2 April 1907

Edwin Ley
Ellen Thiers

Edwin Ley
Ellen Shiers
💍 1907/4201

Bachelor
Spinster

Farmer
Domestic Duties

39
32

Geraldine
Geraldine

3 days
3 weeks

St Mary Church, Geraldine

07/3353

2 April 1907

Rev. Staples Hamilton, Church of England

No	739
Date of Notice	2 April 1907
	Groom	Bride
Names of Parties	Edwin Ley	Ellen Thiers
BDM Match (96%)	Edwin Ley	Ellen Shiers
	💍 1907/4201
Condition	Bachelor	Spinster
Profession	Farmer	Domestic Duties
Age	39	32
Dwelling Place	Geraldine	Geraldine
Length of Residence	3 days	3 weeks
Marriage Place	St Mary Church, Geraldine
Folio	07/3353
Consent
Date of Certificate	2 April 1907
Officiating Minister	Rev. Staples Hamilton, Church of England

740

9 April 1907

James Joseph Quinlan
Mary McNab

James Joseph Quinlan
Mary McNab
💍 1907/4251

Bachelor
Spinster

Bridgeman on Railway
Domestic Duties

29
20

Rangitata
Rangitata

3 days
20 years

Roman Catholic Church Geraldine

07/3429

Daniel McNab, Father

9 April 1907

Very Rev. Henry G. Bowers, Roman Catholic

No	740
Date of Notice	9 April 1907
	Groom	Bride
Names of Parties	James Joseph Quinlan	Mary McNab
	💍 1907/4251
Condition	Bachelor	Spinster
Profession	Bridgeman on Railway	Domestic Duties
Age	29	20
Dwelling Place	Rangitata	Rangitata
Length of Residence	3 days	20 years
Marriage Place	Roman Catholic Church Geraldine
Folio	07/3429
Consent	Daniel McNab, Father
Date of Certificate	9 April 1907
Officiating Minister	Very Rev. Henry G. Bowers, Roman Catholic

741

16 April 1907

William Quinn
Gertrude Story

William Quinn
Gertrude Story
💍 1907/4252

Bachelor
Spinster

Butcher
Domestic Duties

23
23

Orari
Orari

3 days
5 months

Roman Catholic Church, Geraldine

07/3430

16 April 1907

Very Rev. Henry G. Bowers, Roman Catholic

No	741
Date of Notice	16 April 1907
	Groom	Bride
Names of Parties	William Quinn	Gertrude Story
	💍 1907/4252
Condition	Bachelor	Spinster
Profession	Butcher	Domestic Duties
Age	23	23
Dwelling Place	Orari	Orari
Length of Residence	3 days	5 months
Marriage Place	Roman Catholic Church, Geraldine
Folio	07/3430
Consent
Date of Certificate	16 April 1907
Officiating Minister	Very Rev. Henry G. Bowers, Roman Catholic

742

29 April 1907

George Edward John Reynish
Rebecca Sarah Irvine

George Edward John Reynish
Rebecca Sarah Irvine
💍 1907/4278

Bachelor
Widow

Labourer
Domestic Duties

25
31

Woodbury Road
Woodbury Road

3 days
2 weeks

The House of Mr Stephen Thomas Smith, Woodbury Road

07/3434

29 April 1907

Rev. George H. Mann, Primitive Methodist

No	742
Date of Notice	29 April 1907
	Groom	Bride
Names of Parties	George Edward John Reynish	Rebecca Sarah Irvine
	💍 1907/4278
Condition	Bachelor	Widow
Profession	Labourer	Domestic Duties
Age	25	31
Dwelling Place	Woodbury Road	Woodbury Road
Length of Residence	3 days	2 weeks
Marriage Place	The House of Mr Stephen Thomas Smith, Woodbury Road
Folio	07/3434
Consent
Date of Certificate	29 April 1907
Officiating Minister	Rev. George H. Mann, Primitive Methodist

743

30 April 1907

John Crawcroft Davey
Emily Ada Brenton

John Cracroft Davey
Emily Ada Brenton
💍 1907/4277

Bachelor
Spinster

Machinist
Domestic Duties

25
24

Belfield, Orari
Belfield, Orari

3 days
20 years

Primitive Methodist Church, Geraldine

07/3433

30 April 1907

Rev. George H. Mann, Primitive Methodist

No	743
Date of Notice	30 April 1907
	Groom	Bride
Names of Parties	John Crawcroft Davey	Emily Ada Brenton
BDM Match (98%)	John Cracroft Davey	Emily Ada Brenton
	💍 1907/4277
Condition	Bachelor	Spinster
Profession	Machinist	Domestic Duties
Age	25	24
Dwelling Place	Belfield, Orari	Belfield, Orari
Length of Residence	3 days	20 years
Marriage Place	Primitive Methodist Church, Geraldine
Folio	07/3433
Consent
Date of Certificate	30 April 1907
Officiating Minister	Rev. George H. Mann, Primitive Methodist

744

3 June 1907

Patrick O'Rourke
Margaret Leary

Patrick O'Rourke
Margaret Leary
💍 1907/4260

Bachelor
Spinster

Labourer
Domestic Duties

36
35

Hilton
Hilton

6 weeks
30 years

Roman Catholic Church, Geraldine

07/3431

3 June 1907

Very Rev. H. G. Bowers, Roman Catholic

No	744
Date of Notice	3 June 1907
	Groom	Bride
Names of Parties	Patrick O'Rourke	Margaret Leary
	💍 1907/4260
Condition	Bachelor	Spinster
Profession	Labourer	Domestic Duties
Age	36	35
Dwelling Place	Hilton	Hilton
Length of Residence	6 weeks	30 years
Marriage Place	Roman Catholic Church, Geraldine
Folio	07/3431
Consent
Date of Certificate	3 June 1907
Officiating Minister	Very Rev. H. G. Bowers, Roman Catholic

745

15 June 1907

James Roy Bagrie
Jane Pye

James Roy Bagris
Jane Pye
💍 1907/3754

Bachelor
Spinster

Carpenter
Dressmaker

26
25

Geraldine
Geraldine

3 years
25 years

The House of Mr John Pye, Geraldine

07/5482

15 June 1907

Rev. A. Bruce Todd, Presbyterian

No	745
Date of Notice	15 June 1907
	Groom	Bride
Names of Parties	James Roy Bagrie	Jane Pye
BDM Match (97%)	James Roy Bagris	Jane Pye
	💍 1907/3754
Condition	Bachelor	Spinster
Profession	Carpenter	Dressmaker
Age	26	25
Dwelling Place	Geraldine	Geraldine
Length of Residence	3 years	25 years
Marriage Place	The House of Mr John Pye, Geraldine
Folio	07/5482
Consent
Date of Certificate	15 June 1907
Officiating Minister	Rev. A. Bruce Todd, Presbyterian

746

21 June 1907

William Ford
Lilian Greenaway

William Ford
Lilian Greenaway
💍 1907/4271

Bachelor
Spinster

Contractor
Domestic Duties

27
20

Belfield, Orari
Belfield, Orari

24 years
20 years

Primitive Methodist Church, Geraldine

07/3432

Eva Greenaway, Mother

21 June 1907

Rev. George H. Mann, Primitive Methodist

No	746
Date of Notice	21 June 1907
	Groom	Bride
Names of Parties	William Ford	Lilian Greenaway
	💍 1907/4271
Condition	Bachelor	Spinster
Profession	Contractor	Domestic Duties
Age	27	20
Dwelling Place	Belfield, Orari	Belfield, Orari
Length of Residence	24 years	20 years
Marriage Place	Primitive Methodist Church, Geraldine
Folio	07/3432
Consent	Eva Greenaway, Mother
Date of Certificate	21 June 1907
Officiating Minister	Rev. George H. Mann, Primitive Methodist

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).