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 046

District of CHRISTCHURCH Quarter ending 31 March 1907 Registrar L. C. 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

110

12 February 1907

Peter McDonald
Daisy Alice Tansey

Peter McDonald
Daisy Alice Tansey
💍 1907/1050

Bachelor
Spinster

Coalminer
Shopassistant

36
22

Christchurch
Christchurch

4 days
4 days

Registrar's Office Christchurch

07/1147

12 February 1907

Registrar Marriages

No	110
Date of Notice	12 February 1907
	Groom	Bride
Names of Parties	Peter McDonald	Daisy Alice Tansey
	💍 1907/1050
Condition	Bachelor	Spinster
Profession	Coalminer	Shopassistant
Age	36	22
Dwelling Place	Christchurch	Christchurch
Length of Residence	4 days	4 days
Marriage Place	Registrar's Office Christchurch
Folio	07/1147
Consent
Date of Certificate	12 February 1907
Officiating Minister	Registrar Marriages

111

13 February 1907

Frederick Charles Dodgson
Beatrice Elizabeth Kissel

Frederick Charles Dodgson
Beatrice Elizabeth Kissel
💍 1907/1104

Bachelor
Spinster

Pattern maker

31
20

Christchurch
Christchurch

3 years
10 days

St. Andrew's Manse Christchurch

07/1203

Henry Gustan Kissel, Father

13 February 1907

Rev. J. Mackenzie, Presbyterian

No	111
Date of Notice	13 February 1907
	Groom	Bride
Names of Parties	Frederick Charles Dodgson	Beatrice Elizabeth Kissel
	💍 1907/1104
Condition	Bachelor	Spinster
Profession	Pattern maker
Age	31	20
Dwelling Place	Christchurch	Christchurch
Length of Residence	3 years	10 days
Marriage Place	St. Andrew's Manse Christchurch
Folio	07/1203
Consent	Henry Gustan Kissel, Father
Date of Certificate	13 February 1907
Officiating Minister	Rev. J. Mackenzie, Presbyterian

112

13 February 1907

Thomas Gregg
Margaret Jane Kate Rountree

Thomas Gregg
Margaret Kate Rountree
💍 1907/1192

Bachelor
Spinster

Machinist

29
29

Christchurch
Christchurch

29 years
29 years

House of Mr. Rountree, McFadden's Road, St. Albans

07/1274

13 February 1907

Rev. J. Maxwell, Presbyterian

No	112
Date of Notice	13 February 1907
	Groom	Bride
Names of Parties	Thomas Gregg	Margaret Jane Kate Rountree
BDM Match (91%)	Thomas Gregg	Margaret Kate Rountree
	💍 1907/1192
Condition	Bachelor	Spinster
Profession	Machinist
Age	29	29
Dwelling Place	Christchurch	Christchurch
Length of Residence	29 years	29 years
Marriage Place	House of Mr. Rountree, McFadden's Road, St. Albans
Folio	07/1274
Consent
Date of Certificate	13 February 1907
Officiating Minister	Rev. J. Maxwell, Presbyterian

113

13 February 1907

Joseph Ford Burt
Jeannie Shirley

Joseph Ford Burt
Jeannie Shirley
💍 1907/1190

Bachelor
Spinster

Slaughterman

28
27

Hornby
Riccarton

10 years
3 years

House of Mr. T. Greig, Wharenui Road, Riccarton

07/1272

13 February 1907

Mr. T. W. Ewart, Presbyterian

No	113
Date of Notice	13 February 1907
	Groom	Bride
Names of Parties	Joseph Ford Burt	Jeannie Shirley
	💍 1907/1190
Condition	Bachelor	Spinster
Profession	Slaughterman
Age	28	27
Dwelling Place	Hornby	Riccarton
Length of Residence	10 years	3 years
Marriage Place	House of Mr. T. Greig, Wharenui Road, Riccarton
Folio	07/1272
Consent
Date of Certificate	13 February 1907
Officiating Minister	Mr. T. W. Ewart, Presbyterian

114

13 February 1907

John Henry McLeod
Alice Eliza Westm

John Henry McLeod
Alice Eliza Ogston
💍 1907/1178

Bachelor
Spinster

Sheepfarmer

31
22

Christchurch
Christchurch

3 days
3 hours

Knox Church Christchurch

07/1284

13 February 1907

Rev. Dr. Erwin, Presbyterian

No	114
Date of Notice	13 February 1907
	Groom	Bride
Names of Parties	John Henry McLeod	Alice Eliza Westm
BDM Match (89%)	John Henry McLeod	Alice Eliza Ogston
	💍 1907/1178
Condition	Bachelor	Spinster
Profession	Sheepfarmer
Age	31	22
Dwelling Place	Christchurch	Christchurch
Length of Residence	3 days	3 hours
Marriage Place	Knox Church Christchurch
Folio	07/1284
Consent
Date of Certificate	13 February 1907
Officiating Minister	Rev. Dr. Erwin, Presbyterian

115

13 February 1907

Cornelius Josephus Van Dongen
Ethel May Highsted

Cornelius Jozepfus McDonghi
Ethel May Highsted
💍 1907/1051

Bachelor
Spinster

Carpenter

21
20

Papanui
Papanui

4 years
12 years

Registrar's Office Christchurch

07/1148

Alice Jane Highsted, Mother

13 February 1907

L. C. Williams, Registrar

No	115
Date of Notice	13 February 1907
	Groom	Bride
Names of Parties	Cornelius Josephus Van Dongen	Ethel May Highsted
BDM Match (86%)	Cornelius Jozepfus McDonghi	Ethel May Highsted
	💍 1907/1051
Condition	Bachelor	Spinster
Profession	Carpenter
Age	21	20
Dwelling Place	Papanui	Papanui
Length of Residence	4 years	12 years
Marriage Place	Registrar's Office Christchurch
Folio	07/1148
Consent	Alice Jane Highsted, Mother
Date of Certificate	13 February 1907
Officiating Minister	L. C. Williams, Registrar

116

13 February 1907

Arthur Cecil Harold Prescott
Bessie Robinson

Arthur Cecil Harold Prescott
Bessie Robinson
💍 1907/1052

Bachelor
Spinster

Jeweller

31
26

St. Albans
St. Albans

4 years
12 years

Registrar's Office Christchurch

07/1149

13 February 1907

L. C. Williams, Registrar

No	116
Date of Notice	13 February 1907
	Groom	Bride
Names of Parties	Arthur Cecil Harold Prescott	Bessie Robinson
	💍 1907/1052
Condition	Bachelor	Spinster
Profession	Jeweller
Age	31	26
Dwelling Place	St. Albans	St. Albans
Length of Residence	4 years	12 years
Marriage Place	Registrar's Office Christchurch
Folio	07/1149
Consent
Date of Certificate	13 February 1907
Officiating Minister	L. C. Williams, Registrar

117

13 February 1907

Arthur Henry Scales
May Adelaide Smith

Arthur Henry Scales
May Adelaide Smith
💍 1907/1165

Bachelor
Spinster

Cabinetmaker

31
30

Sydenham
Sydenham

7 years
Life

St. Michael's Christchurch

07/1245

15 February 1907

Arch. Averill, Anglican

No	117
Date of Notice	13 February 1907
	Groom	Bride
Names of Parties	Arthur Henry Scales	May Adelaide Smith
	💍 1907/1165
Condition	Bachelor	Spinster
Profession	Cabinetmaker
Age	31	30
Dwelling Place	Sydenham	Sydenham
Length of Residence	7 years	Life
Marriage Place	St. Michael's Christchurch
Folio	07/1245
Consent
Date of Certificate	15 February 1907
Officiating Minister	Arch. Averill, Anglican

118

14 February 1907

Robert William McPherson
Eliza Ann Jam Hyn

Robert William McPherson
Eliza Ann Tamblyn
💍 1907/1153

Bachelor
Spinster

Miner
Dressmaker

23
22

Christchurch
Christchurch

1 week
1 week

St. Peter's Manse Woolston

07/1257

14 February 1907

Rev. T. J. Donald, Presbyterian

No	118
Date of Notice	14 February 1907
	Groom	Bride
Names of Parties	Robert William McPherson	Eliza Ann Jam Hyn
BDM Match (91%)	Robert William McPherson	Eliza Ann Tamblyn
	💍 1907/1153
Condition	Bachelor	Spinster
Profession	Miner	Dressmaker
Age	23	22
Dwelling Place	Christchurch	Christchurch
Length of Residence	1 week	1 week
Marriage Place	St. Peter's Manse Woolston
Folio	07/1257
Consent
Date of Certificate	14 February 1907
Officiating Minister	Rev. T. J. Donald, Presbyterian

These records have been automatically transcribed and must be verified using the page image (below)

100% Contrast

100% Brightness

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).