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 037

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

15 January 1907

Percy Wynn Williams
Frances Helen Thomson

Percy Wynn Williams
Frances Helen Thomson
💍 1907/1115

Bachelor
Spinster

Importer

31
27

Christchurch
Christchurch

3 days
3 years

St. Mary's, Merivale

07/1190

15 January 1907

Rev. C.A. Gosset, Anglican

No	44
Date of Notice	15 January 1907
	Groom	Bride
Names of Parties	Percy Wynn Williams	Frances Helen Thomson
	💍 1907/1115
Condition	Bachelor	Spinster
Profession	Importer
Age	31	27
Dwelling Place	Christchurch	Christchurch
Length of Residence	3 days	3 years
Marriage Place	St. Mary's, Merivale
Folio	07/1190
Consent
Date of Certificate	15 January 1907
Officiating Minister	Rev. C.A. Gosset, Anglican

15 January 1907

Michael Kavanagh
Annie Margaret Waterburg

Michael Kavanagh
Annie Watenburg
💍 1907/1036

Bachelor
Spinster

Blacksmith

22
24

Christchurch
Linwood

Life
Life

Registrar's Office, Christchurch

07/1152

15 January 1907

L.C. Williams, Registrar

No	45
Date of Notice	15 January 1907
	Groom	Bride
Names of Parties	Michael Kavanagh	Annie Margaret Waterburg
BDM Match (79%)	Michael Kavanagh	Annie Watenburg
	💍 1907/1036
Condition	Bachelor	Spinster
Profession	Blacksmith
Age	22	24
Dwelling Place	Christchurch	Linwood
Length of Residence	Life	Life
Marriage Place	Registrar's Office, Christchurch
Folio	07/1152
Consent
Date of Certificate	15 January 1907
Officiating Minister	L.C. Williams, Registrar

16 January 1907

John McNair
Agnes Douglas

John McNair
Agnes Douglas
💍 1907/1243

John Robert Idle
Agnes Douglas
💍 1907/1362

Bachelor
Spinster

Civil Engineer

32
30

Christchurch
Christchurch

3 days
14 days

St. Pauls, Christchurch

07/1323

16 January 1907

Rev. T. Tait, Presbyterian

No	46
Date of Notice	16 January 1907
	Groom	Bride
Names of Parties	John McNair	Agnes Douglas
	💍 1907/1243
BDM Match (66%)	John Robert Idle	Agnes Douglas
	💍 1907/1362
Condition	Bachelor	Spinster
Profession	Civil Engineer
Age	32	30
Dwelling Place	Christchurch	Christchurch
Length of Residence	3 days	14 days
Marriage Place	St. Pauls, Christchurch
Folio	07/1323
Consent
Date of Certificate	16 January 1907
Officiating Minister	Rev. T. Tait, Presbyterian

16 January 1907

William Albert Sims
Bertha Harris

William Albert Tims
Bertha Harris
💍 1907/1185

Bachelor
Spinster

Brewery Manager

26
26

Christchurch
Christchurch

3 days
26 years

St. Saviours, Sydenham

07/1290

16 January 1907

Archd. Scott, Anglican

No	47
Date of Notice	16 January 1907
	Groom	Bride
Names of Parties	William Albert Sims	Bertha Harris
BDM Match (97%)	William Albert Tims	Bertha Harris
	💍 1907/1185
Condition	Bachelor	Spinster
Profession	Brewery Manager
Age	26	26
Dwelling Place	Christchurch	Christchurch
Length of Residence	3 days	26 years
Marriage Place	St. Saviours, Sydenham
Folio	07/1290
Consent
Date of Certificate	16 January 1907
Officiating Minister	Archd. Scott, Anglican

16 January 1907

George Clayton
Helen Eliza Cowsill

George Claxton
Helen Eliza Cowsill
💍 1907/1037

Bachelor
Spinster

Draper

28
27

Christchurch
Christchurch

3 Months
3 days

Registrar's Office, Christchurch

07/1133

16 January 1907

L.C. Williams, Registrar

No	48
Date of Notice	16 January 1907
	Groom	Bride
Names of Parties	George Clayton	Helen Eliza Cowsill
BDM Match (96%)	George Claxton	Helen Eliza Cowsill
	💍 1907/1037
Condition	Bachelor	Spinster
Profession	Draper
Age	28	27
Dwelling Place	Christchurch	Christchurch
Length of Residence	3 Months	3 days
Marriage Place	Registrar's Office, Christchurch
Folio	07/1133
Consent
Date of Certificate	16 January 1907
Officiating Minister	L.C. Williams, Registrar

17 January 1907

Herbert William Hankin
Florence Mildred Brumby

Herbert William Hankin
Florence Mildred Brumby
💍 1907/1150

Bachelor
Spinster

Sawyer

25
21

Christchurch
Christchurch

6 Months
6 Months

House of Mr. Brumby, 17 Fitzgerald Avenue

07/1254

17 January 1907

Rev. T. McDonald, Presbyterian

No	49
Date of Notice	17 January 1907
	Groom	Bride
Names of Parties	Herbert William Hankin	Florence Mildred Brumby
	💍 1907/1150
Condition	Bachelor	Spinster
Profession	Sawyer
Age	25	21
Dwelling Place	Christchurch	Christchurch
Length of Residence	6 Months	6 Months
Marriage Place	House of Mr. Brumby, 17 Fitzgerald Avenue
Folio	07/1254
Consent
Date of Certificate	17 January 1907
Officiating Minister	Rev. T. McDonald, Presbyterian

17 January 1907

William Higgins Henry
Eusebia Margaret Mauwall

William Higgins Henry
Eusebia Margaret Maxwell
💍 1907/1176

Bachelor
Spinster

Draper
Nurse

31
27

Christchurch
Christchurch

3 days
23 years

Knox Church, Christchurch

07/1282

17 January 1907

Rev. Dr. Erwin, Presbyterian

No	50
Date of Notice	17 January 1907
	Groom	Bride
Names of Parties	William Higgins Henry	Eusebia Margaret Mauwall
BDM Match (96%)	William Higgins Henry	Eusebia Margaret Maxwell
	💍 1907/1176
Condition	Bachelor	Spinster
Profession	Draper	Nurse
Age	31	27
Dwelling Place	Christchurch	Christchurch
Length of Residence	3 days	23 years
Marriage Place	Knox Church, Christchurch
Folio	07/1282
Consent
Date of Certificate	17 January 1907
Officiating Minister	Rev. Dr. Erwin, Presbyterian

17 January 1907

Daniel Hegarty
Catherine O'Callaghan

Daniel Hegarty
Catherine O'Callaghan
💍 1907/1035

Bachelor
Spinster

Carpenter

22
22

Christchurch
Christchurch

11 years
11 years

Registrar's Office, Christchurch

07/1131

17 January 1907

L.C. Williams, Registrar

No	51
Date of Notice	17 January 1907
	Groom	Bride
Names of Parties	Daniel Hegarty	Catherine O'Callaghan
	💍 1907/1035
Condition	Bachelor	Spinster
Profession	Carpenter
Age	22	22
Dwelling Place	Christchurch	Christchurch
Length of Residence	11 years	11 years
Marriage Place	Registrar's Office, Christchurch
Folio	07/1131
Consent
Date of Certificate	17 January 1907
Officiating Minister	L.C. Williams, Registrar

17 January 1907

Edward Hammond Marriner
Catherine Margaret Richardson Smail

Edward Hammond Mariner
Catherine Margaret Richardson Smail
💍 1907/1126

Bachelor
Spinster

Printer

32
26

Spreydon
Spreydon

27 years
15 years

St. Mary's, Addington

07/1229

17 January 1907

Rev. W.S. Bean, Anglican

No	52
Date of Notice	17 January 1907
	Groom	Bride
Names of Parties	Edward Hammond Marriner	Catherine Margaret Richardson Smail
BDM Match (98%)	Edward Hammond Mariner	Catherine Margaret Richardson Smail
	💍 1907/1126
Condition	Bachelor	Spinster
Profession	Printer
Age	32	26
Dwelling Place	Spreydon	Spreydon
Length of Residence	27 years	15 years
Marriage Place	St. Mary's, Addington
Folio	07/1229
Consent
Date of Certificate	17 January 1907
Officiating Minister	Rev. W.S. Bean, 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).