Intentions to Marry, 1908 Wellington, Marlborough, Nelson, Westland

Reference: Registrar-General of Births, Deaths and Marriages, Notices of intention to marry, Series 8937, R2840437, Archives New Zealand Te Rua Mahara o te Kāwanatanga, Wellington

1908 is bound in three volumes - Auckland, Taranaki, Hawke's Bay (1908a), Wellington, Marlborough, Nelson, Westland (1908b), and Canterbury, Otago, Chatham Islands (1908c).

Page 692

District of Nelson Quarter ending 31 March 1908 Registrar S. Blomfield

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

2 January 1908

Arthur George Coryndon Luxmoore
Georgiana Agnes Cowles

Arthur George Coryndon Luxmoore
Georgina Agnes Cowles
💍 1908/1141

Bachelor
Spinster

Farmer
Teacher

30
27

Masonic Hotel Hardy St. Nelson
Richmond

5 days
2 years

Holy Trinity Church, Richmond

08/1184

2 January 1908

Rev. T. A. Meyer, Church of England Minister, Richmond

No	1
Date of Notice	2 January 1908
	Groom	Bride
Names of Parties	Arthur George Coryndon Luxmoore	Georgiana Agnes Cowles
BDM Match (98%)	Arthur George Coryndon Luxmoore	Georgina Agnes Cowles
	💍 1908/1141
Condition	Bachelor	Spinster
Profession	Farmer	Teacher
Age	30	27
Dwelling Place	Masonic Hotel Hardy St. Nelson	Richmond
Length of Residence	5 days	2 years
Marriage Place	Holy Trinity Church, Richmond
Folio	08/1184
Consent
Date of Certificate	2 January 1908
Officiating Minister	Rev. T. A. Meyer, Church of England Minister, Richmond

11 January 1908

William Strange
Harriett Sarah Henrietta Gill

William Strange
Harriett Sarah Henrietta Gill
💍 1908/4733

Widower
Spinster

Driver
Domestic duties

38
31

Vanguard St. Nelson
Redwoods Valley

30 years
31 years

Church of England, Waimea West

08/3210

11 January 1908

Rev. W. S. Lucas, Church of England Minister, Nelson

No	2
Date of Notice	11 January 1908
	Groom	Bride
Names of Parties	William Strange	Harriett Sarah Henrietta Gill
	💍 1908/4733
Condition	Widower	Spinster
Profession	Driver	Domestic duties
Age	38	31
Dwelling Place	Vanguard St. Nelson	Redwoods Valley
Length of Residence	30 years	31 years
Marriage Place	Church of England, Waimea West
Folio	08/3210
Consent
Date of Certificate	11 January 1908
Officiating Minister	Rev. W. S. Lucas, Church of England Minister, Nelson

13 January 1908

William Arthur Tomlinson
Lavinia May Squire

William Arthur Tomlinson
Lavinia May Squire
💍 1908/4734

Bachelor
Spinster

Engine driver
Domestic duties

26
22

Waimea Rd. Nelson
Waimea West Nelson

6 years
8 days

Church of England, Waimea West

08/3211

13 January 1908

Rev. W. S. Lucas, Church of England Minister, Nelson

No	3
Date of Notice	13 January 1908
	Groom	Bride
Names of Parties	William Arthur Tomlinson	Lavinia May Squire
	💍 1908/4734
Condition	Bachelor	Spinster
Profession	Engine driver	Domestic duties
Age	26	22
Dwelling Place	Waimea Rd. Nelson	Waimea West Nelson
Length of Residence	6 years	8 days
Marriage Place	Church of England, Waimea West
Folio	08/3211
Consent
Date of Certificate	13 January 1908
Officiating Minister	Rev. W. S. Lucas, Church of England Minister, Nelson

13 January 1908

Christen Jensen
Ellen Susan Franklyn

Christin Jensen
Ellen Susan Franklyn
💍 1908/4738

Bachelor
Widow

Mariner
Domestic duties

39
35

On board S.S. 'Alexander'
Waimea Rd., Nelson

5 years

St. Mary's Church, Manuka Street, Nelson

08/3214

13 January 1908

Rev. J. D. Clancy, Roman Catholic Priest, Nelson

No	4
Date of Notice	13 January 1908
	Groom	Bride
Names of Parties	Christen Jensen	Ellen Susan Franklyn
BDM Match (97%)	Christin Jensen	Ellen Susan Franklyn
	💍 1908/4738
Condition	Bachelor	Widow
Profession	Mariner	Domestic duties
Age	39	35
Dwelling Place	On board S.S. 'Alexander'	Waimea Rd., Nelson
Length of Residence		5 years
Marriage Place	St. Mary's Church, Manuka Street, Nelson
Folio	08/3214
Consent
Date of Certificate	13 January 1908
Officiating Minister	Rev. J. D. Clancy, Roman Catholic Priest, Nelson

22 January 1908

Douglas Elmsly Boon
Olive Joe Wastney

Douglas Elmsly Boon
Olive Zoe Wastney
💍 1908/1157

Bachelor
Spinster

Farmer
Domestic duties

25
26

Collingwood St. Nelson
Wakapuaka

25 years
8 years

St. Andrew's Church, Wakapuaka

08/1177

22 January 1908

Rev. A. C. Carr, Church of England Minister, Wakapuaka

No	5
Date of Notice	22 January 1908
	Groom	Bride
Names of Parties	Douglas Elmsly Boon	Olive Joe Wastney
BDM Match (97%)	Douglas Elmsly Boon	Olive Zoe Wastney
	💍 1908/1157
Condition	Bachelor	Spinster
Profession	Farmer	Domestic duties
Age	25	26
Dwelling Place	Collingwood St. Nelson	Wakapuaka
Length of Residence	25 years	8 years
Marriage Place	St. Andrew's Church, Wakapuaka
Folio	08/1177
Consent
Date of Certificate	22 January 1908
Officiating Minister	Rev. A. C. Carr, Church of England Minister, Wakapuaka

31 January 1908

Joseph William Nesbit
Helen Grace Jeffries

Joseph William Nesbitt
Helen Grace Jefferies
💍 1908/15

Bachelor
Spinster

Labourer
Domestic duties

20
21

Harley St., Nelson
New Street, Nelson

20 years
10 years

Residence of Helen Grace Jeffries, New Street, Nelson

08/1187

Charles Frederick Nesbit, father

31 January 1908

Rev. C. H. Garland, Methodist Minister, Nelson

No	6
Date of Notice	31 January 1908
	Groom	Bride
Names of Parties	Joseph William Nesbit	Helen Grace Jeffries
BDM Match (95%)	Joseph William Nesbitt	Helen Grace Jefferies
	💍 1908/15
Condition	Bachelor	Spinster
Profession	Labourer	Domestic duties
Age	20	21
Dwelling Place	Harley St., Nelson	New Street, Nelson
Length of Residence	20 years	10 years
Marriage Place	Residence of Helen Grace Jeffries, New Street, Nelson
Folio	08/1187
Consent	Charles Frederick Nesbit, father
Date of Certificate	31 January 1908
Officiating Minister	Rev. C. H. Garland, Methodist Minister, Nelson

6 February 1908

Alexander Brown
Lizzie Witney

Alexander Brown
Ellen Voss Witney
💍 1908/1144

Alexander Brown
Elizabeth Jessie Smith
💍 1908/3728

Alexander Brown
Jessie Adelaide Higgins
💍 1908/1577

Alexander Brown
Jessie Rubina Mills
💍 1908/5540

Bachelor
Spinster

Watchmaker
Domestic duties

31
24

Hardy Street, Nelson
Weka St., Nelson

28 years
10 years

Baptist Church, Bridge Street, Nelson

08/1188

6 February 1908

Rev. C. H. Garland, Methodist Minister, Nelson

No	7
Date of Notice	6 February 1908
	Groom	Bride
Names of Parties	Alexander Brown	Lizzie Witney
BDM Match (71%)	Alexander Brown	Ellen Voss Witney
	💍 1908/1144
BDM Match (61%)	Alexander Brown	Elizabeth Jessie Smith
	💍 1908/3728
BDM Match (61%)	Alexander Brown	Jessie Adelaide Higgins
	💍 1908/1577
BDM Match (61%)	Alexander Brown	Jessie Rubina Mills
	💍 1908/5540
Condition	Bachelor	Spinster
Profession	Watchmaker	Domestic duties
Age	31	24
Dwelling Place	Hardy Street, Nelson	Weka St., Nelson
Length of Residence	28 years	10 years
Marriage Place	Baptist Church, Bridge Street, Nelson
Folio	08/1188
Consent
Date of Certificate	6 February 1908
Officiating Minister	Rev. C. H. Garland, Methodist Minister, Nelson

7 February 1908

Massimo Bitossi
Amy Talbot

Massimo Bitossi
Amy Talbot
💍 1908/1135

Bachelor
Spinster

Labourer
Domestic duties

23
22

Haven Rd., Nelson
Haven Rd., Nelson

4 days
19 years

Office of Registrar of Marriages, Nelson

08/1178

7 February 1908

G. R. Selby, Deputy Registrar of Marriages, Nelson

No	8
Date of Notice	7 February 1908
	Groom	Bride
Names of Parties	Massimo Bitossi	Amy Talbot
	💍 1908/1135
Condition	Bachelor	Spinster
Profession	Labourer	Domestic duties
Age	23	22
Dwelling Place	Haven Rd., Nelson	Haven Rd., Nelson
Length of Residence	4 days	19 years
Marriage Place	Office of Registrar of Marriages, Nelson
Folio	08/1178
Consent
Date of Certificate	7 February 1908
Officiating Minister	G. R. Selby, Deputy Registrar of Marriages, Nelson

14 February 1908

Roderick Goodman
Beatrice Irene Inwood

Roderick Goodman
Beatrice Irene Inwood
💍 1908/1136

Bachelor
Spinster

Glazier
Domestic duties

23
18

Waimea St., Nelson
Richmond

11 months
3 days

Office of Registrar of Marriages, Nelson

08/1179

Alfred Inwood, father

14 February 1908

G. R. Selby, Deputy Registrar of Marriages, Nelson

No	9
Date of Notice	14 February 1908
	Groom	Bride
Names of Parties	Roderick Goodman	Beatrice Irene Inwood
	💍 1908/1136
Condition	Bachelor	Spinster
Profession	Glazier	Domestic duties
Age	23	18
Dwelling Place	Waimea St., Nelson	Richmond
Length of Residence	11 months	3 days
Marriage Place	Office of Registrar of Marriages, Nelson
Folio	08/1179
Consent	Alfred Inwood, father
Date of Certificate	14 February 1908
Officiating Minister	G. R. Selby, Deputy Registrar of Marriages, Nelson

14 February 1908

Philip Henry Wootton
Dora Hollis

Philip Henry Woottoro
Dora Hollis
💍 1908/1137

Bachelor
Spinster

Labourer
Domestic duties

24
21

Hampden St., Nelson
Hampden St., Nelson

6 months
5 months

Office of Registrar of Marriages, Nelson

08/1180

14 February 1908

G. R. Selby, Deputy Registrar of Marriages, Nelson

No	10
Date of Notice	14 February 1908
	Groom	Bride
Names of Parties	Philip Henry Wootton	Dora Hollis
BDM Match (95%)	Philip Henry Woottoro	Dora Hollis
	💍 1908/1137
Condition	Bachelor	Spinster
Profession	Labourer	Domestic duties
Age	24	21
Dwelling Place	Hampden St., Nelson	Hampden St., Nelson
Length of Residence	6 months	5 months
Marriage Place	Office of Registrar of Marriages, Nelson
Folio	08/1180
Consent
Date of Certificate	14 February 1908
Officiating Minister	G. R. Selby, Deputy Registrar of Marriages, Nelson

18 February 1908

George Gordon Stewart
Florence Mary Wise

George Gordon Stewart
Florence Mary Wise
💍 1908/1148

Bachelor
Spinster

Railway Clerk
Sailoress

26
26

Hardy St., Nelson
Manuka St., Nelson

6 years
26 years

Presbyterian Church, Nile St. East, Nelson

08/1191

18 February 1908

Rev. J. H. Mackenzie, Presbyterian Minister, Nelson

No	11
Date of Notice	18 February 1908
	Groom	Bride
Names of Parties	George Gordon Stewart	Florence Mary Wise
	💍 1908/1148
Condition	Bachelor	Spinster
Profession	Railway Clerk	Sailoress
Age	26	26
Dwelling Place	Hardy St., Nelson	Manuka St., Nelson
Length of Residence	6 years	26 years
Marriage Place	Presbyterian Church, Nile St. East, Nelson
Folio	08/1191
Consent
Date of Certificate	18 February 1908
Officiating Minister	Rev. J. H. Mackenzie, Presbyterian Minister, Nelson

24 February 1908

John Bartlett Ingram
Phoebe Maria Davey

John Bartlett Ingram
Phoebe Maria Davey
💍 1908/1138

Widower
Spinster

Labourer
Domestic Servant

38
21

New Street, Nelson
Bridge Street, Nelson

5 years
2 months

Office of Registrar of Marriages, Nelson

08/1181

24 February 1908

S. Blomfield, Registrar of Marriages, Nelson

No	12
Date of Notice	24 February 1908
	Groom	Bride
Names of Parties	John Bartlett Ingram	Phoebe Maria Davey
	💍 1908/1138
Condition	Widower	Spinster
Profession	Labourer	Domestic Servant
Age	38	21
Dwelling Place	New Street, Nelson	Bridge Street, Nelson
Length of Residence	5 years	2 months
Marriage Place	Office of Registrar of Marriages, Nelson
Folio	08/1181
Consent
Date of Certificate	24 February 1908
Officiating Minister	S. Blomfield, Registrar of Marriages, Nelson

24 February 1908

Robert James Oliver
Frances Philpott

Robert James Oliver
Frances Philpott
💍 1908/4735

Bachelor
Spinster

Tailor
Sailoress

26
24

Washington Valley, Nelson
Kawhia St., Nelson

3 months
3 months

Roman Catholic Presbytery, Manuka Street, Nelson

08/3212

24 February 1908

Rev. J. D. Clancy, Roman Catholic Priest, Nelson

No	13
Date of Notice	24 February 1908
	Groom	Bride
Names of Parties	Robert James Oliver	Frances Philpott
	💍 1908/4735
Condition	Bachelor	Spinster
Profession	Tailor	Sailoress
Age	26	24
Dwelling Place	Washington Valley, Nelson	Kawhia St., Nelson
Length of Residence	3 months	3 months
Marriage Place	Roman Catholic Presbytery, Manuka Street, Nelson
Folio	08/3212
Consent
Date of Certificate	24 February 1908
Officiating Minister	Rev. J. D. Clancy, Roman Catholic Priest, Nelson

24 February 1908

Charles McLean
Florence Eveline Atkinson

Charles McLean
Florence Eveline Atkinson
💍 1908/1149

Bachelor
Spinster

Baker
Domestic duties

22
22

Waimea St., Nelson
Trafalgar St. North, Nelson

15 months
22 years

Presbyterian Church, Nile St. East, Nelson

08/1192

24 February 1908

Rev. J. H. Mackenzie, Presbyterian Minister, Nelson

No	14
Date of Notice	24 February 1908
	Groom	Bride
Names of Parties	Charles McLean	Florence Eveline Atkinson
	💍 1908/1149
Condition	Bachelor	Spinster
Profession	Baker	Domestic duties
Age	22	22
Dwelling Place	Waimea St., Nelson	Trafalgar St. North, Nelson
Length of Residence	15 months	22 years
Marriage Place	Presbyterian Church, Nile St. East, Nelson
Folio	08/1192
Consent
Date of Certificate	24 February 1908
Officiating Minister	Rev. J. H. Mackenzie, Presbyterian Minister, Nelson

2 March 1908

Benjamin Trathen
Ellen Voss Smith

Benjamin Frathen
Ellen Voss Smith
💍 1908/1143

Bachelor
Spinster

Draper
Shop-assistant

33
23

Alton St., Nelson
St. Vincent St., Nelson

2 3/4 years
4 years

St. John's Church, Hardy Street, Nelson

08/1186

2 March 1908

Rev. Stanley Jenkin, Baptist Minister, Nelson

No	15
Date of Notice	2 March 1908
	Groom	Bride
Names of Parties	Benjamin Trathen	Ellen Voss Smith
BDM Match (97%)	Benjamin Frathen	Ellen Voss Smith
	💍 1908/1143
Condition	Bachelor	Spinster
Profession	Draper	Shop-assistant
Age	33	23
Dwelling Place	Alton St., Nelson	St. Vincent St., Nelson
Length of Residence	2 3/4 years	4 years
Marriage Place	St. John's Church, Hardy Street, Nelson
Folio	08/1186
Consent
Date of Certificate	2 March 1908
Officiating Minister	Rev. Stanley Jenkin, Baptist Minister, Nelson

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).