Intentions to Marry, 1908 Canterbury, Otago, Chatham Islands

Reference: Registrar-General of Births, Deaths and Marriages, Notices of intention to marry, Series 8937, R2840438, 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 465

District of Dunedin Quarter ending 31 December 1908 Registrar Henry Maxwell

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

534

29 October 1908

John Anderson Armit
Mary Elizabeth Hicks

John Anderson Armit
Mary Elizabeth Hicks
💍 1908/8470

Bachelor
Spinster

Storeman
Tailoress

26
26

Roslyn
South Dunedin

26 years

In St. Peter's Church, Caversham

08/7928

29 October 1908

Rev. R. M. King

No	534
Date of Notice	29 October 1908
	Groom	Bride
Names of Parties	John Anderson Armit	Mary Elizabeth Hicks
	💍 1908/8470
Condition	Bachelor	Spinster
Profession	Storeman	Tailoress
Age	26	26
Dwelling Place	Roslyn	South Dunedin
Length of Residence	26 years
Marriage Place	In St. Peter's Church, Caversham
Folio	08/7928
Consent
Date of Certificate	29 October 1908
Officiating Minister	Rev. R. M. King

535

29 October 1908

Francis Henry Crosby
Maria Holden

Francis Henry Godby
Maria Holden
💍 1908/3183

Bachelor
Spinster

Labourer
Weaver

23
27

Dunedin
Roslyn

23 years
10 years

In the house of Mrs. J. Holden, Kaikorai Road, Roslyn

08/8005

29 October 1908

Rev. T. J. Wallis

No	535
Date of Notice	29 October 1908
	Groom	Bride
Names of Parties	Francis Henry Crosby	Maria Holden
BDM Match (93%)	Francis Henry Godby	Maria Holden
	💍 1908/3183
Condition	Bachelor	Spinster
Profession	Labourer	Weaver
Age	23	27
Dwelling Place	Dunedin	Roslyn
Length of Residence	23 years	10 years
Marriage Place	In the house of Mrs. J. Holden, Kaikorai Road, Roslyn
Folio	08/8005
Consent
Date of Certificate	29 October 1908
Officiating Minister	Rev. T. J. Wallis

536

30 October 1908

John Black Nelson
Grace Ethel Watts

John Black Nelsen
Grace Ethel Watts
💍 1908/8471

Bachelor
Spinster

Watchmaker

39
26

St. Kilda
Dunedin

4 days
23 years

In St. Paul's Cathedral, Dunedin

08/7929

30 October 1908

Rev. H. G. Gould

No	536
Date of Notice	30 October 1908
	Groom	Bride
Names of Parties	John Black Nelson	Grace Ethel Watts
BDM Match (97%)	John Black Nelsen	Grace Ethel Watts
	💍 1908/8471
Condition	Bachelor	Spinster
Profession	Watchmaker
Age	39	26
Dwelling Place	St. Kilda	Dunedin
Length of Residence	4 days	23 years
Marriage Place	In St. Paul's Cathedral, Dunedin
Folio	08/7929
Consent
Date of Certificate	30 October 1908
Officiating Minister	Rev. H. G. Gould

537

31 October 1908

Robert McFee McAlpine
Catherine Young

Robert McGee McAlpine
Catherine Young
💍 1908/8457

Bachelor
Spinster

Commercial Traveller

34
24

Dunedin
Dunedin

10 years
9 years

In the Office of the Registrar of Marriages, Dunedin

08/7906

31 October 1908

Henry Maxwell

No	537
Date of Notice	31 October 1908
	Groom	Bride
Names of Parties	Robert McFee McAlpine	Catherine Young
BDM Match (98%)	Robert McGee McAlpine	Catherine Young
	💍 1908/8457
Condition	Bachelor	Spinster
Profession	Commercial Traveller
Age	34	24
Dwelling Place	Dunedin	Dunedin
Length of Residence	10 years	9 years
Marriage Place	In the Office of the Registrar of Marriages, Dunedin
Folio	08/7906
Consent
Date of Certificate	31 October 1908
Officiating Minister	Henry Maxwell

538

2 November 1908

Harry Willis
Evelyn Runciman

Harry Willis
Evelyn Runciman
💍 1908/3177

Bachelor
Spinster

Machinist
Tailoress

28
29

Dunedin
Dunedin

6 years
18 years

In the house of Mrs. W. E. Runciman, 362 King Street, Dunedin

08/8000

2 November 1908

Rev. E. O. Blamires

No	538
Date of Notice	2 November 1908
	Groom	Bride
Names of Parties	Harry Willis	Evelyn Runciman
	💍 1908/3177
Condition	Bachelor	Spinster
Profession	Machinist	Tailoress
Age	28	29
Dwelling Place	Dunedin	Dunedin
Length of Residence	6 years	18 years
Marriage Place	In the house of Mrs. W. E. Runciman, 362 King Street, Dunedin
Folio	08/8000
Consent
Date of Certificate	2 November 1908
Officiating Minister	Rev. E. O. Blamires

539

2 November 1908

Andrew Miller Garden
Vida Vera McEachern

Andrew Miller Garden
Vida Vera McEachern
💍 1908/3542

Bachelor
Spinster

Iron Turner
Typist

25
24

Dunedin
Caversham

9 years
14 years

In the house of Mrs. M. McEachern, 12 Phillips Street, Caversham

08/8371

2 November 1908

Rev. W. Rigg

No	539
Date of Notice	2 November 1908
	Groom	Bride
Names of Parties	Andrew Miller Garden	Vida Vera McEachern
	💍 1908/3542
Condition	Bachelor	Spinster
Profession	Iron Turner	Typist
Age	25	24
Dwelling Place	Dunedin	Caversham
Length of Residence	9 years	14 years
Marriage Place	In the house of Mrs. M. McEachern, 12 Phillips Street, Caversham
Folio	08/8371
Consent
Date of Certificate	2 November 1908
Officiating Minister	Rev. W. Rigg

540

2 November 1908

Thomas Wilson
Flora Gordon Johnston

Thomas Wilson
Flora Gordon Johnston
💍 1908/3124

Bachelor
Spinster

Warehouseman

30
30

Roslyn
Roslyn

4 years
8 years

In the house of Mrs. A. E. Johnston, 33 Corairoa Road, Roslyn

08/7947

Euphemia Johnston, Mother

2 November 1908

Rev. R. Q. M. Sutherland

No	540
Date of Notice	2 November 1908
	Groom	Bride
Names of Parties	Thomas Wilson	Flora Gordon Johnston
	💍 1908/3124
Condition	Bachelor	Spinster
Profession	Warehouseman
Age	30	30
Dwelling Place	Roslyn	Roslyn
Length of Residence	4 years	8 years
Marriage Place	In the house of Mrs. A. E. Johnston, 33 Corairoa Road, Roslyn
Folio	08/7947
Consent	Euphemia Johnston, Mother
Date of Certificate	2 November 1908
Officiating Minister	Rev. R. Q. M. Sutherland

541

2 November 1908

Thomas Henry Gilway
Isabella Grant

Thomas Henry Gilway
Isabella Grant
💍 1908/3108

Bachelor
Spinster

Carpenter
Dressmaker

38
42

Dunedin
Dunedin

4 years
42 years

In the Office of the Registrar of Marriages, Dunedin

08/7905

2 November 1908

H. Maxwell

No	541
Date of Notice	2 November 1908
	Groom	Bride
Names of Parties	Thomas Henry Gilway	Isabella Grant
	💍 1908/3108
Condition	Bachelor	Spinster
Profession	Carpenter	Dressmaker
Age	38	42
Dwelling Place	Dunedin	Dunedin
Length of Residence	4 years	42 years
Marriage Place	In the Office of the Registrar of Marriages, Dunedin
Folio	08/7905
Consent
Date of Certificate	2 November 1908
Officiating Minister	H. Maxwell

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).