Intentions to Marry, 1909 Wellington, Marlborough, Nelson, Westland

Reference: Registrar-General of Births, Deaths and Marriages, Notices of intention to marry, Series 8937, R2840440, Archives New Zealand Te Rua Mahara o te Kāwanatanga, Wellington

1909 is bound in three volumes - Auckland, Taranaki, Hawke's Bay (1909a), Wellington, Marlborough, Nelson, Westland (1909b), and Canterbury, Otago, Chatham Islands (1909c).

Page 138

District of Masterton Quarter ending 31 March 1909 Registrar William Miller Easthope

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 1909

Francis Thomas Brown
Wilhelmina Croft Langley

Francis Thomas Brown
Wilhelmina Croft Langley
💍 1909/816

Bachelor
Spinster

Labourer
Domestic Duties

26
18

Masterton
Masterton

6 years
18 years

Wesleyan Parsonage Masterton

09/705

Fanny Langley Mother

2 January 1909

Rev. J. Newman Buttle Wesleyan

No	1
Date of Notice	2 January 1909
	Groom	Bride
Names of Parties	Francis Thomas Brown	Wilhelmina Croft Langley
	💍 1909/816
Condition	Bachelor	Spinster
Profession	Labourer	Domestic Duties
Age	26	18
Dwelling Place	Masterton	Masterton
Length of Residence	6 years	18 years
Marriage Place	Wesleyan Parsonage Masterton
Folio	09/705
Consent	Fanny Langley Mother
Date of Certificate	2 January 1909
Officiating Minister	Rev. J. Newman Buttle Wesleyan

8 January 1909

George Sydney Bennett
Katie Oldham

George Sydney Connett
Katie Oldham
💍 1909/669

Bachelor
Spinster

Railway Guard
Waitress

30
26

Masterton
Masterton

2 years
15 months

Knox Church Masterton

09/556

8 January 1909

Rev. Alex. J. Thompson Presbyterian

No	2
Date of Notice	8 January 1909
	Groom	Bride
Names of Parties	George Sydney Bennett	Katie Oldham
BDM Match (95%)	George Sydney Connett	Katie Oldham
	💍 1909/669
Condition	Bachelor	Spinster
Profession	Railway Guard	Waitress
Age	30	26
Dwelling Place	Masterton	Masterton
Length of Residence	2 years	15 months
Marriage Place	Knox Church Masterton
Folio	09/556
Consent
Date of Certificate	8 January 1909
Officiating Minister	Rev. Alex. J. Thompson Presbyterian

9 January 1909

Sydney Thomas Taylor
Mary Anne Caroline Reed

Sydney Thomas Taylor
Mary Anne Caroline Reed
💍 1909/668

Bachelor
Spinster

Railway Fireman
Domestic Duties

24
21

Masterton
Masterton

3 years
10 years

Knox Church Masterton

09/555

9 January 1909

Rev Alex. J. Thompson Presbyterian

No	3
Date of Notice	9 January 1909
	Groom	Bride
Names of Parties	Sydney Thomas Taylor	Mary Anne Caroline Reed
	💍 1909/668
Condition	Bachelor	Spinster
Profession	Railway Fireman	Domestic Duties
Age	24	21
Dwelling Place	Masterton	Masterton
Length of Residence	3 years	10 years
Marriage Place	Knox Church Masterton
Folio	09/555
Consent
Date of Certificate	9 January 1909
Officiating Minister	Rev Alex. J. Thompson Presbyterian

11 January 1909

Herbert Sykes Haughton
May Hester Fuller

Herbert Sykes Claughton
May Hester Fuller
💍 1909/1010

Bachelor
Spinster

Organist & Musician
Domestic Duties

32
23

Masterton
Masterton

15 months
10 years

St Matthews Church Masterton

09/797

11 January 1909

Rev Herbert Watson Anglican

No	4
Date of Notice	11 January 1909
	Groom	Bride
Names of Parties	Herbert Sykes Haughton	May Hester Fuller
BDM Match (96%)	Herbert Sykes Claughton	May Hester Fuller
	💍 1909/1010
Condition	Bachelor	Spinster
Profession	Organist & Musician	Domestic Duties
Age	32	23
Dwelling Place	Masterton	Masterton
Length of Residence	15 months	10 years
Marriage Place	St Matthews Church Masterton
Folio	09/797
Consent
Date of Certificate	11 January 1909
Officiating Minister	Rev Herbert Watson Anglican

18 January 1909

Thomas Alfred Carr
Maria Jane Liddington

Thomas Alfred Carr
Maria Jane Liddington
💍 1909/3317

Widower
Spinster

Brickmaker
Domestic Duties

35
34

Masterton
Masterton

12 years
34 years

The house of George Butcher Dixon Street Masterton

09/4573

18 January 1909

Rev John. J. Pendray Wesleyan

No	5
Date of Notice	18 January 1909
	Groom	Bride
Names of Parties	Thomas Alfred Carr	Maria Jane Liddington
	💍 1909/3317
Condition	Widower	Spinster
Profession	Brickmaker	Domestic Duties
Age	35	34
Dwelling Place	Masterton	Masterton
Length of Residence	12 years	34 years
Marriage Place	The house of George Butcher Dixon Street Masterton
Folio	09/4573
Consent
Date of Certificate	18 January 1909
Officiating Minister	Rev John. J. Pendray Wesleyan

25 January 1909

Rupert Salmon
Christina Grace Dobson

Rupert Salmon
Christina Grace Dobson
💍 1909/827

Bachelor
Spinster

Baker
Domestic Duties

38
25

Masterton
Masterton

3 years
2 years

The dwelling house of William Dobson, Lansdown

09/706

25 January 1909

Rev. J. Newman Buttle Wesleyan

No	6
Date of Notice	25 January 1909
	Groom	Bride
Names of Parties	Rupert Salmon	Christina Grace Dobson
	💍 1909/827
Condition	Bachelor	Spinster
Profession	Baker	Domestic Duties
Age	38	25
Dwelling Place	Masterton	Masterton
Length of Residence	3 years	2 years
Marriage Place	The dwelling house of William Dobson, Lansdown
Folio	09/706
Consent
Date of Certificate	25 January 1909
Officiating Minister	Rev. J. Newman Buttle Wesleyan

25 January 1909

Oliver Sidney Shute
Jessie Budd

Oliver Sidney Shute
Jessie Budd
💍 1909/834

Bachelor
Spinster

Farmer
Domestic Servant

21
21

Masterton
Masterton

5 years
1 year

The dwelling house of William Leng, Kuripuni

09/708

25 January 1909

Rev J. Newman Buttle Wesleyan

No	7
Date of Notice	25 January 1909
	Groom	Bride
Names of Parties	Oliver Sidney Shute	Jessie Budd
	💍 1909/834
Condition	Bachelor	Spinster
Profession	Farmer	Domestic Servant
Age	21	21
Dwelling Place	Masterton	Masterton
Length of Residence	5 years	1 year
Marriage Place	The dwelling house of William Leng, Kuripuni
Folio	09/708
Consent
Date of Certificate	25 January 1909
Officiating Minister	Rev J. Newman Buttle Wesleyan

26 January 1909

Frederick John Lewin
Mary Theresa Williams

Frederick John Lewin
Mary Theresa Williams
💍 1909/4071

Bachelor
Spinster

Railway Engine Driver
Dressmaker

24
29

Masterton
Masterton

3 days
20 years

St. Patricks Church Masterton

09/2484

26 January 1909

Rev. John Kelly Roman Catholic

No	8
Date of Notice	26 January 1909
	Groom	Bride
Names of Parties	Frederick John Lewin	Mary Theresa Williams
	💍 1909/4071
Condition	Bachelor	Spinster
Profession	Railway Engine Driver	Dressmaker
Age	24	29
Dwelling Place	Masterton	Masterton
Length of Residence	3 days	20 years
Marriage Place	St. Patricks Church Masterton
Folio	09/2484
Consent
Date of Certificate	26 January 1909
Officiating Minister	Rev. John Kelly Roman Catholic

28 January 1909

James Blackley
Olive Wilton

James Blackley
Olive Wilton
💍 1909/680

Bachelor
Spinster

Mail Contractor
Domestic Duties

45
23

Bideford
Bideford

9 years
13 years

The dwelling house of Jesse Wilton, Bideford

09/557

28 January 1909

Rev. Alex. J. Thompson Presbyterian

No	9
Date of Notice	28 January 1909
	Groom	Bride
Names of Parties	James Blackley	Olive Wilton
	💍 1909/680
Condition	Bachelor	Spinster
Profession	Mail Contractor	Domestic Duties
Age	45	23
Dwelling Place	Bideford	Bideford
Length of Residence	9 years	13 years
Marriage Place	The dwelling house of Jesse Wilton, Bideford
Folio	09/557
Consent
Date of Certificate	28 January 1909
Officiating Minister	Rev. Alex. J. Thompson Presbyterian

1 February 1909

Frederick William Henry Young
Hannah McMahon

Fredrick William Henry Young
Hannah McMahon
💍 1909/833

Bachelor
Spinster

Photographer
Domestic Servant

30
22

Masterton
Masterton

3 years
8 months

The dwelling house of Bertha Hurse 21 Church Street Masterton

09/707

Bertha Hurse Mother

1 February 1909

Rev. J. Newman Buttle Wesleyan

No	10
Date of Notice	1 February 1909
	Groom	Bride
Names of Parties	Frederick William Henry Young	Hannah McMahon
BDM Match (98%)	Fredrick William Henry Young	Hannah McMahon
	💍 1909/833
Condition	Bachelor	Spinster
Profession	Photographer	Domestic Servant
Age	30	22
Dwelling Place	Masterton	Masterton
Length of Residence	3 years	8 months
Marriage Place	The dwelling house of Bertha Hurse 21 Church Street Masterton
Folio	09/707
Consent	Bertha Hurse Mother
Date of Certificate	1 February 1909
Officiating Minister	Rev. J. Newman Buttle Wesleyan

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).