Intentions to Marry, 1909 Canterbury, Otago, Chatham Islands

Reference: Registrar-General of Births, Deaths and Marriages, Notices of intention to marry, Series 8937, R2840441, 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 144

District of Geraldine Quarter ending 31 March 1909 Registrar Agnes Andrews

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

785

8 January 1909

George Hall
Fanny Stevenson

George Hall
Fanny Stevenson
💍 1909/6667

Bachelor
Spinster

Farm Labourer
Domestic Servant

23
20

Gapes' Valley
Beautiful Valley

18 years
2 years

In the House of Mr. Thomas Stevenson, Beautiful Valley

09/1362

Thomas Stevenson, Father

8 January 1909

Rev. Staples Hamilton (Church of England)

No	785
Date of Notice	8 January 1909
	Groom	Bride
Names of Parties	George Hall	Fanny Stevenson
	💍 1909/6667
Condition	Bachelor	Spinster
Profession	Farm Labourer	Domestic Servant
Age	23	20
Dwelling Place	Gapes' Valley	Beautiful Valley
Length of Residence	18 years	2 years
Marriage Place	In the House of Mr. Thomas Stevenson, Beautiful Valley
Folio	09/1362
Consent	Thomas Stevenson, Father
Date of Certificate	8 January 1909
Officiating Minister	Rev. Staples Hamilton (Church of England)

786

8 January 1909

George Worner
Emily Esther Ford

George Worner
Emily Esther Ford
💍 1909/6668

Bachelor
Spinster

Butcher
Domestic Duties

39
24

Geraldine
Belfield

7 years
24 years

Church of the Holy Trinity

09/1363

8 January 1909

Rev. Staples Hamilton (Church of England)

No	786
Date of Notice	8 January 1909
	Groom	Bride
Names of Parties	George Worner	Emily Esther Ford
	💍 1909/6668
Condition	Bachelor	Spinster
Profession	Butcher	Domestic Duties
Age	39	24
Dwelling Place	Geraldine	Belfield
Length of Residence	7 years	24 years
Marriage Place	Church of the Holy Trinity
Folio	09/1363
Consent
Date of Certificate	8 January 1909
Officiating Minister	Rev. Staples Hamilton (Church of England)

787

19 January 1909

William Taylor
Margaret Sharp

William Taylor
Margaret Sharpe
💍 1909/6679

William Henry Taylor
Margaret Chirnside
💍 1909/2425

Bachelor
Spinster

Farmer
Domestic Duties

44
42

Hilton
Hilton

3 days
42 years

Roman Catholic Church

09/1376

19 January 1909

Very Rev. H. G. Bowers (Roman Catholic)

No	787
Date of Notice	19 January 1909
	Groom	Bride
Names of Parties	William Taylor	Margaret Sharp
BDM Match (97%)	William Taylor	Margaret Sharpe
	💍 1909/6679
BDM Match (66%)	William Henry Taylor	Margaret Chirnside
	💍 1909/2425
Condition	Bachelor	Spinster
Profession	Farmer	Domestic Duties
Age	44	42
Dwelling Place	Hilton	Hilton
Length of Residence	3 days	42 years
Marriage Place	Roman Catholic Church
Folio	09/1376
Consent
Date of Certificate	19 January 1909
Officiating Minister	Very Rev. H. G. Bowers (Roman Catholic)

788

16 February 1909

William Henry Orbell
Lucy Gwendolen Lyon

William Henry Orbell
Lucy Gwendolen Lyon
💍 1909/7754

Bachelor
Spinster

Farmer
Domestic Duties

28
24

Woodbury
Woodbury

3 days
4 years

St. Thomas' Church, Woodbury

09/1364

16 February 1909

Rev. Staples Hamilton (Church of England)

No	788
Date of Notice	16 February 1909
	Groom	Bride
Names of Parties	William Henry Orbell	Lucy Gwendolen Lyon
	💍 1909/7754
Condition	Bachelor	Spinster
Profession	Farmer	Domestic Duties
Age	28	24
Dwelling Place	Woodbury	Woodbury
Length of Residence	3 days	4 years
Marriage Place	St. Thomas' Church, Woodbury
Folio	09/1364
Consent
Date of Certificate	16 February 1909
Officiating Minister	Rev. Staples Hamilton (Church of England)

789

19 February 1909

James Henry Harris
Alice Jane Bateman

James Henry Harris
Alice Jane Bateman
💍 1909/6676

Bachelor
Spinster

Musterer
General Servant

25
20

Woodbury
Arundel

25 years
4 years

Public Hall, Arundel

09/1365

Frederick Bateman, Father

19 February 1909

Rev. Staples Hamilton (Church of England)

No	789
Date of Notice	19 February 1909
	Groom	Bride
Names of Parties	James Henry Harris	Alice Jane Bateman
	💍 1909/6676
Condition	Bachelor	Spinster
Profession	Musterer	General Servant
Age	25	20
Dwelling Place	Woodbury	Arundel
Length of Residence	25 years	4 years
Marriage Place	Public Hall, Arundel
Folio	09/1365
Consent	Frederick Bateman, Father
Date of Certificate	19 February 1909
Officiating Minister	Rev. Staples Hamilton (Church of England)

790

5 March 1909

Richard Jackman Burgess
Florence Burgess

Richard Jackman
Florence Burgess
💍 1909/1338

Widower
Widow

Blacksmith
Housekeeper

44
28

Arundel
Arundel

8 years
2 years

Registrar's Office, Geraldine

09/1207

5 March 1909

A. Andrews, Registrar

No	790
Date of Notice	5 March 1909
	Groom	Bride
Names of Parties	Richard Jackman Burgess	Florence Burgess
BDM Match (83%)	Richard Jackman	Florence Burgess
	💍 1909/1338
Condition	Widower	Widow
Profession	Blacksmith	Housekeeper
Age	44	28
Dwelling Place	Arundel	Arundel
Length of Residence	8 years	2 years
Marriage Place	Registrar's Office, Geraldine
Folio	09/1207
Consent
Date of Certificate	5 March 1909
Officiating Minister	A. Andrews, Registrar

791

13 March 1909

Sydney Richard Maxwell
Elizabeth Chalmers

Sydney Rickard
Elizabeth Chalmers Maxwell
💍 1909/6685

Bachelor
Spinster

Farmer
Domestic Duties

27
23

Hinds
Waihimonoana

1 year
4 years

Presbyterian Church, Ashburton

09/1382

13 March 1909

Rev. A. Bruce Todd (Presbyterian)

No	791
Date of Notice	13 March 1909
	Groom	Bride
Names of Parties	Sydney Richard Maxwell	Elizabeth Chalmers
BDM Match (64%)	Sydney Rickard	Elizabeth Chalmers Maxwell
	💍 1909/6685
Condition	Bachelor	Spinster
Profession	Farmer	Domestic Duties
Age	27	23
Dwelling Place	Hinds	Waihimonoana
Length of Residence	1 year	4 years
Marriage Place	Presbyterian Church, Ashburton
Folio	09/1382
Consent
Date of Certificate	13 March 1909
Officiating Minister	Rev. A. Bruce Todd (Presbyterian)

792

31 March 1909

John Flint Clark
Jane Roven Russell

John Flint Clark
Jane Proctor Russell
💍 1909/6686

Bachelor
Spinster

Tram Conductor
Domestic Duties

22
20

Geraldine Downs
Geraldine Downs

3 days
4 years

In the House of Mr. William Russell, Geraldine Downs

09/1383

William Russell, Father

31 March 1909

Rev. A. Bruce Todd (Presbyterian)

No	792
Date of Notice	31 March 1909
	Groom	Bride
Names of Parties	John Flint Clark	Jane Roven Russell
BDM Match (85%)	John Flint Clark	Jane Proctor Russell
	💍 1909/6686
Condition	Bachelor	Spinster
Profession	Tram Conductor	Domestic Duties
Age	22	20
Dwelling Place	Geraldine Downs	Geraldine Downs
Length of Residence	3 days	4 years
Marriage Place	In the House of Mr. William Russell, Geraldine Downs
Folio	09/1383
Consent	William Russell, Father
Date of Certificate	31 March 1909
Officiating Minister	Rev. A. Bruce Todd (Presbyterian)

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).