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 267

District of Temuka Quarter ending 31 December 1909 Registrar A. W. Wintesburn

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

6 October 1909

Charles Francis Hearn
Elsie Watts

Charles Francis Hearn
Elsie Watty
💍 1909/5897

Bachelor
Spinster

Farmer
Domestic Servant

30
29

Rangitala Island
Rangitala Island

22 years
26 years

Residence of Mr. Hearn, Rangitala Island

09/7475

6 October 1909

Rev. C. Macdonald

No	47
Date of Notice	6 October 1909
	Groom	Bride
Names of Parties	Charles Francis Hearn	Elsie Watts
BDM Match (95%)	Charles Francis Hearn	Elsie Watty
	💍 1909/5897
Condition	Bachelor	Spinster
Profession	Farmer	Domestic Servant
Age	30	29
Dwelling Place	Rangitala Island	Rangitala Island
Length of Residence	22 years	26 years
Marriage Place	Residence of Mr. Hearn, Rangitala Island
Folio	09/7475
Consent
Date of Certificate	6 October 1909
Officiating Minister	Rev. C. Macdonald

9 October 1909

Henry Bernard McShane
Anne Earl

Henry Bernard McShane
Annie Earl
💍 1909/6158

Bachelor
Spinster

Farmer

33
25

Orari
Geraldine

8 years
25 years

Roman Catholic Church, Geraldine

09/7438

9 October 1909

Rev. Fr. Bowers

No	48
Date of Notice	9 October 1909
	Groom	Bride
Names of Parties	Henry Bernard McShane	Anne Earl
BDM Match (95%)	Henry Bernard McShane	Annie Earl
	💍 1909/6158
Condition	Bachelor	Spinster
Profession	Farmer
Age	33	25
Dwelling Place	Orari	Geraldine
Length of Residence	8 years	25 years
Marriage Place	Roman Catholic Church, Geraldine
Folio	09/7438
Consent
Date of Certificate	9 October 1909
Officiating Minister	Rev. Fr. Bowers

12 October 1909

Charles Grey Craddocks
Teresa Wareing

Charles Grey Craddock
Teresa Wareing
💍 1909/5896

Widower
Spinster

Hotel Keeper
Domestic Duties

49
25

Riccarton
Temuka

2 years
9 months

Roman Catholic Church, Temuka

09/7474

12 October 1909

Rev. F. Lemanon Deschesnais

No	49
Date of Notice	12 October 1909
	Groom	Bride
Names of Parties	Charles Grey Craddocks	Teresa Wareing
BDM Match (98%)	Charles Grey Craddock	Teresa Wareing
	💍 1909/5896
Condition	Widower	Spinster
Profession	Hotel Keeper	Domestic Duties
Age	49	25
Dwelling Place	Riccarton	Temuka
Length of Residence	2 years	9 months
Marriage Place	Roman Catholic Church, Temuka
Folio	09/7474
Consent
Date of Certificate	12 October 1909
Officiating Minister	Rev. F. Lemanon Deschesnais

26 October 1909

George Edward Routley
Agnes Isabella Wright

George Edward Pronting
Agnes Isabella Wright
💍 1909/6384

Bachelor
Spinster

Laborer
Domestic Duties

26
22

Rangitala Island
Rangitala Island

8 years
22 years

English Church

09/7967

26 October 1909

Rev. J. M. Adwell

No	50
Date of Notice	26 October 1909
	Groom	Bride
Names of Parties	George Edward Routley	Agnes Isabella Wright
BDM Match (86%)	George Edward Pronting	Agnes Isabella Wright
	💍 1909/6384
Condition	Bachelor	Spinster
Profession	Laborer	Domestic Duties
Age	26	22
Dwelling Place	Rangitala Island	Rangitala Island
Length of Residence	8 years	22 years
Marriage Place	English Church
Folio	09/7967
Consent
Date of Certificate	26 October 1909
Officiating Minister	Rev. J. M. Adwell

26 October 1909

Herbert William Hall
Agnes Cunningham Dick

Herbert William Hall
Agnes Cunningham Dick
💍 1909/6383

Bachelor
Spinster

Architect
Domestic Duties

25
23

Timaru
Beautiful Valley

4 years
4 years

English Church, Winchester

09/7968

26 October 1909

Rev. J. M. Adwell

No	51
Date of Notice	26 October 1909
	Groom	Bride
Names of Parties	Herbert William Hall	Agnes Cunningham Dick
	💍 1909/6383
Condition	Bachelor	Spinster
Profession	Architect	Domestic Duties
Age	25	23
Dwelling Place	Timaru	Beautiful Valley
Length of Residence	4 years	4 years
Marriage Place	English Church, Winchester
Folio	09/7968
Consent
Date of Certificate	26 October 1909
Officiating Minister	Rev. J. M. Adwell

4 November 1909

Thomas Francis Hooper
Maggie Cook

Thomas Francis Hooper
Margaret Cook
💍 1909/5742

Bachelor
Spinster

Ploughman
Domestic Duties

24
26

Temuka
Ashburton

19 months
5 weeks

Registrar's Office, Ashburton

09/1146

4 November 1909

Registrar, Ashburton

No	52
Date of Notice	4 November 1909
	Groom	Bride
Names of Parties	Thomas Francis Hooper	Maggie Cook
BDM Match (85%)	Thomas Francis Hooper	Margaret Cook
	💍 1909/5742
Condition	Bachelor	Spinster
Profession	Ploughman	Domestic Duties
Age	24	26
Dwelling Place	Temuka	Ashburton
Length of Residence	19 months	5 weeks
Marriage Place	Registrar's Office, Ashburton
Folio	09/1146
Consent
Date of Certificate	4 November 1909
Officiating Minister	Registrar, Ashburton

8 November 1909

Robert Doak
Annie Brader

Robert Doake
Annie Brader
💍 1909/6385

Bachelor
Spinster

Farmer
Household Duties

45
34

Hillow
Kakahu

1 year
2 1/2 years

English Church, Temuka

09/7970

8 November 1909

Rev. J. M. Adwell

No	53
Date of Notice	8 November 1909
	Groom	Bride
Names of Parties	Robert Doak	Annie Brader
BDM Match (96%)	Robert Doake	Annie Brader
	💍 1909/6385
Condition	Bachelor	Spinster
Profession	Farmer	Household Duties
Age	45	34
Dwelling Place	Hillow	Kakahu
Length of Residence	1 year	2 1/2 years
Marriage Place	English Church, Temuka
Folio	09/7970
Consent
Date of Certificate	8 November 1909
Officiating Minister	Rev. J. M. Adwell

11 December 1909

Henry Greenfield
Annie Larcombe

Henry Greenfield
Annie Larcombe
💍 1909/5898

Widower
Spinster

Blacksmith
Dressmaker

42
21

Temuka
Temuka

4 months
8 months

Residence of Mr. Henry Greenfield, Temuka

09/7476

11 December 1909

Rev. C. Macdonald

No	54
Date of Notice	11 December 1909
	Groom	Bride
Names of Parties	Henry Greenfield	Annie Larcombe
	💍 1909/5898
Condition	Widower	Spinster
Profession	Blacksmith	Dressmaker
Age	42	21
Dwelling Place	Temuka	Temuka
Length of Residence	4 months	8 months
Marriage Place	Residence of Mr. Henry Greenfield, Temuka
Folio	09/7476
Consent
Date of Certificate	11 December 1909
Officiating Minister	Rev. C. Macdonald

17 December 1909

Charles Lowry Austin
Susan McBride

Charles Lowry Austin
Susan McBride
💍 1909/5899

Bachelor
Spinster

Farmer
Domestic Duties

24
22

Winchester
Temuka

24 years
17 years

Presbyterian Church, Temuka

09/7477

17 December 1909

Rev. C. Macdonald

No	55
Date of Notice	17 December 1909
	Groom	Bride
Names of Parties	Charles Lowry Austin	Susan McBride
	💍 1909/5899
Condition	Bachelor	Spinster
Profession	Farmer	Domestic Duties
Age	24	22
Dwelling Place	Winchester	Temuka
Length of Residence	24 years	17 years
Marriage Place	Presbyterian Church, Temuka
Folio	09/7477
Consent
Date of Certificate	17 December 1909
Officiating Minister	Rev. C. Macdonald

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).