Intentions to Marry, 1910 Auckland, Taranaki

Reference: Registrar-General of Births, Deaths and Marriages, Notices of intention to marry, Series 8937, R2840442, Archives New Zealand Te Rua Mahara o te Kāwanatanga, Wellington

1910 is bound in three volumes - Auckland, Taranaki (1910a), Wellington, , Hawke's Bay, Nelson, Westland (1910b), and Canterbury, Otago, Chatham Islands (1910c).

Page 525

District of Gisborne Quarter ending 30 September 1910 Registrar Henry Ewart Hill

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

2254

27 July 1910

Harold Watson
Reuben Roderick

Bachelor
Spinster

Sheep farmer
Domestic Duties

29
23

Gisborne, Poverty Bay
Rarawa, Poverty Bay

4 years
12 years

Private residence of the Bride's parents, Rarawa

10/5352

27 July 1910

Rev. Ewart William Walker, Presbyterian Minister

No	2254
Date of Notice	27 July 1910
	Groom	Bride
Names of Parties	Harold Watson	Reuben Roderick
Condition	Bachelor	Spinster
Profession	Sheep farmer	Domestic Duties
Age	29	23
Dwelling Place	Gisborne, Poverty Bay	Rarawa, Poverty Bay
Length of Residence	4 years	12 years
Marriage Place	Private residence of the Bride's parents, Rarawa
Folio	10/5352
Consent
Date of Certificate	27 July 1910
Officiating Minister	Rev. Ewart William Walker, Presbyterian Minister

2255

1 August 1910

James Hyde
Isabella Ann Redpath

Bachelor
Spinster

Shepherd
Domestic Duties

30
23

Palutahi, Poverty Bay
Rarawa, Poverty Bay

11 months
12 years

Church of England, Palutahi

10/3943

1 August 1910

Rev. Albert Henry Coles, Church of England

No	2255
Date of Notice	1 August 1910
	Groom	Bride
Names of Parties	James Hyde	Isabella Ann Redpath
Condition	Bachelor	Spinster
Profession	Shepherd	Domestic Duties
Age	30	23
Dwelling Place	Palutahi, Poverty Bay	Rarawa, Poverty Bay
Length of Residence	11 months	12 years
Marriage Place	Church of England, Palutahi
Folio	10/3943
Consent
Date of Certificate	1 August 1910
Officiating Minister	Rev. Albert Henry Coles, Church of England

2256

4 August 1910

Percival George Bell
Emily Agnes Minnis

Percival George Bell
Emily Agnes Minnis
💍 1910/3998

Bachelor
Spinster

Grocer
Domestic Duties

24
22

Mangapapa, Gisborne
Gisborne, Poverty Bay

5 years
4 days

Private residence of the brother of the bridegroom, Mr. R. M. Bell, Mangapapa

10/4223

4 August 1910

Rev. William Grant, Presbyterian Minister

No	2256
Date of Notice	4 August 1910
	Groom	Bride
Names of Parties	Percival George Bell	Emily Agnes Minnis
	💍 1910/3998
Condition	Bachelor	Spinster
Profession	Grocer	Domestic Duties
Age	24	22
Dwelling Place	Mangapapa, Gisborne	Gisborne, Poverty Bay
Length of Residence	5 years	4 days
Marriage Place	Private residence of the brother of the bridegroom, Mr. R. M. Bell, Mangapapa
Folio	10/4223
Consent
Date of Certificate	4 August 1910
Officiating Minister	Rev. William Grant, Presbyterian Minister

2257

5 August 1910

Leonard Powell Wilkinson
Elizabeth Hay

Leonard Powell Wilkinson
Elizabeth Hay
💍 1910/3997

Bachelor
Spinster

Builder
Domestic Duties

21
33

Gisborne, Poverty Bay
Gisborne, Poverty Bay

2 years
1 year

St. Andrew's Presbyterian Church, Gisborne

10/4222

5 August 1910

Rev. William Grant, Presbyterian Minister

No	2257
Date of Notice	5 August 1910
	Groom	Bride
Names of Parties	Leonard Powell Wilkinson	Elizabeth Hay
	💍 1910/3997
Condition	Bachelor	Spinster
Profession	Builder	Domestic Duties
Age	21	33
Dwelling Place	Gisborne, Poverty Bay	Gisborne, Poverty Bay
Length of Residence	2 years	1 year
Marriage Place	St. Andrew's Presbyterian Church, Gisborne
Folio	10/4222
Consent
Date of Certificate	5 August 1910
Officiating Minister	Rev. William Grant, Presbyterian Minister

2258

6 August 1910

Francis Leonard McMahon
Jessie Lillian McLeod

Francis Leonard McMahon
Nesta Lillian McLeod
💍 1910/3829

Bachelor
Spinster

Storeman
Domestic Duties

22
19

Gisborne, Poverty Bay
Gisborne, Poverty Bay

18 months
4 years

St. Mary's Roman Catholic Church, Gisborne

10/4027

Emily McLeod (mother)

6 August 1910

Rev. Thomas Kane, Roman Catholic Minister

No	2258
Date of Notice	6 August 1910
	Groom	Bride
Names of Parties	Francis Leonard McMahon	Jessie Lillian McLeod
BDM Match (91%)	Francis Leonard McMahon	Nesta Lillian McLeod
	💍 1910/3829
Condition	Bachelor	Spinster
Profession	Storeman	Domestic Duties
Age	22	19
Dwelling Place	Gisborne, Poverty Bay	Gisborne, Poverty Bay
Length of Residence	18 months	4 years
Marriage Place	St. Mary's Roman Catholic Church, Gisborne
Folio	10/4027
Consent	Emily McLeod (mother)
Date of Certificate	6 August 1910
Officiating Minister	Rev. Thomas Kane, Roman Catholic Minister

2259

6 August 1910

Norman Carter
Jessie Lillian McLeod

Bachelor
Spinster

Hairdresser
Domestic Duties

23
19

Gisborne, Poverty Bay
Gisborne, Poverty Bay

4 years
4 years

St. Mary's Roman Catholic Church, Gisborne

10/4027

Emily McLeod (mother)

6 August 1910

Rev. Thomas Kane, Roman Catholic Minister

No	2259
Date of Notice	6 August 1910
	Groom	Bride
Names of Parties	Norman Carter	Jessie Lillian McLeod
Condition	Bachelor	Spinster
Profession	Hairdresser	Domestic Duties
Age	23	19
Dwelling Place	Gisborne, Poverty Bay	Gisborne, Poverty Bay
Length of Residence	4 years	4 years
Marriage Place	St. Mary's Roman Catholic Church, Gisborne
Folio	10/4027
Consent	Emily McLeod (mother)
Date of Certificate	6 August 1910
Officiating Minister	Rev. Thomas Kane, Roman Catholic Minister

2260

8 August 1910

Claude Sanders
Ethel Maud Allwood

Norman Carter
Ethel Maud Allwood
💍 1910/3851

Bachelor
Spinster

Storekeeper
Domestic Duties

22
19

Manutuke, Poverty Bay
Gisborne, Poverty Bay

6 months
5 years

Private residence of Miss Steele, Ballance Street, Whatanapoho

10/4224

John Allwood (father)

8 August 1910

Rev. William Grant, Presbyterian Minister

No	2260
Date of Notice	8 August 1910
	Groom	Bride
Names of Parties	Claude Sanders	Ethel Maud Allwood
BDM Match (64%)	Norman Carter	Ethel Maud Allwood
	💍 1910/3851
Condition	Bachelor	Spinster
Profession	Storekeeper	Domestic Duties
Age	22	19
Dwelling Place	Manutuke, Poverty Bay	Gisborne, Poverty Bay
Length of Residence	6 months	5 years
Marriage Place	Private residence of Miss Steele, Ballance Street, Whatanapoho
Folio	10/4224
Consent	John Allwood (father)
Date of Certificate	8 August 1910
Officiating Minister	Rev. William Grant, Presbyterian Minister

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).