Intentions to Marry, 1910 Canterbury, Otago, Chatham Islands

Reference: Registrar-General of Births, Deaths and Marriages, Notices of intention to marry, Series 8937, R2840444, Archives New Zealand Te Rua Mahara o te Kāwanatanga, Wellington

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

Page 264

District of Timaru Quarter ending 30 June 1910 Registrar Alexander Montgomery

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

16 May 1910

William Naughton
Mary Delury

William Naughton
Mary Debury
💍 1910/3068

Bachelor
Spinster

Labourer
Domestic Servant

30 years
21 years

Timaru
Timaru

4 months
1 month

Roman Catholic Schoolhouse, Timaru

10/3243

16 May 1910

Rev. John Tubman, Roman Catholic Priest

No	52
Date of Notice	16 May 1910
	Groom	Bride
Names of Parties	William Naughton	Mary Delury
BDM Match (95%)	William Naughton	Mary Debury
	💍 1910/3068
Condition	Bachelor	Spinster
Profession	Labourer	Domestic Servant
Age	30 years	21 years
Dwelling Place	Timaru	Timaru
Length of Residence	4 months	1 month
Marriage Place	Roman Catholic Schoolhouse, Timaru
Folio	10/3243
Consent
Date of Certificate	16 May 1910
Officiating Minister	Rev. John Tubman, Roman Catholic Priest

26 May 1910

Walter John Goddard
Jennie Owen Pearson

Walter John Goddard
Jennie Owen Pearson
💍 1910/2981

Bachelor
Spinster

Baker
Domestic Servant

34 years
34 years

Timaru
Timaru

4 days
3 weeks

English Church St. Mary's, Timaru

10/3078

26 May 1910

Rev. G. H. Gurnow, Church of England Clergyman

No	53
Date of Notice	26 May 1910
	Groom	Bride
Names of Parties	Walter John Goddard	Jennie Owen Pearson
	💍 1910/2981
Condition	Bachelor	Spinster
Profession	Baker	Domestic Servant
Age	34 years	34 years
Dwelling Place	Timaru	Timaru
Length of Residence	4 days	3 weeks
Marriage Place	English Church St. Mary's, Timaru
Folio	10/3078
Consent
Date of Certificate	26 May 1910
Officiating Minister	Rev. G. H. Gurnow, Church of England Clergyman

24 May 1910

Harold Barwick Mitchell
Annie Florence Davidson

Harold Bariwick Mitchell
Annie Florence Davidson
💍 1910/2980

Bachelor
Spinster

Book-Keeper
Domestic Duties

24 years
28 years

Geraldine
Timaru

2 years
3 years

Dwellinghouse of J. Davidson, Trafalgar St., Timaru

10/3100

24 May 1910

Rev. A. Macaulay Caldwell, Presbyterian Minister

No	54
Date of Notice	24 May 1910
	Groom	Bride
Names of Parties	Harold Barwick Mitchell	Annie Florence Davidson
BDM Match (98%)	Harold Bariwick Mitchell	Annie Florence Davidson
	💍 1910/2980
Condition	Bachelor	Spinster
Profession	Book-Keeper	Domestic Duties
Age	24 years	28 years
Dwelling Place	Geraldine	Timaru
Length of Residence	2 years	3 years
Marriage Place	Dwellinghouse of J. Davidson, Trafalgar St., Timaru
Folio	10/3100
Consent
Date of Certificate	24 May 1910
Officiating Minister	Rev. A. Macaulay Caldwell, Presbyterian Minister

24 May 1910

Isaac Alfred Edwin Blackwood
Violet Florence Lizzie Tomlinson

Isaac Alfred Edwin Sydney Vincent Cules Blackwood
Violet Florence Lizzie Tomlinson
💍 1910/2979

Bachelor
Spinster

Goldsmith
Domestic Duties

24 years
24 years

Timaru
Timaru

3½ years
24 years

Chalmers Presbyterian Church, Timaru

10/3099

24 May 1910

Rev. A. Macaulay Caldwell, Presbyterian Minister

No	55
Date of Notice	24 May 1910
	Groom	Bride
Names of Parties	Isaac Alfred Edwin Blackwood	Violet Florence Lizzie Tomlinson
BDM Match (79%)	Isaac Alfred Edwin Sydney Vincent Cules Blackwood	Violet Florence Lizzie Tomlinson
	💍 1910/2979
Condition	Bachelor	Spinster
Profession	Goldsmith	Domestic Duties
Age	24 years	24 years
Dwelling Place	Timaru	Timaru
Length of Residence	3½ years	24 years
Marriage Place	Chalmers Presbyterian Church, Timaru
Folio	10/3099
Consent
Date of Certificate	24 May 1910
Officiating Minister	Rev. A. Macaulay Caldwell, Presbyterian Minister

1 June 1910

John Reid
Margaret Jane Mitchell

John Reid
Margaret Jane Mitchell
💍 1910/8426

Widower
Spinster

Confectioner
Boot Machinist

34 years
23 years

Timaru
Timaru

3 years
23 years

Dwellinghouse of W. Mitchell, Dee St., Timaru

10/3101

1 June 1910

Rev. A. Macaulay Caldwell, Presbyterian Minister

No	56
Date of Notice	1 June 1910
	Groom	Bride
Names of Parties	John Reid	Margaret Jane Mitchell
	💍 1910/8426
Condition	Widower	Spinster
Profession	Confectioner	Boot Machinist
Age	34 years	23 years
Dwelling Place	Timaru	Timaru
Length of Residence	3 years	23 years
Marriage Place	Dwellinghouse of W. Mitchell, Dee St., Timaru
Folio	10/3101
Consent
Date of Certificate	1 June 1910
Officiating Minister	Rev. A. Macaulay Caldwell, Presbyterian Minister

1 June 1910

Frank Blamires
Alice Maud Ogden

Frank Blamires
Alice Maud Ogden
💍 1910/2982

Bachelor
Spinster

Dairyman
Domestic Servant

30 years
26 years

Timaru
Timaru

6 weeks
3 days

St. Mary's English Church

10/3079

1 June 1910

Rev. P. J. Adams, Church of England Clergyman

No	57
Date of Notice	1 June 1910
	Groom	Bride
Names of Parties	Frank Blamires	Alice Maud Ogden
	💍 1910/2982
Condition	Bachelor	Spinster
Profession	Dairyman	Domestic Servant
Age	30 years	26 years
Dwelling Place	Timaru	Timaru
Length of Residence	6 weeks	3 days
Marriage Place	St. Mary's English Church
Folio	10/3079
Consent
Date of Certificate	1 June 1910
Officiating Minister	Rev. P. J. Adams, Church of England Clergyman

4 June 1910

George Alfred Williams
Ethel May Andrews

George Alfred Williams
Ethel May Andrews
💍 1910/2968

Bachelor
Spinster

Labourer
Domestic Duties

24 years
26 years

Timaru
Timaru

4 years
20 years

Dwellinghouse of Walter Williams, Hatton St., Timaru

10/3089

4 June 1910

Rev. W. J. Enticott, Wesleyan Minister

No	58
Date of Notice	4 June 1910
	Groom	Bride
Names of Parties	George Alfred Williams	Ethel May Andrews
	💍 1910/2968
Condition	Bachelor	Spinster
Profession	Labourer	Domestic Duties
Age	24 years	26 years
Dwelling Place	Timaru	Timaru
Length of Residence	4 years	20 years
Marriage Place	Dwellinghouse of Walter Williams, Hatton St., Timaru
Folio	10/3089
Consent
Date of Certificate	4 June 1910
Officiating Minister	Rev. W. J. Enticott, Wesleyan Minister

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).