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 844

District of Wyndham Quarter ending 30 September 1910 Registrar W. Stephenson

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

14 July 1910

James Andrew McCall
Jane Cormack Speirs

James Andrew McCall
Jessie Cormack
💍 1910/5525

Bachelor
Spinster

Cheesemaker
Domestic

24
22

Seaward Downs
Edendale

14 days
Always

The residence of Mr. Grace Cormack, Edendale

10/5857

14 July 1910

Rev. A. McMenamen, Edendale

No	13
Date of Notice	14 July 1910
	Groom	Bride
Names of Parties	James Andrew McCall	Jane Cormack Speirs
BDM Match (71%)	James Andrew McCall	Jessie Cormack
	💍 1910/5525
Condition	Bachelor	Spinster
Profession	Cheesemaker	Domestic
Age	24	22
Dwelling Place	Seaward Downs	Edendale
Length of Residence	14 days	Always
Marriage Place	The residence of Mr. Grace Cormack, Edendale
Folio	10/5857
Consent
Date of Certificate	14 July 1910
Officiating Minister	Rev. A. McMenamen, Edendale

28 July 1910

Donald Sinclair
Margaret Burnett Smith

Donald Sinclair
Margaret Burnett Smith
💍 1910/5526

Bachelor
Spinster

Farmer
Domestic

29
22

Mataura Island
Mataura Island

6 years
Always

The residence of Mr. Wm. P. Smith, Mataura Island

10/5852

28 July 1910

Rev. A. McMenamen, Edendale

No	14
Date of Notice	28 July 1910
	Groom	Bride
Names of Parties	Donald Sinclair	Margaret Burnett Smith
	💍 1910/5526
Condition	Bachelor	Spinster
Profession	Farmer	Domestic
Age	29	22
Dwelling Place	Mataura Island	Mataura Island
Length of Residence	6 years	Always
Marriage Place	The residence of Mr. Wm. P. Smith, Mataura Island
Folio	10/5852
Consent
Date of Certificate	28 July 1910
Officiating Minister	Rev. A. McMenamen, Edendale

15 August 1910

Alfred Arthur Apper
Ann Heath

Alfred Arthur Ayers
Ann Heath
💍 1910/8249

Bachelor
Spinster

Farmer
Domestic

24
19

Mimihau
Mataura Island

2 years
16 years

The residence of Mr. Francis Heath, Mataura Island

10/5717

Francis Heath, mother of bride

15 August 1910

Rev. D. Harding, Wyndham

No	15
Date of Notice	15 August 1910
	Groom	Bride
Names of Parties	Alfred Arthur Apper	Ann Heath
BDM Match (92%)	Alfred Arthur Ayers	Ann Heath
	💍 1910/8249
Condition	Bachelor	Spinster
Profession	Farmer	Domestic
Age	24	19
Dwelling Place	Mimihau	Mataura Island
Length of Residence	2 years	16 years
Marriage Place	The residence of Mr. Francis Heath, Mataura Island
Folio	10/5717
Consent	Francis Heath, mother of bride
Date of Certificate	15 August 1910
Officiating Minister	Rev. D. Harding, Wyndham

15 August 1910

Norman Duncan McKay
Minnie Allison

Norman Duncan McKenzie
Minnie Allison
💍 1910/5084

Bachelor
Spinster

Cheesemaker
Domestic

21
20

Wyndham
Wyndham

1 year
Always

The residence of Mr. W. Allison, Wyndham

10/5718

Mr. W. Allison, father of bride

15 August 1910

Rev. A. Sanpster, Wyndham

No	16
Date of Notice	15 August 1910
	Groom	Bride
Names of Parties	Norman Duncan McKay	Minnie Allison
BDM Match (89%)	Norman Duncan McKenzie	Minnie Allison
	💍 1910/5084
Condition	Bachelor	Spinster
Profession	Cheesemaker	Domestic
Age	21	20
Dwelling Place	Wyndham	Wyndham
Length of Residence	1 year	Always
Marriage Place	The residence of Mr. W. Allison, Wyndham
Folio	10/5718
Consent	Mr. W. Allison, father of bride
Date of Certificate	15 August 1910
Officiating Minister	Rev. A. Sanpster, Wyndham

2 September 1910

Henry Heath
Margaret Ellen Coleman

Henry Heath
Margaret Ellen Coleman
💍 1910/5420

Bachelor
Spinster

Farmer
Domestic

25
22

Mataura Island
Renham

16 years
7 years

The residence of Mr. Mark Coleman, Renham

10/5717

2 September 1910

Rev. J. P. Delany, Gore

No	17
Date of Notice	2 September 1910
	Groom	Bride
Names of Parties	Henry Heath	Margaret Ellen Coleman
	💍 1910/5420
Condition	Bachelor	Spinster
Profession	Farmer	Domestic
Age	25	22
Dwelling Place	Mataura Island	Renham
Length of Residence	16 years	7 years
Marriage Place	The residence of Mr. Mark Coleman, Renham
Folio	10/5717
Consent
Date of Certificate	2 September 1910
Officiating Minister	Rev. J. P. Delany, Gore

7 September 1910

Sidney Symons
Jane Tempers Leonard

Sidney Symons
Jane Tempero Leonard
💍 1910/5119

Bachelor
Spinster

Farmer
Domestic

30
20

Balclutha
Edendale

10 years
2 years

The Registrar's Office, Wyndham

10/5284

7 September 1910

W. Stephenson, Registrar, Wyndham

No	18
Date of Notice	7 September 1910
	Groom	Bride
Names of Parties	Sidney Symons	Jane Tempers Leonard
BDM Match (98%)	Sidney Symons	Jane Tempero Leonard
	💍 1910/5119
Condition	Bachelor	Spinster
Profession	Farmer	Domestic
Age	30	20
Dwelling Place	Balclutha	Edendale
Length of Residence	10 years	2 years
Marriage Place	The Registrar's Office, Wyndham
Folio	10/5284
Consent
Date of Certificate	7 September 1910
Officiating Minister	W. Stephenson, Registrar, Wyndham

14 September 1910

Thomas Andrew Kidd
Williamina Aberdeen

Thomas Andrew Kidd
Willieminnie Aberdeen
💍 1910/5085

Bachelor
Spinster

Cheesemaker
Domestic

26
22

South Hillend
Menzies Ferry

1 week
6 years

The residence of Mr. W. Aberdeen, Menzies Ferry

10/5322

14 September 1910

Rev. A. Sanpster, Wyndham

No	19
Date of Notice	14 September 1910
	Groom	Bride
Names of Parties	Thomas Andrew Kidd	Williamina Aberdeen
BDM Match (91%)	Thomas Andrew Kidd	Willieminnie Aberdeen
	💍 1910/5085
Condition	Bachelor	Spinster
Profession	Cheesemaker	Domestic
Age	26	22
Dwelling Place	South Hillend	Menzies Ferry
Length of Residence	1 week	6 years
Marriage Place	The residence of Mr. W. Aberdeen, Menzies Ferry
Folio	10/5322
Consent
Date of Certificate	14 September 1910
Officiating Minister	Rev. A. Sanpster, Wyndham

24 September 1910

John Alexander Henry
Johanna McDonald

John Alexander Henry
Johanna McDonald
💍 1910/5527

Bachelor
Spinster

Farmer
Domestic

28
26

Redan
Edendale

3 months
6 days

The Presbyterian Church, Edendale

10/5853

24 September 1910

Rev. A. McMenamen, Edendale

No	20
Date of Notice	24 September 1910
	Groom	Bride
Names of Parties	John Alexander Henry	Johanna McDonald
	💍 1910/5527
Condition	Bachelor	Spinster
Profession	Farmer	Domestic
Age	28	26
Dwelling Place	Redan	Edendale
Length of Residence	3 months	6 days
Marriage Place	The Presbyterian Church, Edendale
Folio	10/5853
Consent
Date of Certificate	24 September 1910
Officiating Minister	Rev. A. McMenamen, Edendale

28 September 1910

Robert Raeburn
Mary Ann McDonald

Robert Raeburn
Mary Ann McFadden
💍 1910/5421

Bachelor
Spinster

Farmer
Domestic

33
33

Navarre, Victoria
Edendale

Always
Always

The Catholic Chapel, Wyndham

10/5719

28 September 1910

Rev. P. O'Donnell, Gore

No	21
Date of Notice	28 September 1910
	Groom	Bride
Names of Parties	Robert Raeburn	Mary Ann McDonald
BDM Match (82%)	Robert Raeburn	Mary Ann McFadden
	💍 1910/5421
Condition	Bachelor	Spinster
Profession	Farmer	Domestic
Age	33	33
Dwelling Place	Navarre, Victoria	Edendale
Length of Residence	Always	Always
Marriage Place	The Catholic Chapel, Wyndham
Folio	10/5719
Consent
Date of Certificate	28 September 1910
Officiating Minister	Rev. P. O'Donnell, Gore

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).