Intentions to Marry, 1911 Auckland, Taranaki

Reference: Registrar-General of Births, Deaths and Marriages, Notices of intention to marry, Series 8937, R2840445, Archives New Zealand Te Rua Mahara o te Kāwanatanga, Wellington

1911 is bound in three volumes - Auckland, Taranaki, (1911a), Hawke's Bay, Wellington, Marlborough, Nelson, Westland (1911b), and Canterbury, Otago, Chatham Islands (1911c).

Page 290

District of Gisborne Quarter ending 31 March 1911 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

28 January 1911

John Burns
Mary Jane Carus

John Burns
Mary Jane Cairns
💍 1911/1034

Bachelor
Married woman (husband continually absent 7 years, not living, alive at some time during 7 years past)

Labourer
Domestic Duties

36
38

Gisborne Poverty Bay
Gisborne

14 years
11 years

The office of The Registrar of Marriages Gisborne Poverty Bay

11/412

28 January 1911

Registrar of Marriages Gisborne

No	15
Date of Notice	28 January 1911
	Groom	Bride
Names of Parties	John Burns	Mary Jane Carus
BDM Match (94%)	John Burns	Mary Jane Cairns
	💍 1911/1034
Condition	Bachelor	Married woman (husband continually absent 7 years, not living, alive at some time during 7 years past)
Profession	Labourer	Domestic Duties
Age	36	38
Dwelling Place	Gisborne Poverty Bay	Gisborne
Length of Residence	14 years	11 years
Marriage Place	The office of The Registrar of Marriages Gisborne Poverty Bay
Folio	11/412
Consent
Date of Certificate	28 January 1911
Officiating Minister	Registrar of Marriages Gisborne

31 January 1911

Albert Arthur Pritchard
Alice Proctor

Albert Arthur Pritchard
Alice Procter
💍 1911/972

Bachelor
Spinster

Labourer
Domestic Servant

27
26

Gisborne Otoko Poverty Bay
Gisborne

10 years
4 years

Private residence of J. Pritchard Victoria Township

11/339

cousin of Bridegroom

31 January 1911

Rev. John A. Crochore Methodist Minister

No	16
Date of Notice	31 January 1911
	Groom	Bride
Names of Parties	Albert Arthur Pritchard	Alice Proctor
BDM Match (96%)	Albert Arthur Pritchard	Alice Procter
	💍 1911/972
Condition	Bachelor	Spinster
Profession	Labourer	Domestic Servant
Age	27	26
Dwelling Place	Gisborne Otoko Poverty Bay	Gisborne
Length of Residence	10 years	4 years
Marriage Place	Private residence of J. Pritchard Victoria Township
Folio	11/339
Consent	cousin of Bridegroom
Date of Certificate	31 January 1911
Officiating Minister	Rev. John A. Crochore Methodist Minister

3 February 1911

John Matthew Dore
Letitia Jane Thomson

John Matthew Dor'e
Letitia Jane Thomson
💍 1911/1035

Bachelor
Spinster

Salesman
Typist

25
20

Gisborne Poverty Bay
Gisborne

7 months
2 months

The office of The Registrar of Marriages Gisborne

11/413

3 February 1911

Registrar of Marriages Gisborne

No	17
Date of Notice	3 February 1911
	Groom	Bride
Names of Parties	John Matthew Dore	Letitia Jane Thomson
BDM Match (97%)	John Matthew Dor'e	Letitia Jane Thomson
	💍 1911/1035
Condition	Bachelor	Spinster
Profession	Salesman	Typist
Age	25	20
Dwelling Place	Gisborne Poverty Bay	Gisborne
Length of Residence	7 months	2 months
Marriage Place	The office of The Registrar of Marriages Gisborne
Folio	11/413
Consent
Date of Certificate	3 February 1911
Officiating Minister	Registrar of Marriages Gisborne

3 February 1911

Percy William Harold Smith
Jessie Wootton

Percy William Harold Smith
Jessie Wootton
💍 1911/1098

Bachelor
Spinster

Contractor and Builder
Domestic Duties

23
23

Makauri Poverty Bay
Gisborne

24 years
3 years

St. Andrews Presbyterian Church Gisborne Poverty Bay

11/449

3 February 1911

Rev. William Grant Presbyterian Minister

No	18
Date of Notice	3 February 1911
	Groom	Bride
Names of Parties	Percy William Harold Smith	Jessie Wootton
	💍 1911/1098
Condition	Bachelor	Spinster
Profession	Contractor and Builder	Domestic Duties
Age	23	23
Dwelling Place	Makauri Poverty Bay	Gisborne
Length of Residence	24 years	3 years
Marriage Place	St. Andrews Presbyterian Church Gisborne Poverty Bay
Folio	11/449
Consent
Date of Certificate	3 February 1911
Officiating Minister	Rev. William Grant Presbyterian Minister

4 February 1911

Arthur Joseph Severy
Emma Louisa Courtney

Arthur Joseph Devery
Emma Louisa Courtney
💍 1911/1114

Bachelor
Spinster

Stock Dealer
Domestic Duties

31
25

Ormond Poverty Bay
Waihirere

27 years
6 months

Ormond Catholic Church Gisborne Poverty Bay

11/566

4 February 1911

Rev. Ferdinand J. Dignan Roman Catholic Minister

No	19
Date of Notice	4 February 1911
	Groom	Bride
Names of Parties	Arthur Joseph Severy	Emma Louisa Courtney
BDM Match (98%)	Arthur Joseph Devery	Emma Louisa Courtney
	💍 1911/1114
Condition	Bachelor	Spinster
Profession	Stock Dealer	Domestic Duties
Age	31	25
Dwelling Place	Ormond Poverty Bay	Waihirere
Length of Residence	27 years	6 months
Marriage Place	Ormond Catholic Church Gisborne Poverty Bay
Folio	11/566
Consent
Date of Certificate	4 February 1911
Officiating Minister	Rev. Ferdinand J. Dignan Roman Catholic Minister

4 February 1911

James Douglas Hay
Cecily Harriet Florence Lewis

James Douglas Hay
Cicely Harriet Florence Lewis
💍 1911/1027

Bachelor
Spinster

Coachbuilder
Shop Assistant

28
30

Kaiti Poverty Bay
Mangapapa Poverty Bay

24 years
20 years

St. Andrews Presbyterian Church Gisborne Poverty Bay

11/428

4 February 1911

Rev. William Grant Presbyterian Minister

No	20
Date of Notice	4 February 1911
	Groom	Bride
Names of Parties	James Douglas Hay	Cecily Harriet Florence Lewis
BDM Match (97%)	James Douglas Hay	Cicely Harriet Florence Lewis
	💍 1911/1027
Condition	Bachelor	Spinster
Profession	Coachbuilder	Shop Assistant
Age	28	30
Dwelling Place	Kaiti Poverty Bay	Mangapapa Poverty Bay
Length of Residence	24 years	20 years
Marriage Place	St. Andrews Presbyterian Church Gisborne Poverty Bay
Folio	11/428
Consent
Date of Certificate	4 February 1911
Officiating Minister	Rev. William Grant Presbyterian Minister

8 February 1911

John William Somervell
Nora Dobson

John William Somervell
Nora Dobson
💍 1911/1086

Bachelor
Spinster

Builder
Schoolteacher

30
29

Gisborne Poverty Bay
Gisborne

4 days
4 days

St. Andrews Presbyterian Church Gisborne Poverty Bay

11/430

8 February 1911

Rev. William Grant Presbyterian Minister

No	21
Date of Notice	8 February 1911
	Groom	Bride
Names of Parties	John William Somervell	Nora Dobson
	💍 1911/1086
Condition	Bachelor	Spinster
Profession	Builder	Schoolteacher
Age	30	29
Dwelling Place	Gisborne Poverty Bay	Gisborne
Length of Residence	4 days	4 days
Marriage Place	St. Andrews Presbyterian Church Gisborne Poverty Bay
Folio	11/430
Consent
Date of Certificate	8 February 1911
Officiating Minister	Rev. William Grant Presbyterian Minister

8 February 1911

Arthur Gordon Gunn
Agnes Erskine

Arthur Gordon Gunn
Agnes Erskine
💍 1911/1099

Bachelor
Spinster

Draper
Draper

30
24

Gisborne Poverty Bay
Gisborne

5 1/2 years
1 year 6 months

St. Andrews Presbyterian Church Gisborne Poverty Bay

11/450

8 February 1911

Rev. William Grant Presbyterian Minister

No	22
Date of Notice	8 February 1911
	Groom	Bride
Names of Parties	Arthur Gordon Gunn	Agnes Erskine
	💍 1911/1099
Condition	Bachelor	Spinster
Profession	Draper	Draper
Age	30	24
Dwelling Place	Gisborne Poverty Bay	Gisborne
Length of Residence	5 1/2 years	1 year 6 months
Marriage Place	St. Andrews Presbyterian Church Gisborne Poverty Bay
Folio	11/450
Consent
Date of Certificate	8 February 1911
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).