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 292

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

16 February 1911

Edward Tait
Elizabeth Noble Campbell

Edward Tait
Elizabeth Noble Campbell
💍 1911/1101

Bachelor
Spinster

Shepherd
Domestic Duties

24
29

Whatatutu, Poverty Bay
Whatatutu, Gisborne

1 year
3 years

St. Andrews Presbyterian Church

11/452

16 February 1911

Rev. William Grant, Presbyterian Minister

No	30
Date of Notice	16 February 1911
	Groom	Bride
Names of Parties	Edward Tait	Elizabeth Noble Campbell
	💍 1911/1101
Condition	Bachelor	Spinster
Profession	Shepherd	Domestic Duties
Age	24	29
Dwelling Place	Whatatutu, Poverty Bay	Whatatutu, Gisborne
Length of Residence	1 year	3 years
Marriage Place	St. Andrews Presbyterian Church
Folio	11/452
Consent
Date of Certificate	16 February 1911
Officiating Minister	Rev. William Grant, Presbyterian Minister

18 February 1911

Percival Barker
Kathleen Jane Hall

Percival Barker
Kathleen Jane Hall Ferguson
💍 1911/824

Bachelor
Spinster

Sheepfarmer
Domestic Duties

46
23

Gisborne, Poverty Bay
Gisborne, Poverty Bay

30 years
18 months

Holy Trinity Church

11/298

18 February 1911

Rev. Leslie Dawson Thomas, Church of England

No	31
Date of Notice	18 February 1911
	Groom	Bride
Names of Parties	Percival Barker	Kathleen Jane Hall
BDM Match (83%)	Percival Barker	Kathleen Jane Hall Ferguson
	💍 1911/824
Condition	Bachelor	Spinster
Profession	Sheepfarmer	Domestic Duties
Age	46	23
Dwelling Place	Gisborne, Poverty Bay	Gisborne, Poverty Bay
Length of Residence	30 years	18 months
Marriage Place	Holy Trinity Church
Folio	11/298
Consent
Date of Certificate	18 February 1911
Officiating Minister	Rev. Leslie Dawson Thomas, Church of England

21 February 1911

Robert Bruce Barbour
Flora Elizabeth Baker

Robert Bruce Barboure
Flora Elizabeth Baker
💍 1911/1012

Bachelor
Spinster

Shepherd
House Help

26
21

Te Karaka, Poverty Bay
Gisborne, Poverty Bay

6 years
10 years

The Office of the Registrar of Marriages, Gisborne

11/414

21 February 1911

Registrar of Marriages, Gisborne

No	32
Date of Notice	21 February 1911
	Groom	Bride
Names of Parties	Robert Bruce Barbour	Flora Elizabeth Baker
BDM Match (98%)	Robert Bruce Barboure	Flora Elizabeth Baker
	💍 1911/1012
Condition	Bachelor	Spinster
Profession	Shepherd	House Help
Age	26	21
Dwelling Place	Te Karaka, Poverty Bay	Gisborne, Poverty Bay
Length of Residence	6 years	10 years
Marriage Place	The Office of the Registrar of Marriages, Gisborne
Folio	11/414
Consent
Date of Certificate	21 February 1911
Officiating Minister	Registrar of Marriages, Gisborne

23 February 1911

Guy Raphael Butler
[illegible]

Bachelor
Spinster

Cane Colourer
House Help

25
21

Gisborne, Poverty Bay
Gisborne, Poverty Bay

10 years
10 years

Private residence of the Bride's parents, No. 12 Carnarvon Street

11/365

23 February 1911

Rev. William Grant, Presbyterian Minister

No	33
Date of Notice	23 February 1911
	Groom	Bride
Names of Parties	Guy Raphael Butler	[illegible]
Condition	Bachelor	Spinster
Profession	Cane Colourer	House Help
Age	25	21
Dwelling Place	Gisborne, Poverty Bay	Gisborne, Poverty Bay
Length of Residence	10 years	10 years
Marriage Place	Private residence of the Bride's parents, No. 12 Carnarvon Street
Folio	11/365
Consent
Date of Certificate	23 February 1911
Officiating Minister	Rev. William Grant, Presbyterian Minister

25 February 1911

George Ashley Porter
Grace Elley Cumming

Guy Raphael Butler
Grace Ellen Cumming
💍 1911/997

Bachelor
Spinster

Plasterer
Art Student

22
24

Gisborne, Poverty Bay
Gisborne, Poverty Bay

9 months
9 months

The Methodist Parsonage, Palmerston Road

11/295

25 February 1911

Rev. John A. Hochore, Methodist Minister

No	34
Date of Notice	25 February 1911
	Groom	Bride
Names of Parties	George Ashley Porter	Grace Elley Cumming
BDM Match (62%)	Guy Raphael Butler	Grace Ellen Cumming
	💍 1911/997
Condition	Bachelor	Spinster
Profession	Plasterer	Art Student
Age	22	24
Dwelling Place	Gisborne, Poverty Bay	Gisborne, Poverty Bay
Length of Residence	9 months	9 months
Marriage Place	The Methodist Parsonage, Palmerston Road
Folio	11/295
Consent
Date of Certificate	25 February 1911
Officiating Minister	Rev. John A. Hochore, Methodist Minister

1 March 1911

Ernest Ralph Renner
Ethel Corey

George Ashley Porter
Ethel Corey
💍 1911/820

Bachelor
Spinster

Sheepfarmer
Domestic Servant

23
26

Wharekopae, Poverty Bay
Gisborne, Poverty Bay

5 years
20 years

St. Andrews Presbyterian Church

11/493

1 March 1911

Rev. Harry Thos. Blair, Presbyterian Minister

No	35
Date of Notice	1 March 1911
	Groom	Bride
Names of Parties	Ernest Ralph Renner	Ethel Corey
BDM Match (63%)	George Ashley Porter	Ethel Corey
	💍 1911/820
Condition	Bachelor	Spinster
Profession	Sheepfarmer	Domestic Servant
Age	23	26
Dwelling Place	Wharekopae, Poverty Bay	Gisborne, Poverty Bay
Length of Residence	5 years	20 years
Marriage Place	St. Andrews Presbyterian Church
Folio	11/493
Consent
Date of Certificate	1 March 1911
Officiating Minister	Rev. Harry Thos. Blair, Presbyterian Minister

28 February 1911

George Frederick Meddey
Beatrice Isabella Watt

Ernest Ralph Renner
Beatrice Isabella Watt
💍 1911/1041

Bachelor
Spinster

Engineer
Domestic Duties

39
25

Gisborne, Poverty Bay
Whatatutu, Poverty Bay

5 years
20 years

St. Andrews Presbyterian Church

11/366

28 February 1911

Rev. William Grant, Presbyterian Minister

No	36
Date of Notice	28 February 1911
	Groom	Bride
Names of Parties	George Frederick Meddey	Beatrice Isabella Watt
BDM Match (61%)	Ernest Ralph Renner	Beatrice Isabella Watt
	💍 1911/1041
Condition	Bachelor	Spinster
Profession	Engineer	Domestic Duties
Age	39	25
Dwelling Place	Gisborne, Poverty Bay	Whatatutu, Poverty Bay
Length of Residence	5 years	20 years
Marriage Place	St. Andrews Presbyterian Church
Folio	11/366
Consent
Date of Certificate	28 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).