Intentions to Marry, 1911 Hawke's Bay, Wellington, Marlborough, Nelson, Westland

Reference: Registrar-General of Births, Deaths and Marriages, Notices of intention to marry, Series 8937, R2840446, 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 325

District of Pahiatua Quarter ending 31 March 1911 Registrar Daniel Morthe

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

2 January 1911

William John Ruling
Elizabeth Ada Russell

William John Keeling
Elizabeth Ada Russell
💍 1911/2326

Bachelor
Spinster

Farmer
Domestic Duties

24
25

Mangahao
Mangahao

3 weeks
5 days

Anglican Church

11/676

2 January 1911

Rev. R. Hermon

No	1
Date of Notice	2 January 1911
	Groom	Bride
Names of Parties	William John Ruling	Elizabeth Ada Russell
BDM Match (93%)	William John Keeling	Elizabeth Ada Russell
	💍 1911/2326
Condition	Bachelor	Spinster
Profession	Farmer	Domestic Duties
Age	24	25
Dwelling Place	Mangahao	Mangahao
Length of Residence	3 weeks	5 days
Marriage Place	Anglican Church
Folio	11/676
Consent
Date of Certificate	2 January 1911
Officiating Minister	Rev. R. Hermon

3 January 1911

Felix Ernest Rocher
Olive Mathews Dorset

Felix Ernest Sydney Rockel
Olive Matthews Dorset
💍 1911/1472

Bachelor
Spinster

Teacher
Teacher

28
31

Scarborough
Scarborough

4 days
6 months

Residence of James McCardle, Dorset

11/957

3 January 1911

Rev. J. Chalmers Mill

No	2
Date of Notice	3 January 1911
	Groom	Bride
Names of Parties	Felix Ernest Rocher	Olive Mathews Dorset
BDM Match (80%)	Felix Ernest Sydney Rockel	Olive Matthews Dorset
	💍 1911/1472
Condition	Bachelor	Spinster
Profession	Teacher	Teacher
Age	28	31
Dwelling Place	Scarborough	Scarborough
Length of Residence	4 days	6 months
Marriage Place	Residence of James McCardle, Dorset
Folio	11/957
Consent
Date of Certificate	3 January 1911
Officiating Minister	Rev. J. Chalmers Mill

4 January 1911

Harold Richmond Putham
Muriel Edith Bolton

Harold Richmond Wardell Beetham
Muriel Edith Hindmarsh Bolton
💍 1911/1080

Bachelor
Spinster

Farmer
No Occupation

25
24

Oete
Oete

3 days
22 years

Anglican Church, Pahiatua

11/533

4 January 1911

Rev. C. H. Isaacson

No	3
Date of Notice	4 January 1911
	Groom	Bride
Names of Parties	Harold Richmond Putham	Muriel Edith Bolton
BDM Match (65%)	Harold Richmond Wardell Beetham	Muriel Edith Hindmarsh Bolton
	💍 1911/1080
Condition	Bachelor	Spinster
Profession	Farmer	No Occupation
Age	25	24
Dwelling Place	Oete	Oete
Length of Residence	3 days	22 years
Marriage Place	Anglican Church, Pahiatua
Folio	11/533
Consent
Date of Certificate	4 January 1911
Officiating Minister	Rev. C. H. Isaacson

18 January 1911

William John Johnston
Maud May Dunn

William John Dunn
Maud May Johnston
💍 1911/1047

Bachelor
Spinster

Farmer
Salvation Army Officer

28
27

Pahiatua
Pahiatua

3 days
5 weeks

Salvation Army Barracks, Pahiatua

11/481

18 January 1911

Major F. R. Johnson

No	4
Date of Notice	18 January 1911
	Groom	Bride
Names of Parties	William John Johnston	Maud May Dunn
BDM Match (68%)	William John Dunn	Maud May Johnston
	💍 1911/1047
Condition	Bachelor	Spinster
Profession	Farmer	Salvation Army Officer
Age	28	27
Dwelling Place	Pahiatua	Pahiatua
Length of Residence	3 days	5 weeks
Marriage Place	Salvation Army Barracks, Pahiatua
Folio	11/481
Consent
Date of Certificate	18 January 1911
Officiating Minister	Major F. R. Johnson

19 January 1911

Kenneth Martin Henry Cumber
Mabel Clara Ransom

Kenneth Martin Henry Cumber
Mabel Clarice Ransom
💍 1911/1639

Bachelor
Spinster

Gardener
Teacher

22
23

Pahiatua
Pahiatua

19 months
18 years

Anglican Church, Pahiatua

11/857

19 January 1911

Rev. C. H. Isaacson

No	5
Date of Notice	19 January 1911
	Groom	Bride
Names of Parties	Kenneth Martin Henry Cumber	Mabel Clara Ransom
BDM Match (93%)	Kenneth Martin Henry Cumber	Mabel Clarice Ransom
	💍 1911/1639
Condition	Bachelor	Spinster
Profession	Gardener	Teacher
Age	22	23
Dwelling Place	Pahiatua	Pahiatua
Length of Residence	19 months	18 years
Marriage Place	Anglican Church, Pahiatua
Folio	11/857
Consent
Date of Certificate	19 January 1911
Officiating Minister	Rev. C. H. Isaacson

25 January 1911

Edmund Milford Riddell
Jane Janet Riddell

Edmund McCord
Jane Janet Riddell
💍 1911/1444

Bachelor
Spinster

Foreman
Domestic Duties

28
25

Pahiatua
Pahiatua

3 days
6 weeks

Presbyterian Church, Pahiatua

11/989

25 January 1911

Rev. J. Chalmers Mill

No	6
Date of Notice	25 January 1911
	Groom	Bride
Names of Parties	Edmund Milford Riddell	Jane Janet Riddell
BDM Match (75%)	Edmund McCord	Jane Janet Riddell
	💍 1911/1444
Condition	Bachelor	Spinster
Profession	Foreman	Domestic Duties
Age	28	25
Dwelling Place	Pahiatua	Pahiatua
Length of Residence	3 days	6 weeks
Marriage Place	Presbyterian Church, Pahiatua
Folio	11/989
Consent
Date of Certificate	25 January 1911
Officiating Minister	Rev. J. Chalmers Mill

14 February 1911

Francis Henry Brown
Louisa Brown

Francis Henry Brown
Louisa Brown
💍 1911/1832

Bachelor
Spinster

Labourer
Domestic

26
26

Scarborough
Scarborough

7 days
7 days

Office of the Registrar of Marriages, Pahiatua

11/951

14 February 1911

D. J. Morthe, Registrar

No	7
Date of Notice	14 February 1911
	Groom	Bride
Names of Parties	Francis Henry Brown	Louisa Brown
	💍 1911/1832
Condition	Bachelor	Spinster
Profession	Labourer	Domestic
Age	26	26
Dwelling Place	Scarborough	Scarborough
Length of Residence	7 days	7 days
Marriage Place	Office of the Registrar of Marriages, Pahiatua
Folio	11/951
Consent
Date of Certificate	14 February 1911
Officiating Minister	D. J. Morthe, Registrar

22 February 1911

Fred Cole
Minnie Davenport

Fred Cole
Minnie Davenport
💍 1911/1446

Bachelor
Spinster

Signwriter and Decorator
Domestic Servant

27
24

Kaitawa
Kaitawa

3 days
3 days

Presbyterian Church, Pahiatua

11/991

22 February 1911

Rev. J. Chalmers Mill

No	8
Date of Notice	22 February 1911
	Groom	Bride
Names of Parties	Fred Cole	Minnie Davenport
	💍 1911/1446
Condition	Bachelor	Spinster
Profession	Signwriter and Decorator	Domestic Servant
Age	27	24
Dwelling Place	Kaitawa	Kaitawa
Length of Residence	3 days	3 days
Marriage Place	Presbyterian Church, Pahiatua
Folio	11/991
Consent
Date of Certificate	22 February 1911
Officiating Minister	Rev. J. Chalmers Mill

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).