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 707

District of Picton Quarter ending 31 March 1911 Registrar John G. Beswick

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

5 January 1911

Seymour Fell
Marguerette Josephine Dawkins

Seymour Fell
Marguerette Josephine Dawkins
💍 1911/2108

Bachelor
Spinster

Maltster

37
34

Picton
Picton

30 years
8 years

Holy Trinity Church, Picton

11/1573

5 January 1911

Thos. J. Smith, Anglican

No	1
Date of Notice	5 January 1911
	Groom	Bride
Names of Parties	Seymour Fell	Marguerette Josephine Dawkins
	💍 1911/2108
Condition	Bachelor	Spinster
Profession	Maltster
Age	37	34
Dwelling Place	Picton	Picton
Length of Residence	30 years	8 years
Marriage Place	Holy Trinity Church, Picton
Folio	11/1573
Consent
Date of Certificate	5 January 1911
Officiating Minister	Thos. J. Smith, Anglican

25 January 1911

Mervyn Kenny
Florence Muir Bowden

Mervyn Kenny
Florence Muir Bowden
💍 1911/2096

Bachelor
Spinster

Mariner
Domestic duties

24
21

Picton
Picton

24 years
21 years

In the dwelling of Thomas James William Brane Bowden, Scarborough Run, Queen Charlotte Sound

11/1574

25 January 1911

Thos. J. Smith, Anglican

No	2
Date of Notice	25 January 1911
	Groom	Bride
Names of Parties	Mervyn Kenny	Florence Muir Bowden
	💍 1911/2096
Condition	Bachelor	Spinster
Profession	Mariner	Domestic duties
Age	24	21
Dwelling Place	Picton	Picton
Length of Residence	24 years	21 years
Marriage Place	In the dwelling of Thomas James William Brane Bowden, Scarborough Run, Queen Charlotte Sound
Folio	11/1574
Consent
Date of Certificate	25 January 1911
Officiating Minister	Thos. J. Smith, Anglican

6 February 1911

Percy Neame
Sarah Emilie Winifred Erskine

Percy Neame
Sarah Emilie Winifred Erskine
💍 1911/4209

Divorced
Spinster

Domestic

50
37

Mahau, Pelorus Sound
Mahau, Pelorus Sound

20 years
24 years

In the office of the Registrar at Picton

11/4045

(Decree absolute produced dated 16 December 1910)

6 February 1911

John G. Beswick, Registrar

No	3
Date of Notice	6 February 1911
	Groom	Bride
Names of Parties	Percy Neame	Sarah Emilie Winifred Erskine
	💍 1911/4209
Condition	Divorced	Spinster
Profession		Domestic
Age	50	37
Dwelling Place	Mahau, Pelorus Sound	Mahau, Pelorus Sound
Length of Residence	20 years	24 years
Marriage Place	In the office of the Registrar at Picton
Folio	11/4045
Consent	(Decree absolute produced dated 16 December 1910)
Date of Certificate	6 February 1911
Officiating Minister	John G. Beswick, Registrar

15 February 1911

Joseph Augustus Christensen
Adelaide Mary McGregor

Joseph Augustus Christensen
Adelaide Mary McGregor
💍 1911/4210

Bachelor
Spinster

Labourer
Domestic

30
26

Picton
Picton

10 months
10 months

In the office of the Registrar at Picton

11/4046

15 February 1911

John G. Beswick, Registrar

No	4
Date of Notice	15 February 1911
	Groom	Bride
Names of Parties	Joseph Augustus Christensen	Adelaide Mary McGregor
	💍 1911/4210
Condition	Bachelor	Spinster
Profession	Labourer	Domestic
Age	30	26
Dwelling Place	Picton	Picton
Length of Residence	10 months	10 months
Marriage Place	In the office of the Registrar at Picton
Folio	11/4046
Consent
Date of Certificate	15 February 1911
Officiating Minister	John G. Beswick, Registrar

16 February 1911

Henry Hebberley
Jessie Wells

Henry Hebberley
Jessie Therisa Wells
💍 1911/866

Bachelor
Spinster

Mariner
Domestic

33
22

Picton
Havelock

33 years
22 years

In the dwelling of Arthur Wells, Blackball, Havelock

11/191

16 February 1911

Thos. J. Smith, Anglican

No	5
Date of Notice	16 February 1911
	Groom	Bride
Names of Parties	Henry Hebberley	Jessie Wells
BDM Match (80%)	Henry Hebberley	Jessie Therisa Wells
	💍 1911/866
Condition	Bachelor	Spinster
Profession	Mariner	Domestic
Age	33	22
Dwelling Place	Picton	Havelock
Length of Residence	33 years	22 years
Marriage Place	In the dwelling of Arthur Wells, Blackball, Havelock
Folio	11/191
Consent
Date of Certificate	16 February 1911
Officiating Minister	Thos. J. Smith, Anglican

27 February 1911

John Thomas Avison
Constance Whiting

John Thomas Avison
Constance Whiting
💍 1911/2107

Bachelor
Spinster

Labourer
Domestic duties

24
19

Picton
Picton

3 years
19 years

In the Anglican Church at Picton

11/1572

George Whiting, Father

27 February 1911

Thos. J. Smith, Anglican

No	6
Date of Notice	27 February 1911
	Groom	Bride
Names of Parties	John Thomas Avison	Constance Whiting
	💍 1911/2107
Condition	Bachelor	Spinster
Profession	Labourer	Domestic duties
Age	24	19
Dwelling Place	Picton	Picton
Length of Residence	3 years	19 years
Marriage Place	In the Anglican Church at Picton
Folio	11/1572
Consent	George Whiting, Father
Date of Certificate	27 February 1911
Officiating Minister	Thos. J. Smith, Anglican

28 February 1911

Charles William Stuart
Ida Kathleen Louise Harley

Charles William Stuart
Ida Kathleen Louise Harley
💍 1911/2342

Bachelor
Spinster

Warehouseman
Domestic duties

26
24

Picton
Picton

3 days
9 days

In the dwelling of G. D. Stuart, Picton

11/1668

28 February 1911

W. O. Robb, Presbyterian

No	7
Date of Notice	28 February 1911
	Groom	Bride
Names of Parties	Charles William Stuart	Ida Kathleen Louise Harley
	💍 1911/2342
Condition	Bachelor	Spinster
Profession	Warehouseman	Domestic duties
Age	26	24
Dwelling Place	Picton	Picton
Length of Residence	3 days	9 days
Marriage Place	In the dwelling of G. D. Stuart, Picton
Folio	11/1668
Consent
Date of Certificate	28 February 1911
Officiating Minister	W. O. Robb, Presbyterian

6 March 1911

Leonard Richard Smith
Annie Brownlee Todd

Leonard Richard Smith
Annie Brownlie Todd
💍 1911/4166

Bachelor
Spinster

Draper
Domestic

34
27

Picton
Picton

30 years
6 years

In the building known as "Waitohi House", Picton

11/3998

6 March 1911

Rev. J. Dickson, Presbyterian

No	8
Date of Notice	6 March 1911
	Groom	Bride
Names of Parties	Leonard Richard Smith	Annie Brownlee Todd
BDM Match (97%)	Leonard Richard Smith	Annie Brownlie Todd
	💍 1911/4166
Condition	Bachelor	Spinster
Profession	Draper	Domestic
Age	34	27
Dwelling Place	Picton	Picton
Length of Residence	30 years	6 years
Marriage Place	In the building known as "Waitohi House", Picton
Folio	11/3998
Consent
Date of Certificate	6 March 1911
Officiating Minister	Rev. J. Dickson, Presbyterian

14 March 1911

Frederick Louis Forster
Harriet Anne Lloyd

Frederick Louis Forster
Harriet Anne Lloyd
💍 1911/4164

Divorced
Spinster

Leading Carpenter, Railways
Domestic

35
39

Picton
Picton

18 months
39 years

In the dwelling of David Lloyd, York Street, Picton

11/3997

14 March 1911

Rev. John Dickson, Presbyterian

No	9
Date of Notice	14 March 1911
	Groom	Bride
Names of Parties	Frederick Louis Forster	Harriet Anne Lloyd
	💍 1911/4164
Condition	Divorced	Spinster
Profession	Leading Carpenter, Railways	Domestic
Age	35	39
Dwelling Place	Picton	Picton
Length of Residence	18 months	39 years
Marriage Place	In the dwelling of David Lloyd, York Street, Picton
Folio	11/3997
Consent
Date of Certificate	14 March 1911
Officiating Minister	Rev. John Dickson, Presbyterian

20 March 1911

Arthur James Hinton McAlpine
Gertrude Alice Winstanley

Arthur James Hinton McAlpine
Gertrude Alice Winstanley
💍 1911/4089

Bachelor
Spinster

Farmer
Domestic

22
22

Picton
Waitaria Bay, Queen Charlotte Sound

3 days
3 days

In the dwelling of David Henry Godsiff, Waitaria Bay, Queen Charlotte Sound

11/3861

20 March 1911

Rev. Thos. J. Smith, Anglican

No	10
Date of Notice	20 March 1911
	Groom	Bride
Names of Parties	Arthur James Hinton McAlpine	Gertrude Alice Winstanley
	💍 1911/4089
Condition	Bachelor	Spinster
Profession	Farmer	Domestic
Age	22	22
Dwelling Place	Picton	Waitaria Bay, Queen Charlotte Sound
Length of Residence	3 days	3 days
Marriage Place	In the dwelling of David Henry Godsiff, Waitaria Bay, Queen Charlotte Sound
Folio	11/3861
Consent
Date of Certificate	20 March 1911
Officiating Minister	Rev. Thos. J. Smith, Anglican

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).