Intentions to Marry, 1911 Canterbury, Otago, Chatham Islands

Reference: Registrar-General of Births, Deaths and Marriages, Notices of intention to marry, Series 8937, R2840447, 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 279

District of Timaru Quarter ending 31 March 1911 Registrar Alexander Montgomery

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

22 February 1911

Alexander Graham
Nora Mulvey

Alexander Graham
Norah Mulvey
💍 1911/4461

Bachelor
Spinster

Clerk
Household duties

26
30

Timaru
Timaru

3 days
3 days

Roman Catholic, Presbytery Timaru

11/422

22 February 1911

Rev. John Tubman, Roman Catholic Priest

No	14
Date of Notice	22 February 1911
	Groom	Bride
Names of Parties	Alexander Graham	Nora Mulvey
BDM Match (96%)	Alexander Graham	Norah Mulvey
	💍 1911/4461
Condition	Bachelor	Spinster
Profession	Clerk	Household duties
Age	26	30
Dwelling Place	Timaru	Timaru
Length of Residence	3 days	3 days
Marriage Place	Roman Catholic, Presbytery Timaru
Folio	11/422
Consent
Date of Certificate	22 February 1911
Officiating Minister	Rev. John Tubman, Roman Catholic Priest

23 February 1911

Walter Shaw
Jessie Helen Gow

Walter Shaw
Jessie Helen Gow
💍 1911/1904

Bachelor
Spinster

Barrister & Solicitor
Household duties

33
21

Timaru
Timaru

24 years
21 years

Chalmers Presbyterian Church Timaru

11/1405

23 February 1911

Rev. A. Macaulay Caldwell, Presbyterian Minister

No	18
Date of Notice	23 February 1911
	Groom	Bride
Names of Parties	Walter Shaw	Jessie Helen Gow
	💍 1911/1904
Condition	Bachelor	Spinster
Profession	Barrister & Solicitor	Household duties
Age	33	21
Dwelling Place	Timaru	Timaru
Length of Residence	24 years	21 years
Marriage Place	Chalmers Presbyterian Church Timaru
Folio	11/1405
Consent
Date of Certificate	23 February 1911
Officiating Minister	Rev. A. Macaulay Caldwell, Presbyterian Minister

23 February 1911

Richard John Taylor
Elizabeth Craig

Richard John Taylor
Elizabeth Craig
💍 1911/1903

Bachelor
Widow

Labourer
Household duties

26
26

Timaru
Timaru

2½ years
5 months

Chalmers Presbyterian Church Timaru

11/1404

23 February 1911

Rev. A. Macaulay Caldwell, Presbyterian Minister

No	19
Date of Notice	23 February 1911
	Groom	Bride
Names of Parties	Richard John Taylor	Elizabeth Craig
	💍 1911/1903
Condition	Bachelor	Widow
Profession	Labourer	Household duties
Age	26	26
Dwelling Place	Timaru	Timaru
Length of Residence	2½ years	5 months
Marriage Place	Chalmers Presbyterian Church Timaru
Folio	11/1404
Consent
Date of Certificate	23 February 1911
Officiating Minister	Rev. A. Macaulay Caldwell, Presbyterian Minister

23 February 1911

William Wallace Hooper
Mary Ann Grace

William Wallace Hooper
Mary Ann Grace
💍 1911/4459

Bachelor
Spinster

Labourer
Domestic Servant

24
26

Saltwater Creek
Saltwater Creek

6 weeks
6 weeks

Roman Catholic Church Timaru

11/4225

23 February 1911

Rev. J. Tubman, Roman Catholic Priest

No	20
Date of Notice	23 February 1911
	Groom	Bride
Names of Parties	William Wallace Hooper	Mary Ann Grace
	💍 1911/4459
Condition	Bachelor	Spinster
Profession	Labourer	Domestic Servant
Age	24	26
Dwelling Place	Saltwater Creek	Saltwater Creek
Length of Residence	6 weeks	6 weeks
Marriage Place	Roman Catholic Church Timaru
Folio	11/4225
Consent
Date of Certificate	23 February 1911
Officiating Minister	Rev. J. Tubman, Roman Catholic Priest

24 February 1911

William Feut
Mary Fitzgerald

William Kent
Mary Fitzgerald
💍 1911/4460

William Rowe
Maud Fitzgerald
💍 1911/5614

William Russell
Margaret Fitzgerald
💍 1911/4032

Bachelor
Spinster

Labourer
Household duties

23
31

Timaru
Timaru

3 years
1 week

Roman Catholic Church Timaru

11/4226

24 February 1911

Rev. J. Tubman, Roman Catholic Priest

No	21
Date of Notice	24 February 1911
	Groom	Bride
Names of Parties	William Feut	Mary Fitzgerald
BDM Match (92%)	William Kent	Mary Fitzgerald
	💍 1911/4460
BDM Match (77%)	William Rowe	Maud Fitzgerald
	💍 1911/5614
BDM Match (67%)	William Russell	Margaret Fitzgerald
	💍 1911/4032
Condition	Bachelor	Spinster
Profession	Labourer	Household duties
Age	23	31
Dwelling Place	Timaru	Timaru
Length of Residence	3 years	1 week
Marriage Place	Roman Catholic Church Timaru
Folio	11/4226
Consent
Date of Certificate	24 February 1911
Officiating Minister	Rev. J. Tubman, Roman Catholic Priest

24 February 1911

Kenneth Charles Henderson
Jane Gladys Davis

Kenneth Charles Henderson
Jane Gladys Davis
💍 1911/1428

Bachelor
Spinster

Woolclasser
Stenographer

34
19

Timaru
Timaru

3 years
19 years

Dwellinghouse of Mr. Wm. Davis, Forth St. Timaru

11/997

Wm. Davis (Father)

24 February 1911

Rev. John Olphert, Primitive Methodist Minister

No	22
Date of Notice	24 February 1911
	Groom	Bride
Names of Parties	Kenneth Charles Henderson	Jane Gladys Davis
	💍 1911/1428
Condition	Bachelor	Spinster
Profession	Woolclasser	Stenographer
Age	34	19
Dwelling Place	Timaru	Timaru
Length of Residence	3 years	19 years
Marriage Place	Dwellinghouse of Mr. Wm. Davis, Forth St. Timaru
Folio	11/997
Consent	Wm. Davis (Father)
Date of Certificate	24 February 1911
Officiating Minister	Rev. John Olphert, Primitive Methodist Minister

28 February 1911

Cecil Leonard Tubb
Violet Evelyn Burford

Cecil Leonard Tubb
Violet Evelyn Burford
💍 1911/2066

Bachelor
Spinster

Carpenter
Domestic duties

25
24

Timaru
Timaru

5 years
5 years

Congregational Church Timaru

11/1470

28 February 1911

Rev. H. K. Hend, Congregational Minister

No	23
Date of Notice	28 February 1911
	Groom	Bride
Names of Parties	Cecil Leonard Tubb	Violet Evelyn Burford
	💍 1911/2066
Condition	Bachelor	Spinster
Profession	Carpenter	Domestic duties
Age	25	24
Dwelling Place	Timaru	Timaru
Length of Residence	5 years	5 years
Marriage Place	Congregational Church Timaru
Folio	11/1470
Consent
Date of Certificate	28 February 1911
Officiating Minister	Rev. H. K. Hend, Congregational Minister

28 February 1911

James Patrick O'Neill
Elizabeth Fanny Harris

James Patrick O'Neill
Elizabeth Fanny Harris
💍 1911/1956

Bachelor
Spinster

Farm Labourer
Cook

23
22

Fairview
Waimataitai

1 year
5 years

Primitive Methodist Church Waimataitai

11/1508

28 February 1911

Rev. J. Olphert, Primitive Methodist Minister

No	24
Date of Notice	28 February 1911
	Groom	Bride
Names of Parties	James Patrick O'Neill	Elizabeth Fanny Harris
	💍 1911/1956
Condition	Bachelor	Spinster
Profession	Farm Labourer	Cook
Age	23	22
Dwelling Place	Fairview	Waimataitai
Length of Residence	1 year	5 years
Marriage Place	Primitive Methodist Church Waimataitai
Folio	11/1508
Consent
Date of Certificate	28 February 1911
Officiating Minister	Rev. J. Olphert, Primitive Methodist Minister

1 March 1911

John Thomas Manson
Frances Sarah Ann Pratley

John Thomas Manson
Frances Sarah Ann Pratley
💍 1911/2009

Bachelor
Spinster

Farmer
Household duties

33
22

Timaru
Timaru

3 days
3 days

St. Mary's English Church Timaru

11/1356

1 March 1911

Rev. Henry Williams, Church of England Clergyman

No	25
Date of Notice	1 March 1911
	Groom	Bride
Names of Parties	John Thomas Manson	Frances Sarah Ann Pratley
	💍 1911/2009
Condition	Bachelor	Spinster
Profession	Farmer	Household duties
Age	33	22
Dwelling Place	Timaru	Timaru
Length of Residence	3 days	3 days
Marriage Place	St. Mary's English Church Timaru
Folio	11/1356
Consent
Date of Certificate	1 March 1911
Officiating Minister	Rev. Henry Williams, Church of England Clergyman

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).