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 286

District of Timaru Quarter ending 30 June 1911 Registrar Alex 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 April 1911

Frederick Pery Fisher
Margaret Malsom

Frederick Perry Fisher
Margaret Malson
💍 1911/3721

Bachelor
Spinster

Fellmonger
Tailoress

23 years
20 years

Timaru
Timaru

3 years
4 years

Chalmers Church, Timaru

11/3408

Margaret Ann Whitehouse, mother

22 April 1911

Rev. A. Macaulay Caldwell, Presbyterian Minister

No	56
Date of Notice	22 April 1911
	Groom	Bride
Names of Parties	Frederick Pery Fisher	Margaret Malsom
BDM Match (94%)	Frederick Perry Fisher	Margaret Malson
	💍 1911/3721
Condition	Bachelor	Spinster
Profession	Fellmonger	Tailoress
Age	23 years	20 years
Dwelling Place	Timaru	Timaru
Length of Residence	3 years	4 years
Marriage Place	Chalmers Church, Timaru
Folio	11/3408
Consent	Margaret Ann Whitehouse, mother
Date of Certificate	22 April 1911
Officiating Minister	Rev. A. Macaulay Caldwell, Presbyterian Minister

25 April 1911

Ralph Radcliffe Cries
Ethel Alice Harriet Beckingham

Ralph Hatcliffe Priest
Ethel Alice Harriet Beckingham
💍 1911/3762

Bachelor
Spinster

Ironmonger
Household duties

31 years
25 years

Timaru
Timaru

23 years
25 years

English Church, St. Marys, Timaru

11/3467

25 April 1911

Rev. H. Williams, Church of England Clergyman

No	57
Date of Notice	25 April 1911
	Groom	Bride
Names of Parties	Ralph Radcliffe Cries	Ethel Alice Harriet Beckingham
BDM Match (91%)	Ralph Hatcliffe Priest	Ethel Alice Harriet Beckingham
	💍 1911/3762
Condition	Bachelor	Spinster
Profession	Ironmonger	Household duties
Age	31 years	25 years
Dwelling Place	Timaru	Timaru
Length of Residence	23 years	25 years
Marriage Place	English Church, St. Marys, Timaru
Folio	11/3467
Consent
Date of Certificate	25 April 1911
Officiating Minister	Rev. H. Williams, Church of England Clergyman

26 April 1911

Mark John Richard Vial
Lydia Emily Carleton

Mark John Richard Vial
Lydia Emily Coulton
💍 1911/3710

Widower
Spinster

Railway Guard
Domestic duties

39 years
32 years

Timaru
Timaru

3 days
4 years

Chalmers Presbyterian Church, Timaru

11/3407

26 April 1911

Rev. A. Macaulay Caldwell, Presbyterian Minister

No	58
Date of Notice	26 April 1911
	Groom	Bride
Names of Parties	Mark John Richard Vial	Lydia Emily Carleton
BDM Match (93%)	Mark John Richard Vial	Lydia Emily Coulton
	💍 1911/3710
Condition	Widower	Spinster
Profession	Railway Guard	Domestic duties
Age	39 years	32 years
Dwelling Place	Timaru	Timaru
Length of Residence	3 days	4 years
Marriage Place	Chalmers Presbyterian Church, Timaru
Folio	11/3407
Consent
Date of Certificate	26 April 1911
Officiating Minister	Rev. A. Macaulay Caldwell, Presbyterian Minister

26 April 1911

Albert Woods
Rose Catherine Ferguson

Albert Woods
Rose Catherine Ferguson
💍 1911/2427

Bachelor
Spinster

Labourer
Book

33 years
36 years

Timaru
Timaru

6 years
11 years

Registrar's Office, Timaru

11/2130

26 April 1911

Alex Montgomery (Registrar)

No	59
Date of Notice	26 April 1911
	Groom	Bride
Names of Parties	Albert Woods	Rose Catherine Ferguson
	💍 1911/2427
Condition	Bachelor	Spinster
Profession	Labourer	Book
Age	33 years	36 years
Dwelling Place	Timaru	Timaru
Length of Residence	6 years	11 years
Marriage Place	Registrar's Office, Timaru
Folio	11/2130
Consent
Date of Certificate	26 April 1911
Officiating Minister	Alex Montgomery (Registrar)

29 April 1911

George Mason
Annie Allen

George Mason
Annie Allen
💍 1911/3716

Bachelor
Spinster

Horse dealer
Dressmaker

31 years
23 years

Timaru
Timaru

3 months
1 month

Roman Catholic Church, Timaru

11/3421

29 April 1911

Rev. Father Murphy, Roman Catholic Priest

No	60
Date of Notice	29 April 1911
	Groom	Bride
Names of Parties	George Mason	Annie Allen
	💍 1911/3716
Condition	Bachelor	Spinster
Profession	Horse dealer	Dressmaker
Age	31 years	23 years
Dwelling Place	Timaru	Timaru
Length of Residence	3 months	1 month
Marriage Place	Roman Catholic Church, Timaru
Folio	11/3421
Consent
Date of Certificate	29 April 1911
Officiating Minister	Rev. Father Murphy, Roman Catholic Priest

1 May 1911

Henry Arnold Hoare
Rachel Hazlett

Henry Arnold Hoare
Rachel Hazlett
💍 1911/2428

Bachelor
Spinster

Engine Driver
Domestic Servant

24 years
21 years

Timaru
Timaru

24 years
4 days

Registrar's Office, Timaru

11/2131

1 May 1911

Alex Montgomery (Registrar)

No	61
Date of Notice	1 May 1911
	Groom	Bride
Names of Parties	Henry Arnold Hoare	Rachel Hazlett
	💍 1911/2428
Condition	Bachelor	Spinster
Profession	Engine Driver	Domestic Servant
Age	24 years	21 years
Dwelling Place	Timaru	Timaru
Length of Residence	24 years	4 days
Marriage Place	Registrar's Office, Timaru
Folio	11/2131
Consent
Date of Certificate	1 May 1911
Officiating Minister	Alex Montgomery (Registrar)

2 May 1911

Arthur Book
Jessie Scott

Arthur Cook
Jessie Scott
💍 1911/2429

Bachelor
Spinster

Labourer
Domestic Servant

25 years
26 years

Timaru
Timaru

6 days
3 days

Registrar's Office, Timaru

11/2132

2 May 1911

Alex Montgomery (Registrar)

No	62
Date of Notice	2 May 1911
	Groom	Bride
Names of Parties	Arthur Book	Jessie Scott
BDM Match (95%)	Arthur Cook	Jessie Scott
	💍 1911/2429
Condition	Bachelor	Spinster
Profession	Labourer	Domestic Servant
Age	25 years	26 years
Dwelling Place	Timaru	Timaru
Length of Residence	6 days	3 days
Marriage Place	Registrar's Office, Timaru
Folio	11/2132
Consent
Date of Certificate	2 May 1911
Officiating Minister	Alex Montgomery (Registrar)

6 May 1911

Thomas Leggott
Sarah Reed

Thomas Leggott
Sarah Reid
💍 1911/3764

Bachelor
Spinster

Labourer
Domestic duties

34 years
36 years

Timaru
Timaru

34 years
35 years

Dwellinghouse of Mrs. M. Reed, Church St., Timaru

11/3469

6 May 1911

Rev. J. Heatherston, Primitive Methodist Minister

No	63
Date of Notice	6 May 1911
	Groom	Bride
Names of Parties	Thomas Leggott	Sarah Reed
BDM Match (95%)	Thomas Leggott	Sarah Reid
	💍 1911/3764
Condition	Bachelor	Spinster
Profession	Labourer	Domestic duties
Age	34 years	36 years
Dwelling Place	Timaru	Timaru
Length of Residence	34 years	35 years
Marriage Place	Dwellinghouse of Mrs. M. Reed, Church St., Timaru
Folio	11/3469
Consent
Date of Certificate	6 May 1911
Officiating Minister	Rev. J. Heatherston, Primitive Methodist Minister

These records have been automatically transcribed and must be verified using the page image (below)

100% Contrast

100% Brightness

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).