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 036

District of Christchurch Quarter ending 31 March 1911 Registrar Charles Williams

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

31 January 1911

William Henry Rent
Ellinor Glimpton Robinson

William Henry Kent
Ellinor Gimpton Robinson
💍 1911/1647

Bachelor
Spinster

Farmer

27
23

Avonside
Cashmere Hills

10 days
Life

Anglican Church

11/1211

31 January 1911

Rev. P. J. Cocks, Anglican

No	77
Date of Notice	31 January 1911
	Groom	Bride
Names of Parties	William Henry Rent	Ellinor Glimpton Robinson
BDM Match (95%)	William Henry Kent	Ellinor Gimpton Robinson
	💍 1911/1647
Condition	Bachelor	Spinster
Profession	Farmer
Age	27	23
Dwelling Place	Avonside	Cashmere Hills
Length of Residence	10 days	Life
Marriage Place	Anglican Church
Folio	11/1211
Consent
Date of Certificate	31 January 1911
Officiating Minister	Rev. P. J. Cocks, Anglican

31 January 1911

Frederick Johnstone Porteous
Edith Emily Thompson

Frederick Johnstone Porteous
Edith Emily Thompson
💍 1911/4179

Bachelor
Spinster

Clerk

31
26

Christchurch
Christchurch

5 years
20 years

St. Matthews Church

11/4005

31 January 1911

Rev. P. B. Haggitt, Anglican

No	78
Date of Notice	31 January 1911
	Groom	Bride
Names of Parties	Frederick Johnstone Porteous	Edith Emily Thompson
	💍 1911/4179
Condition	Bachelor	Spinster
Profession	Clerk
Age	31	26
Dwelling Place	Christchurch	Christchurch
Length of Residence	5 years	20 years
Marriage Place	St. Matthews Church
Folio	11/4005
Consent
Date of Certificate	31 January 1911
Officiating Minister	Rev. P. B. Haggitt, Anglican

1 February 1911

Ivan R. John Lewis
Eliza Jane Costello

Frank John Twiss
Eliza Jane Costello
💍 1911/1738

Bachelor
Spinster

Cycle Engineer

27
20

Christchurch
Christchurch

2 years
4 days

Roman Catholic Cathedral

11/1182

Mother, Eliza Jane Costello

1 February 1911

Rev. R. Richards, Romanist

No	79
Date of Notice	1 February 1911
	Groom	Bride
Names of Parties	Ivan R. John Lewis	Eliza Jane Costello
BDM Match (78%)	Frank John Twiss	Eliza Jane Costello
	💍 1911/1738
Condition	Bachelor	Spinster
Profession	Cycle Engineer
Age	27	20
Dwelling Place	Christchurch	Christchurch
Length of Residence	2 years	4 days
Marriage Place	Roman Catholic Cathedral
Folio	11/1182
Consent	Mother, Eliza Jane Costello
Date of Certificate	1 February 1911
Officiating Minister	Rev. R. Richards, Romanist

1 February 1911

Robert Wilson
Ada Richardson

Robert Wilson
Ada Richardson
💍 1911/2111

Bachelor
Spinster

Farmer

36
31

Christchurch
Christchurch

3 days
3 days

St. Andrews Church

11/1698

1 February 1911

Rev. J. Mackenzie, Presbyterian

No	80
Date of Notice	1 February 1911
	Groom	Bride
Names of Parties	Robert Wilson	Ada Richardson
	💍 1911/2111
Condition	Bachelor	Spinster
Profession	Farmer
Age	36	31
Dwelling Place	Christchurch	Christchurch
Length of Residence	3 days	3 days
Marriage Place	St. Andrews Church
Folio	11/1698
Consent
Date of Certificate	1 February 1911
Officiating Minister	Rev. J. Mackenzie, Presbyterian

1 February 1911

John McKenzie Lynch
Maud Rosalind Farrant

John McKenzie Lynch
Maud Roslind Farrant
💍 1911/1737

Bachelor
Spinster

Accountant
Clerk

25
26

Christchurch
Sydenham

8 years
Life

Roman Catholic Cathedral

11/1181

1 February 1911

Rev. J. A. Kennedy, Romanist

No	81
Date of Notice	1 February 1911
	Groom	Bride
Names of Parties	John McKenzie Lynch	Maud Rosalind Farrant
BDM Match (98%)	John McKenzie Lynch	Maud Roslind Farrant
	💍 1911/1737
Condition	Bachelor	Spinster
Profession	Accountant	Clerk
Age	25	26
Dwelling Place	Christchurch	Sydenham
Length of Residence	8 years	Life
Marriage Place	Roman Catholic Cathedral
Folio	11/1181
Consent
Date of Certificate	1 February 1911
Officiating Minister	Rev. J. A. Kennedy, Romanist

2 February 1911

Thomas Patrick Goldie Miller
Blanche Dickson Macdonald

Thomas Patrick Goldie Miller
Blanche Dickson Macdonald
💍 1911/1522

Bachelor
Spinster

Station Manager

48
31

Christchurch
Christchurch

6 weeks
6 weeks

Registrar's Office

11/1033

2 February 1911

L. C. Williams, Registrar

No	82
Date of Notice	2 February 1911
	Groom	Bride
Names of Parties	Thomas Patrick Goldie Miller	Blanche Dickson Macdonald
	💍 1911/1522
Condition	Bachelor	Spinster
Profession	Station Manager
Age	48	31
Dwelling Place	Christchurch	Christchurch
Length of Residence	6 weeks	6 weeks
Marriage Place	Registrar's Office
Folio	11/1033
Consent
Date of Certificate	2 February 1911
Officiating Minister	L. C. Williams, Registrar

2 February 1911

Frederick James Jenkins
Edith Mary Whitmarsh

Frederick James Jenkins
Edith Mary Whitmarsh
💍 1911/1506

Bachelor
Spinster

Driver

34
29

Christchurch
Christchurch

Life
14 years

Registrar's Office

11/1025

2 February 1911

L. C. Williams, Registrar

No	83
Date of Notice	2 February 1911
	Groom	Bride
Names of Parties	Frederick James Jenkins	Edith Mary Whitmarsh
	💍 1911/1506
Condition	Bachelor	Spinster
Profession	Driver
Age	34	29
Dwelling Place	Christchurch	Christchurch
Length of Residence	Life	14 years
Marriage Place	Registrar's Office
Folio	11/1025
Consent
Date of Certificate	2 February 1911
Officiating Minister	L. C. Williams, Registrar

2 February 1911

Frederick Octavius Neate
Wilhelmina Bennington

Frederick Octavius Neate
Wilhelmina Bennington
💍 1911/4169

Bachelor
Spinster

Laundry Proprietor

22
22

St. Albans
St. Albans

Life
6 months

St. Matthews Church

11/4001

2 February 1911

Rev. P. B. Haggitt, Anglican

No	84
Date of Notice	2 February 1911
	Groom	Bride
Names of Parties	Frederick Octavius Neate	Wilhelmina Bennington
	💍 1911/4169
Condition	Bachelor	Spinster
Profession	Laundry Proprietor
Age	22	22
Dwelling Place	St. Albans	St. Albans
Length of Residence	Life	6 months
Marriage Place	St. Matthews Church
Folio	11/4001
Consent
Date of Certificate	2 February 1911
Officiating Minister	Rev. P. B. Haggitt, Anglican

3 February 1911

Herbert Ball
Ethel Florence Knapp

Herbert Ball
Ethel Florence Knapp
💍 1911/1688

Bachelor
Spinster

Wood Bender

25
23

Sydenham
Sydenham

Life
7 years

St. Mary's Church, Addington

11/1132

3 February 1911

Rev. W. S. Bean, Anglican

No	85
Date of Notice	3 February 1911
	Groom	Bride
Names of Parties	Herbert Ball	Ethel Florence Knapp
	💍 1911/1688
Condition	Bachelor	Spinster
Profession	Wood Bender
Age	25	23
Dwelling Place	Sydenham	Sydenham
Length of Residence	Life	7 years
Marriage Place	St. Mary's Church, Addington
Folio	11/1132
Consent
Date of Certificate	3 February 1911
Officiating Minister	Rev. W. S. Bean, Anglican

3 February 1911

Augustus Frederick Lipscombe Moore
Isabel Button

Augustus Frederick Lipscombe Moore
Mabel Bulton
💍 1911/2112

Bachelor
Spinster

Farmer

31
46

Christchurch
Christchurch

5 days
3 days

St. Andrews Church

11/1699

3 February 1911

Rev. J. Mackenzie, Presbyterian

No	86
Date of Notice	3 February 1911
	Groom	Bride
Names of Parties	Augustus Frederick Lipscombe Moore	Isabel Button
BDM Match (88%)	Augustus Frederick Lipscombe Moore	Mabel Bulton
	💍 1911/2112
Condition	Bachelor	Spinster
Profession	Farmer
Age	31	46
Dwelling Place	Christchurch	Christchurch
Length of Residence	5 days	3 days
Marriage Place	St. Andrews Church
Folio	11/1699
Consent
Date of Certificate	3 February 1911
Officiating Minister	Rev. J. Mackenzie, Presbyterian

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).