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 032

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

12 January 1911

Arthur Stanley Birch
Ida Helena Green

Arthur Stanley Birch
Ida Helena Green
💍 1911/1526

Bachelor
Spinster

Laborer

25
21

Christchurch
St. Albans

2 years
20 years

Registrar's Office, Christchurch

11/1045

12 January 1911

L. C. Williams, Registrar

No	32
Date of Notice	12 January 1911
	Groom	Bride
Names of Parties	Arthur Stanley Birch	Ida Helena Green
	💍 1911/1526
Condition	Bachelor	Spinster
Profession	Laborer
Age	25	21
Dwelling Place	Christchurch	St. Albans
Length of Residence	2 years	20 years
Marriage Place	Registrar's Office, Christchurch
Folio	11/1045
Consent
Date of Certificate	12 January 1911
Officiating Minister	L. C. Williams, Registrar

12 January 1911

Thomas Henry Chaplow
Edith Grace Scown

Henry Thomas Chaplow
Edith Grace Scown
💍 1911/2645

Bachelor
Spinster

Grocer

29
31

Christchurch
Christchurch

3 days
Life

Baptist Church, Oxford Terrace, Christchurch

11/1765

12 January 1911

Rev. S. H. Hobday, Baptist

No	33
Date of Notice	12 January 1911
	Groom	Bride
Names of Parties	Thomas Henry Chaplow	Edith Grace Scown
BDM Match (70%)	Henry Thomas Chaplow	Edith Grace Scown
	💍 1911/2645
Condition	Bachelor	Spinster
Profession	Grocer
Age	29	31
Dwelling Place	Christchurch	Christchurch
Length of Residence	3 days	Life
Marriage Place	Baptist Church, Oxford Terrace, Christchurch
Folio	11/1765
Consent
Date of Certificate	12 January 1911
Officiating Minister	Rev. S. H. Hobday, Baptist

12 January 1911

George Arthur Aldo
Ethel May Keely

George Arthur Aldo
Ethel May Keely
💍 1911/1525

Bachelor
Spinster

Mariner

24
24

Christchurch
Christchurch

9 months
6 months

Registrar's Office, Christchurch

11/1044

12 January 1911

L. C. Williams, Registrar

No	34
Date of Notice	12 January 1911
	Groom	Bride
Names of Parties	George Arthur Aldo	Ethel May Keely
	💍 1911/1525
Condition	Bachelor	Spinster
Profession	Mariner
Age	24	24
Dwelling Place	Christchurch	Christchurch
Length of Residence	9 months	6 months
Marriage Place	Registrar's Office, Christchurch
Folio	11/1044
Consent
Date of Certificate	12 January 1911
Officiating Minister	L. C. Williams, Registrar

13 January 1911

George Chatterway Clarke
Elsie Jane Hore

George Chatterway Clarke
Elsie Jane Hore
💍 1911/4142

Bachelor
Spinster

Warehouseman

26
20

Christchurch
Spreydon

Life
Life

Methodist Church, Spreydon

11/3916

Sampson Hore, father

13 January 1911

Rev. A. M. McBean, Methodist

No	35
Date of Notice	13 January 1911
	Groom	Bride
Names of Parties	George Chatterway Clarke	Elsie Jane Hore
	💍 1911/4142
Condition	Bachelor	Spinster
Profession	Warehouseman
Age	26	20
Dwelling Place	Christchurch	Spreydon
Length of Residence	Life	Life
Marriage Place	Methodist Church, Spreydon
Folio	11/3916
Consent	Sampson Hore, father
Date of Certificate	13 January 1911
Officiating Minister	Rev. A. M. McBean, Methodist

13 January 1911

Percy Primmer
Jean Kirkland Mitchell

Percy Primmer
Jean Kirkland Mitchell
💍 1911/2132

Bachelor
Spinster

Storeman

30
24

Addington
Linwood

Life
4 years

House of Mrs. Pratt, 16 Durham St., Christchurch

11/1695

13 January 1911

Rev. J. Mackenzie, Presbyterian

No	36
Date of Notice	13 January 1911
	Groom	Bride
Names of Parties	Percy Primmer	Jean Kirkland Mitchell
	💍 1911/2132
Condition	Bachelor	Spinster
Profession	Storeman
Age	30	24
Dwelling Place	Addington	Linwood
Length of Residence	Life	4 years
Marriage Place	House of Mrs. Pratt, 16 Durham St., Christchurch
Folio	11/1695
Consent
Date of Certificate	13 January 1911
Officiating Minister	Rev. J. Mackenzie, Presbyterian

14 January 1911

Charles Wright Allard
Harriet Blackwood Anthony

Charles Wright Allard
Harriet Blackwood Anthony
💍 1911/9035

Bachelor
Spinster

Schoolteacher

25
25

Christchurch
Christchurch

1 week
Life

St. Augustine's Church, Cashmere Hills

11/1210

14 January 1911

Rev. P. J. Cocks, Anglican

No	37
Date of Notice	14 January 1911
	Groom	Bride
Names of Parties	Charles Wright Allard	Harriet Blackwood Anthony
	💍 1911/9035
Condition	Bachelor	Spinster
Profession	Schoolteacher
Age	25	25
Dwelling Place	Christchurch	Christchurch
Length of Residence	1 week	Life
Marriage Place	St. Augustine's Church, Cashmere Hills
Folio	11/1210
Consent
Date of Certificate	14 January 1911
Officiating Minister	Rev. P. J. Cocks, Anglican

14 January 1911

Thomas Richardson
Annie Eleanor Taylor

Thomas Richardson
Annie Eleanor Taylor
💍 1911/1982

Bachelor
Spinster

Engineer

29
35

Sydenham
Sydenham

5 years
31 years

House of Mrs. Jno. Taylor, 1 Palgrave St., Sydenham

11/1516

14 January 1911

Rev. G. Clement, Primitive Methodist

No	38
Date of Notice	14 January 1911
	Groom	Bride
Names of Parties	Thomas Richardson	Annie Eleanor Taylor
	💍 1911/1982
Condition	Bachelor	Spinster
Profession	Engineer
Age	29	35
Dwelling Place	Sydenham	Sydenham
Length of Residence	5 years	31 years
Marriage Place	House of Mrs. Jno. Taylor, 1 Palgrave St., Sydenham
Folio	11/1516
Consent
Date of Certificate	14 January 1911
Officiating Minister	Rev. G. Clement, Primitive Methodist

16 January 1911

Francis Joseph McWatt
Gertrude Annie Slade

Francis Joseph McNabb
Gertrude Annie Slade
💍 1911/1597

Bachelor
Spinster

Groundsman

33
25

Richmond
Christchurch

10 years
8 years

Roman Catholic Cathedral, Christchurch

11/1184

16 January 1911

Rev. J. Price, Romanist

No	39
Date of Notice	16 January 1911
	Groom	Bride
Names of Parties	Francis Joseph McWatt	Gertrude Annie Slade
BDM Match (93%)	Francis Joseph McNabb	Gertrude Annie Slade
	💍 1911/1597
Condition	Bachelor	Spinster
Profession	Groundsman
Age	33	25
Dwelling Place	Richmond	Christchurch
Length of Residence	10 years	8 years
Marriage Place	Roman Catholic Cathedral, Christchurch
Folio	11/1184
Consent
Date of Certificate	16 January 1911
Officiating Minister	Rev. J. Price, Romanist

16 January 1911

George Edgar Moreton
Edith Marie Francis

George Edgar Moreton
Edith Marie Francis
💍 1911/4157

Bachelor
Spinster

Warehouseman

32
34

Linwood
Linwood

3 days
14 years

Church of Good Shepherd, Phillipstown

11/3990

16 January 1911

Rev. H. S. Ensor, Anglican

No	40
Date of Notice	16 January 1911
	Groom	Bride
Names of Parties	George Edgar Moreton	Edith Marie Francis
	💍 1911/4157
Condition	Bachelor	Spinster
Profession	Warehouseman
Age	32	34
Dwelling Place	Linwood	Linwood
Length of Residence	3 days	14 years
Marriage Place	Church of Good Shepherd, Phillipstown
Folio	11/3990
Consent
Date of Certificate	16 January 1911
Officiating Minister	Rev. H. S. Ensor, Anglican

16 January 1911

Henry Francis Robinson
Lydia Allen

Henry Francis Robinson
Lydia Caroline Allen
💍 1911/1722

Bachelor
Spinster

Laborer

28
26

New Brighton
St. Albans

1 week
Life

House of Mrs. Allen, 84 Westminster St., St. Albans

11/1159

16 January 1911

Rev. H. Purchas, Anglican

No	41
Date of Notice	16 January 1911
	Groom	Bride
Names of Parties	Henry Francis Robinson	Lydia Allen
BDM Match (78%)	Henry Francis Robinson	Lydia Caroline Allen
	💍 1911/1722
Condition	Bachelor	Spinster
Profession	Laborer
Age	28	26
Dwelling Place	New Brighton	St. Albans
Length of Residence	1 week	Life
Marriage Place	House of Mrs. Allen, 84 Westminster St., St. Albans
Folio	11/1159
Consent
Date of Certificate	16 January 1911
Officiating Minister	Rev. H. Purchas, Anglican

17 January 1911

James Fogarty
Margaret McConaghey

James Fogarty
Margaret McConaghey
💍 1911/1739

Bachelor
Spinster

Tobacconist

29
19

Christchurch
Woolston

3 days
3 days

Roman Catholic Cathedral, Christchurch

11/1183

Joseph McConaghey, father

17 January 1911

Rev. J. W. Price, Romanist

No	42
Date of Notice	17 January 1911
	Groom	Bride
Names of Parties	James Fogarty	Margaret McConaghey
	💍 1911/1739
Condition	Bachelor	Spinster
Profession	Tobacconist
Age	29	19
Dwelling Place	Christchurch	Woolston
Length of Residence	3 days	3 days
Marriage Place	Roman Catholic Cathedral, Christchurch
Folio	11/1183
Consent	Joseph McConaghey, father
Date of Certificate	17 January 1911
Officiating Minister	Rev. J. W. Price, Romanist

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).