Intentions to Marry, 1912 Auckland, Taranaki, Gisborne

Reference: Registrar-General of Births, Deaths and Marriages, Notices of intention to marry, Series 8937, R2840448, Archives New Zealand Te Rua Mahara o te Kāwanatanga, Wellington

1912 is bound in three volumes - Auckland, Taranaki, Gisborne (1912a), Hawke's Bay, Wellington, Marlborough, Nelson, Westland (1912b), and Canterbury, Otago, Southland, Chatham Islands (1912c).

Page 309

District of Gisborne Quarter ending 31 March 1912 Registrar Henry Ewart Hill

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 February 1912

Harry James Lynch
Jane W. Dowell

Harry James Lynch
Jane McDowell
💍 1912/1584

Bachelor
Spinster

Telegraphist
Domestic Duties

26
29

Gisborne
Gisborne

5 days
15 days

Holy Trinity Church

12/1314

5 February 1912

Rev. Leslie Dawson Thomas, Church of England

No	17
Date of Notice	5 February 1912
	Groom	Bride
Names of Parties	Harry James Lynch	Jane W. Dowell
BDM Match (89%)	Harry James Lynch	Jane McDowell
	💍 1912/1584
Condition	Bachelor	Spinster
Profession	Telegraphist	Domestic Duties
Age	26	29
Dwelling Place	Gisborne	Gisborne
Length of Residence	5 days	15 days
Marriage Place	Holy Trinity Church
Folio	12/1314
Consent
Date of Certificate	5 February 1912
Officiating Minister	Rev. Leslie Dawson Thomas, Church of England

7 February 1912

John Richard Olliver
Jessie St. Clair Rosie

John Richard Olliver
Jessie St Clair Rosie
💍 1912/1362

Bachelor
Spinster

Journalist
Draper's Assistant

35
36

Gisborne
Gisborne

4 days
30 years

Private residence of the bride's parents, 256 Stout Street, Whataupoko

12/965

7 February 1912

Rev. William Grant, Presbyterian Minister

No	18
Date of Notice	7 February 1912
	Groom	Bride
Names of Parties	John Richard Olliver	Jessie St. Clair Rosie
BDM Match (98%)	John Richard Olliver	Jessie St Clair Rosie
	💍 1912/1362
Condition	Bachelor	Spinster
Profession	Journalist	Draper's Assistant
Age	35	36
Dwelling Place	Gisborne	Gisborne
Length of Residence	4 days	30 years
Marriage Place	Private residence of the bride's parents, 256 Stout Street, Whataupoko
Folio	12/965
Consent
Date of Certificate	7 February 1912
Officiating Minister	Rev. William Grant, Presbyterian Minister

7 February 1912

Moses David Manuel
Edna Gardner

Moses David Manuel
Edna Gardner
💍 1912/1591

Bachelor
Spinster

Sheepfarmer
Domestic Duties

36
23

Te Karaka
Te Karaka, Poverty Bay

4 years
4 years

Church of England, Te Karaka

12/1320

7 February 1912

Rev. Theodore Albert Mager, Church of England

No	19
Date of Notice	7 February 1912
	Groom	Bride
Names of Parties	Moses David Manuel	Edna Gardner
	💍 1912/1591
Condition	Bachelor	Spinster
Profession	Sheepfarmer	Domestic Duties
Age	36	23
Dwelling Place	Te Karaka	Te Karaka, Poverty Bay
Length of Residence	4 years	4 years
Marriage Place	Church of England, Te Karaka
Folio	12/1320
Consent
Date of Certificate	7 February 1912
Officiating Minister	Rev. Theodore Albert Mager, Church of England

8 February 1912

Harry May
Florence Gray

Harry May
Florence Gray
💍 1912/1589

Bachelor
Spinster

Station Hand
Domestic Duties

33
27

Tahunga, Poverty Bay
Makaraka, Poverty Bay

4 years
4 years

Private residence of the bride's parents, Makaraka

12/1319

8 February 1912

Rev. Henry Thos. Blair, Presbyterian Minister

No	20
Date of Notice	8 February 1912
	Groom	Bride
Names of Parties	Harry May	Florence Gray
	💍 1912/1589
Condition	Bachelor	Spinster
Profession	Station Hand	Domestic Duties
Age	33	27
Dwelling Place	Tahunga, Poverty Bay	Makaraka, Poverty Bay
Length of Residence	4 years	4 years
Marriage Place	Private residence of the bride's parents, Makaraka
Folio	12/1319
Consent
Date of Certificate	8 February 1912
Officiating Minister	Rev. Henry Thos. Blair, Presbyterian Minister

13 February 1912

Charles Bernard Miller
Henrietta Evans

Charles Bernard Miller
Henrietta Evans
💍 1912/1326

Bachelor
Spinster

Stevedore
Domestic Duties

26
20

Gisborne, Poverty Bay
Gisborne

3 years
12 months

St. Mary's Roman Catholic Church

12/979

13 February 1912

Rev. Thomas Kane, Catholic Minister

No	21
Date of Notice	13 February 1912
	Groom	Bride
Names of Parties	Charles Bernard Miller	Henrietta Evans
	💍 1912/1326
Condition	Bachelor	Spinster
Profession	Stevedore	Domestic Duties
Age	26	20
Dwelling Place	Gisborne, Poverty Bay	Gisborne
Length of Residence	3 years	12 months
Marriage Place	St. Mary's Roman Catholic Church
Folio	12/979
Consent
Date of Certificate	13 February 1912
Officiating Minister	Rev. Thomas Kane, Catholic Minister

13 February 1912

James William Hochead Bradley
Miriam Argyle Laughie

Bachelor
Spinster

Engineer
Draper's Assistant

26
24

Gisborne
Gisborne

4 years
6 years 6 months

St. Mary's Roman Catholic Church

12/978

13 February 1912

Rev. Thomas Kane, Catholic Minister

No	22
Date of Notice	13 February 1912
	Groom	Bride
Names of Parties	James William Hochead Bradley	Miriam Argyle Laughie
Condition	Bachelor	Spinster
Profession	Engineer	Draper's Assistant
Age	26	24
Dwelling Place	Gisborne	Gisborne
Length of Residence	4 years	6 years 6 months
Marriage Place	St. Mary's Roman Catholic Church
Folio	12/978
Consent
Date of Certificate	13 February 1912
Officiating Minister	Rev. Thomas Kane, Catholic Minister

16 February 1912

Donald McKechnie Ferguson
Jeanie Dalgliesh Miller

Donald McKechnie Ferguson
Jeanie Dalglish Miller
💍 1912/1363

Bachelor
Spinster

Boiler Maker
Domestic Duties

30
25

Gisborne
Gisborne

5 months
4 months

Presbyterian Church Manse, Gisborne

12/966

16 February 1912

Rev. William Grant, Presbyterian Minister

No	23
Date of Notice	16 February 1912
	Groom	Bride
Names of Parties	Donald McKechnie Ferguson	Jeanie Dalgliesh Miller
BDM Match (98%)	Donald McKechnie Ferguson	Jeanie Dalglish Miller
	💍 1912/1363
Condition	Bachelor	Spinster
Profession	Boiler Maker	Domestic Duties
Age	30	25
Dwelling Place	Gisborne	Gisborne
Length of Residence	5 months	4 months
Marriage Place	Presbyterian Church Manse, Gisborne
Folio	12/966
Consent
Date of Certificate	16 February 1912
Officiating Minister	Rev. William Grant, Presbyterian Minister

16 February 1912

Sydney Stanley Bowen
Maralea Tipuna

Sydney Stanley Bowen
Marahea Tipuna
💍 1912/749

Bachelor
Spinster

Sheepfarmer
Domestic Duties

26
24

Gisborne, Poverty Bay
Gisborne

2 weeks
2 weeks

The Office of the Registrar of Marriages, Gisborne

12/323

16 February 1912

Registrar of Marriages, Gisborne

No	24
Date of Notice	16 February 1912
	Groom	Bride
Names of Parties	Sydney Stanley Bowen	Maralea Tipuna
BDM Match (96%)	Sydney Stanley Bowen	Marahea Tipuna
	💍 1912/749
Condition	Bachelor	Spinster
Profession	Sheepfarmer	Domestic Duties
Age	26	24
Dwelling Place	Gisborne, Poverty Bay	Gisborne
Length of Residence	2 weeks	2 weeks
Marriage Place	The Office of the Registrar of Marriages, Gisborne
Folio	12/323
Consent
Date of Certificate	16 February 1912
Officiating Minister	Registrar of Marriages, Gisborne

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).