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 311

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

26 February 1912

Sydney Darcy Worsnop
Hazel Frances Robertson

Sydney Darcy Worsnop
Hazel Frances Robertson
💍 1912/1588

Bachelor
Spinster

Groom
Lady's Help

26
16

Makaraka
Makaraka, Poverty Bay

3 years
1 year

Private residence of Mrs. Heame, Makaraka, Poverty Bay

12/1318

William Edward Robertson (Father)

26 February 1912

Rev. Henry The Blair, Presbyterian Minister

No	33
Date of Notice	26 February 1912
	Groom	Bride
Names of Parties	Sydney Darcy Worsnop	Hazel Frances Robertson
	💍 1912/1588
Condition	Bachelor	Spinster
Profession	Groom	Lady's Help
Age	26	16
Dwelling Place	Makaraka	Makaraka, Poverty Bay
Length of Residence	3 years	1 year
Marriage Place	Private residence of Mrs. Heame, Makaraka, Poverty Bay
Folio	12/1318
Consent	William Edward Robertson (Father)
Date of Certificate	26 February 1912
Officiating Minister	Rev. Henry The Blair, Presbyterian Minister

28 February 1912

Percy James Wild
Mary Jane O'Shannassey

Percy James Wild
Mary Jane O'Shannessey
💍 1912/672

Bachelor
Spinster

Railway Porter
Charmaid

25
20

Gisborne
Gisborne

10 months

The office of the Registrar of Marriages, Gisborne

12/327

John F. O'Shannassey (Father)

28 February 1912

Registrar of Marriages, Gisborne

No	34
Date of Notice	28 February 1912
	Groom	Bride
Names of Parties	Percy James Wild	Mary Jane O'Shannassey
BDM Match (98%)	Percy James Wild	Mary Jane O'Shannessey
	💍 1912/672
Condition	Bachelor	Spinster
Profession	Railway Porter	Charmaid
Age	25	20
Dwelling Place	Gisborne	Gisborne
Length of Residence	10 months
Marriage Place	The office of the Registrar of Marriages, Gisborne
Folio	12/327
Consent	John F. O'Shannassey (Father)
Date of Certificate	28 February 1912
Officiating Minister	Registrar of Marriages, Gisborne

28 February 1912

Arthur Joseph Hogg
Mary Jones

Arthur Joseph Hogg
Mary Jones
💍 1912/679

Bachelor
Spinster

Plumber
Domestic Servant

30
23

Gisborne
Gisborne

9 years
6 weeks

The office of the Registrar of Marriages, Gisborne

12/328

28 February 1912

Registrar of Marriages, Gisborne

No	35
Date of Notice	28 February 1912
	Groom	Bride
Names of Parties	Arthur Joseph Hogg	Mary Jones
	💍 1912/679
Condition	Bachelor	Spinster
Profession	Plumber	Domestic Servant
Age	30	23
Dwelling Place	Gisborne	Gisborne
Length of Residence	9 years	6 weeks
Marriage Place	The office of the Registrar of Marriages, Gisborne
Folio	12/328
Consent
Date of Certificate	28 February 1912
Officiating Minister	Registrar of Marriages, Gisborne

2 March 1912

Willie Hewlett Robson
Florence Esther Kay

Willie Hewlett Percy Robieson
Florence Esther Kay
💍 1912/1939

Bachelor
Spinster

Farmer
Schoolteacher

43
22

Masterton, W.Z.
Ormond, Poverty Bay

43 years
2 months

The Anglican Church, Napier

12/1651

2 March 1912

Rev. Canon F. Mayne, Church of England, Napier

No	36
Date of Notice	2 March 1912
	Groom	Bride
Names of Parties	Willie Hewlett Robson	Florence Esther Kay
BDM Match (86%)	Willie Hewlett Percy Robieson	Florence Esther Kay
	💍 1912/1939
Condition	Bachelor	Spinster
Profession	Farmer	Schoolteacher
Age	43	22
Dwelling Place	Masterton, W.Z.	Ormond, Poverty Bay
Length of Residence	43 years	2 months
Marriage Place	The Anglican Church, Napier
Folio	12/1651
Consent
Date of Certificate	2 March 1912
Officiating Minister	Rev. Canon F. Mayne, Church of England, Napier

2 March 1912

Walter Hadwen
Mary Winifred Allerton

Walter Hadwen
Mary Winifred Allenton
💍 1912/1586

Bachelor
Spinster

Fisherman
Domestic Duties

27
28

Gisborne, Poverty Bay
Gisborne, Poverty Bay

11 months
4 days

Holy Trinity Church, Gisborne, Poverty Bay

12/1316

2 March 1912

Rev. Leslie Dawson Thomas, Church of England

No	37
Date of Notice	2 March 1912
	Groom	Bride
Names of Parties	Walter Hadwen	Mary Winifred Allerton
BDM Match (98%)	Walter Hadwen	Mary Winifred Allenton
	💍 1912/1586
Condition	Bachelor	Spinster
Profession	Fisherman	Domestic Duties
Age	27	28
Dwelling Place	Gisborne, Poverty Bay	Gisborne, Poverty Bay
Length of Residence	11 months	4 days
Marriage Place	Holy Trinity Church, Gisborne, Poverty Bay
Folio	12/1316
Consent
Date of Certificate	2 March 1912
Officiating Minister	Rev. Leslie Dawson Thomas, Church of England

8 March 1912

Mark Riddle Scaife
Sarah Bridget Hollis

Mark Liddle Sceat
Sarah Bridget Hollis
💍 1912/1585

Bachelor
Spinster

Plumber
Domestic Duties

28
20

Gisborne
Gisborne, Poverty Bay

1 year
11 years

St. Andrew's Presbyterian Church, Gisborne

12/1316

Joseph Hollis (Father)

8 March 1912

Rev. Leslie Dawson Thomas, Church of England

No	38
Date of Notice	8 March 1912
	Groom	Bride
Names of Parties	Mark Riddle Scaife	Sarah Bridget Hollis
BDM Match (86%)	Mark Liddle Sceat	Sarah Bridget Hollis
	💍 1912/1585
Condition	Bachelor	Spinster
Profession	Plumber	Domestic Duties
Age	28	20
Dwelling Place	Gisborne	Gisborne, Poverty Bay
Length of Residence	1 year	11 years
Marriage Place	St. Andrew's Presbyterian Church, Gisborne
Folio	12/1316
Consent	Joseph Hollis (Father)
Date of Certificate	8 March 1912
Officiating Minister	Rev. Leslie Dawson Thomas, Church of England

12 March 1912

Francis Edward Porter
Helen Thomson

Francis Edward Porter
Helen Thomson
💍 1912/1365

Bachelor
Spinster

Clerk
Domestic Duties

24
22

Gisborne
Gisborne

11 years
10 years

St. Andrew's Presbyterian Church, Gisborne

12/968

12 March 1912

Rev. William Grant, Presbyterian Minister

No	39
Date of Notice	12 March 1912
	Groom	Bride
Names of Parties	Francis Edward Porter	Helen Thomson
	💍 1912/1365
Condition	Bachelor	Spinster
Profession	Clerk	Domestic Duties
Age	24	22
Dwelling Place	Gisborne	Gisborne
Length of Residence	11 years	10 years
Marriage Place	St. Andrew's Presbyterian Church, Gisborne
Folio	12/968
Consent
Date of Certificate	12 March 1912
Officiating Minister	Rev. William Grant, Presbyterian Minister

15 March 1912

Clifford Ernest Church
Emma Linda Clare

Clifford Ernest Church
Emma Linda Clare
💍 1912/680

Bachelor
Spinster

Salesman
Shop Assistant

24
22

Gisborne
Gisborne

10 years
3 years 8 months

The office of the Registrar of Marriages, Gisborne

12/329

15 March 1912

Registrar of Marriages, Gisborne

No	40
Date of Notice	15 March 1912
	Groom	Bride
Names of Parties	Clifford Ernest Church	Emma Linda Clare
	💍 1912/680
Condition	Bachelor	Spinster
Profession	Salesman	Shop Assistant
Age	24	22
Dwelling Place	Gisborne	Gisborne
Length of Residence	10 years	3 years 8 months
Marriage Place	The office of the Registrar of Marriages, Gisborne
Folio	12/329
Consent
Date of Certificate	15 March 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).