Intentions to Marry, 1912 Hawkes Bay, Wellington, Marlborough, Nelson, Westland

Reference: Registrar-General of Births, Deaths and Marriages, Notices of intention to marry, Series 8937, R2840449, 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 017

District of Dannevirke Quarter ending 31 December 1912 Registrar Hugh Tilley

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

10 October 1912

James Cherry
Florence Mabel Benkenstein Hunter

James Cherry
Florence Mabel Benkenstein Hunter
💍 1912/8905

Bachelor
Spinster

Bank Clerk

34
33

Dannevirke
Dannevirke

4 days
12 years

Residence of Mr. William Hunter, Gordon Street, Dannevirke

12/8588

10 October 1912

Rev. A. Grant

No	44
Date of Notice	10 October 1912
	Groom	Bride
Names of Parties	James Cherry	Florence Mabel Benkenstein Hunter
	💍 1912/8905
Condition	Bachelor	Spinster
Profession	Bank Clerk
Age	34	33
Dwelling Place	Dannevirke	Dannevirke
Length of Residence	4 days	12 years
Marriage Place	Residence of Mr. William Hunter, Gordon Street, Dannevirke
Folio	12/8588
Consent
Date of Certificate	10 October 1912
Officiating Minister	Rev. A. Grant

11 October 1912

Richard Freegard
Evelyn Rose Dew

Richard Freegard
Evelyn Rose Dew
💍 1912/8901

Bachelor
Spinster

Grocer

34
20

Dannevirke
Dannevirke

8 years
10 years

Anglican Church, Dannevirke

12/8584

James O.H. Dew

7 December 1912

Rev. J. A. M. Nickle

No	45
Date of Notice	11 October 1912
	Groom	Bride
Names of Parties	Richard Freegard	Evelyn Rose Dew
	💍 1912/8901
Condition	Bachelor	Spinster
Profession	Grocer
Age	34	20
Dwelling Place	Dannevirke	Dannevirke
Length of Residence	8 years	10 years
Marriage Place	Anglican Church, Dannevirke
Folio	12/8584
Consent	James O.H. Dew
Date of Certificate	7 December 1912
Officiating Minister	Rev. J. A. M. Nickle

19 October 1912

William Frederick Boud
Elsie Lena May Rushton

William Frederick Bond
Elsie Lena May Rushton
💍 1912/8904

Bachelor
Spinster

Carpenter

24
21

Dannevirke
Dannevirke

6 weeks
6 months

Presbyterian Church, Dannevirke

12/8589

19 October 1912

Rev. A. Grant

No	46
Date of Notice	19 October 1912
	Groom	Bride
Names of Parties	William Frederick Boud	Elsie Lena May Rushton
BDM Match (98%)	William Frederick Bond	Elsie Lena May Rushton
	💍 1912/8904
Condition	Bachelor	Spinster
Profession	Carpenter
Age	24	21
Dwelling Place	Dannevirke	Dannevirke
Length of Residence	6 weeks	6 months
Marriage Place	Presbyterian Church, Dannevirke
Folio	12/8589
Consent
Date of Certificate	19 October 1912
Officiating Minister	Rev. A. Grant

22 October 1912

Gilbert Kelberg
Minnie Sullivan

Gilbert Kelberg
Minnie Sullivan
💍 1912/5240

Bachelor
Spinster

Labourer

25
24

Dannevirke
Dannevirke

5 years
1 week

Catholic Church, Dannevirke

12/8775

22 October 1912

Rev. J. J. Cahill

No	47
Date of Notice	22 October 1912
	Groom	Bride
Names of Parties	Gilbert Kelberg	Minnie Sullivan
	💍 1912/5240
Condition	Bachelor	Spinster
Profession	Labourer
Age	25	24
Dwelling Place	Dannevirke	Dannevirke
Length of Residence	5 years	1 week
Marriage Place	Catholic Church, Dannevirke
Folio	12/8775
Consent
Date of Certificate	22 October 1912
Officiating Minister	Rev. J. J. Cahill

26 November 1912

Charles Cotton Stapleton
Kathleen Downes Hamilton

Charles Cotton Stapleton
Katie Downes Hamilton
💍 1912/8481

Bachelor
Spinster

Farmer

26
30

Dannevirke
Hastings

3 months
3 years

Anglican Church, Hastings

12/7641

18 December 1912

Rev. J. B. Brocklehurst

No	48
Date of Notice	26 November 1912
	Groom	Bride
Names of Parties	Charles Cotton Stapleton	Kathleen Downes Hamilton
BDM Match (92%)	Charles Cotton Stapleton	Katie Downes Hamilton
	💍 1912/8481
Condition	Bachelor	Spinster
Profession	Farmer
Age	26	30
Dwelling Place	Dannevirke	Hastings
Length of Residence	3 months	3 years
Marriage Place	Anglican Church, Hastings
Folio	12/7641
Consent
Date of Certificate	18 December 1912
Officiating Minister	Rev. J. B. Brocklehurst

23 December 1912

Albert William Wilson
Frances Ellen Williams

Albert William Wilson
Frances Ellen Williams
💍 1913/2388

Bachelor
Spinster

Railway Clerk

22
23

Dannevirke
Dannevirke

8 months
5 years

Wesleyan Church, Dannevirke

13/1931

23 December 1912

Rev. J. A. Hosking

No	49
Date of Notice	23 December 1912
	Groom	Bride
Names of Parties	Albert William Wilson	Frances Ellen Williams
	💍 1913/2388
Condition	Bachelor	Spinster
Profession	Railway Clerk
Age	22	23
Dwelling Place	Dannevirke	Dannevirke
Length of Residence	8 months	5 years
Marriage Place	Wesleyan Church, Dannevirke
Folio	13/1931
Consent
Date of Certificate	23 December 1912
Officiating Minister	Rev. J. A. Hosking

23 December 1912

Robert Thomas Tilson
Mary Ethel Stirling

Robert Thomas Tilson
Mary Ethel Stirling
💍 1912/8903

Bachelor
Spinster

Labourer

21
20

Dannevirke
Dannevirke

21 years
4 years

Residence of Mr. Michael Stirling, Raumati, Dannevirke

12/8586

23 December 1912

Rev. J. A. M. Nickle

No	50
Date of Notice	23 December 1912
	Groom	Bride
Names of Parties	Robert Thomas Tilson	Mary Ethel Stirling
	💍 1912/8903
Condition	Bachelor	Spinster
Profession	Labourer
Age	21	20
Dwelling Place	Dannevirke	Dannevirke
Length of Residence	21 years	4 years
Marriage Place	Residence of Mr. Michael Stirling, Raumati, Dannevirke
Folio	12/8586
Consent
Date of Certificate	23 December 1912
Officiating Minister	Rev. J. A. M. Nickle

28 December 1912

Benjamin Byron Edwards Russell
Eleanora Evelyn Johanna Nielsen

Benjamin Byron Edwards Russell
Eleanora Evelyn Johanna Nielsen
💍 1912/6740

Bachelor
Spinster

Contractor

27
16

Dannevirke
Dannevirke

4 years
2 years

Registrar's Office, Dannevirke

12/6707

Mother

28 December 1912

Hugh Tilley, Registrar

No	51
Date of Notice	28 December 1912
	Groom	Bride
Names of Parties	Benjamin Byron Edwards Russell	Eleanora Evelyn Johanna Nielsen
	💍 1912/6740
Condition	Bachelor	Spinster
Profession	Contractor
Age	27	16
Dwelling Place	Dannevirke	Dannevirke
Length of Residence	4 years	2 years
Marriage Place	Registrar's Office, Dannevirke
Folio	12/6707
Consent	Mother
Date of Certificate	28 December 1912
Officiating Minister	Hugh Tilley, Registrar

28 December 1912

William Stephen Woodcock Tonkin
Edith Grace Wylie

William Stephen Woodcock Tonkin
Edith Grace Wylie
💍 1912/8902

Bachelor
Widow

Journalist

30
32

Dannevirke
Dannevirke

15 months
12 years

Anglican Church, Dannevirke

12/8585

28 December 1912

Rev. J. A. M. Nickle

No	52
Date of Notice	28 December 1912
	Groom	Bride
Names of Parties	William Stephen Woodcock Tonkin	Edith Grace Wylie
	💍 1912/8902
Condition	Bachelor	Widow
Profession	Journalist
Age	30	32
Dwelling Place	Dannevirke	Dannevirke
Length of Residence	15 months	12 years
Marriage Place	Anglican Church, Dannevirke
Folio	12/8585
Consent
Date of Certificate	28 December 1912
Officiating Minister	Rev. J. A. M. Nickle

28 December 1912

Arthur John Hawkins
Alethea Stewart

Arthur John Hawkins
Alethea Stewart
💍 1913/1358

Widower
Spinster

Sawmillhand

32
24

Dannevirke
Dannevirke

3 days
4 weeks

Residence of Mr. George Stewart, Piri Piri, Dannevirke

13/833

28 December 1912

Rev. A. Grant

No	53
Date of Notice	28 December 1912
	Groom	Bride
Names of Parties	Arthur John Hawkins	Alethea Stewart
	💍 1913/1358
Condition	Widower	Spinster
Profession	Sawmillhand
Age	32	24
Dwelling Place	Dannevirke	Dannevirke
Length of Residence	3 days	4 weeks
Marriage Place	Residence of Mr. George Stewart, Piri Piri, Dannevirke
Folio	13/833
Consent
Date of Certificate	28 December 1912
Officiating Minister	Rev. A. Grant

28 December 1912

John William Lines
Martha Wilson

John William Lines
Martha Wilson
💍 1912/5431

Bachelor
Spinster

Farmer

30
30

Dannevirke
Dannevirke

3 days
3 months

Residence of Mr. Elizabeth Wilson, Rua Roa, Dannevirke

12/9016

28 December 1912

Rev. J. A. Hosking

No	54
Date of Notice	28 December 1912
	Groom	Bride
Names of Parties	John William Lines	Martha Wilson
	💍 1912/5431
Condition	Bachelor	Spinster
Profession	Farmer
Age	30	30
Dwelling Place	Dannevirke	Dannevirke
Length of Residence	3 days	3 months
Marriage Place	Residence of Mr. Elizabeth Wilson, Rua Roa, Dannevirke
Folio	12/9016
Consent
Date of Certificate	28 December 1912
Officiating Minister	Rev. J. A. Hosking

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).