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 295

District of Masterton Quarter ending 30 September 1912 Registrar William Miller Easthope

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

1 July 1912

Herbert Henry Sutton
Hilda Ethel Emma Hart

Herbert Henry Sutton
Hilda Ethel Emma Hart
💍 1912/7907

Bachelor
Spinster

Farmer
Domestic duties

26
24

Masterton
Masterton

4 days
1.5 years

The house of John Hart, 31 Columba Road Masterton

12/6263

1 July 1912

Rev. S. J. Serpell, Wesleyan

No	32
Date of Notice	1 July 1912
	Groom	Bride
Names of Parties	Herbert Henry Sutton	Hilda Ethel Emma Hart
	💍 1912/7907
Condition	Bachelor	Spinster
Profession	Farmer	Domestic duties
Age	26	24
Dwelling Place	Masterton	Masterton
Length of Residence	4 days	1.5 years
Marriage Place	The house of John Hart, 31 Columba Road Masterton
Folio	12/6263
Consent
Date of Certificate	1 July 1912
Officiating Minister	Rev. S. J. Serpell, Wesleyan

3 July 1912

Sidney Norman Andersen
Emma Alice Harding

Sidney Norman Anderson
Emma Alice Harding
💍 1912/7653

Bachelor
Spinster

Carpenter
Waitress

22
23

Masterton
Masterton

3 days
18 years

Knox Church, Masterton

12/5680

3 July 1912

Rev. A. J. Thompson, Presbyterian

No	33
Date of Notice	3 July 1912
	Groom	Bride
Names of Parties	Sidney Norman Andersen	Emma Alice Harding
BDM Match (98%)	Sidney Norman Anderson	Emma Alice Harding
	💍 1912/7653
Condition	Bachelor	Spinster
Profession	Carpenter	Waitress
Age	22	23
Dwelling Place	Masterton	Masterton
Length of Residence	3 days	18 years
Marriage Place	Knox Church, Masterton
Folio	12/5680
Consent
Date of Certificate	3 July 1912
Officiating Minister	Rev. A. J. Thompson, Presbyterian

5 July 1912

Archer Phillips Hosking
Dorothy Isabel Bennett

Archer Phillips Hosking
Dorothy Isabel Bennett
💍 1912/8930

Bachelor
Spinster

Surgeon
Domestic duties

42
24

Masterton
Masterton

37 years
24 years

St. Matthews Church, Masterton

12/8664

5 July 1912

Rev. Wm. Raine, Anglican

No	34
Date of Notice	5 July 1912
	Groom	Bride
Names of Parties	Archer Phillips Hosking	Dorothy Isabel Bennett
	💍 1912/8930
Condition	Bachelor	Spinster
Profession	Surgeon	Domestic duties
Age	42	24
Dwelling Place	Masterton	Masterton
Length of Residence	37 years	24 years
Marriage Place	St. Matthews Church, Masterton
Folio	12/8664
Consent
Date of Certificate	5 July 1912
Officiating Minister	Rev. Wm. Raine, Anglican

5 July 1912

Sidney Edward Taylor
Olive Hood

Sidney Edward Taylor
Olive Hood
💍 1912/7652

Bachelor
Spinster

Farmer
Domestic duties

25
22

Masterton
Masterton

2 weeks
22 years

Knox Church, Masterton

12/5679

5 July 1912

Rev. A. J. Thompson, Presbyterian

No	35
Date of Notice	5 July 1912
	Groom	Bride
Names of Parties	Sidney Edward Taylor	Olive Hood
	💍 1912/7652
Condition	Bachelor	Spinster
Profession	Farmer	Domestic duties
Age	25	22
Dwelling Place	Masterton	Masterton
Length of Residence	2 weeks	22 years
Marriage Place	Knox Church, Masterton
Folio	12/5679
Consent
Date of Certificate	5 July 1912
Officiating Minister	Rev. A. J. Thompson, Presbyterian

13 July 1912

Leonard Otto Ingram
Jessie Brett

Leonard Otto Ingram
Jessie Brett
💍 1912/6205

Bachelor
Spinster

Auctioneer
Domestic duties

34
33

Masterton
Palmerston

3 months
3 days

Presbyterian Church, Palmerston

12/5619

13 July 1912

Rev. Alex Doull, Presbyterian

No	36
Date of Notice	13 July 1912
	Groom	Bride
Names of Parties	Leonard Otto Ingram	Jessie Brett
	💍 1912/6205
Condition	Bachelor	Spinster
Profession	Auctioneer	Domestic duties
Age	34	33
Dwelling Place	Masterton	Palmerston
Length of Residence	3 months	3 days
Marriage Place	Presbyterian Church, Palmerston
Folio	12/5619
Consent
Date of Certificate	13 July 1912
Officiating Minister	Rev. Alex Doull, Presbyterian

23 July 1912

Henry James Jones
Rachdael Ansell

Henry James Jones
Rachel Ansell
💍 1912/7929

Bachelor
Spinster

Dairyman
Domestic duties

21
21

Masterton
Masterton

21 years
7 years

The house of E. Jones, Kuripuni Street Masterton

12/6261

23 July 1912

Rev. S. J. Serpell, Wesleyan

No	37
Date of Notice	23 July 1912
	Groom	Bride
Names of Parties	Henry James Jones	Rachdael Ansell
BDM Match (93%)	Henry James Jones	Rachel Ansell
	💍 1912/7929
Condition	Bachelor	Spinster
Profession	Dairyman	Domestic duties
Age	21	21
Dwelling Place	Masterton	Masterton
Length of Residence	21 years	7 years
Marriage Place	The house of E. Jones, Kuripuni Street Masterton
Folio	12/6261
Consent
Date of Certificate	23 July 1912
Officiating Minister	Rev. S. J. Serpell, Wesleyan

24 July 1912

William James Rogers
Amy Louisa Jones

William James Rogers
Amy Louisa Jones
💍 1912/7930

Bachelor
Spinster

Carpenter
Tailoress

25
23

Masterton
Masterton

2 years
23 years

Methodist Church, Kuripuni Masterton

12/6262

24 July 1912

Rev. S. J. Serpell, Wesleyan

No	38
Date of Notice	24 July 1912
	Groom	Bride
Names of Parties	William James Rogers	Amy Louisa Jones
	💍 1912/7930
Condition	Bachelor	Spinster
Profession	Carpenter	Tailoress
Age	25	23
Dwelling Place	Masterton	Masterton
Length of Residence	2 years	23 years
Marriage Place	Methodist Church, Kuripuni Masterton
Folio	12/6262
Consent
Date of Certificate	24 July 1912
Officiating Minister	Rev. S. J. Serpell, Wesleyan

10 August 1912

Percy David Ellingham
Lucinda Rosa Dagg

Percy David Ellingham
Lucinda Rosa Dagg
💍 1912/7736

Bachelor
Spinster

Farmer
School teacher

31
23

Masterton
Masterton

3 days
3 days

Knox Church, Masterton

12/5681

10 August 1912

Rev. A. J. Thompson, Presbyterian

No	39
Date of Notice	10 August 1912
	Groom	Bride
Names of Parties	Percy David Ellingham	Lucinda Rosa Dagg
	💍 1912/7736
Condition	Bachelor	Spinster
Profession	Farmer	School teacher
Age	31	23
Dwelling Place	Masterton	Masterton
Length of Residence	3 days	3 days
Marriage Place	Knox Church, Masterton
Folio	12/5681
Consent
Date of Certificate	10 August 1912
Officiating Minister	Rev. A. J. Thompson, Presbyterian

10 August 1912

John Davis
Olive Agnes Constable

John Davis
Olive Agnes Constable
💍 1912/5067

Bachelor
Widow

Labourer
Domestic duties

32
32

Masterton
Masterton

8 years
3 years

The house of B. Lett, Lansdowne Masterton

12/5998

10 August 1912

Rev. J. S. Young, Presbyterian

No	40
Date of Notice	10 August 1912
	Groom	Bride
Names of Parties	John Davis	Olive Agnes Constable
	💍 1912/5067
Condition	Bachelor	Widow
Profession	Labourer	Domestic duties
Age	32	32
Dwelling Place	Masterton	Masterton
Length of Residence	8 years	3 years
Marriage Place	The house of B. Lett, Lansdowne Masterton
Folio	12/5998
Consent
Date of Certificate	10 August 1912
Officiating Minister	Rev. J. S. Young, Presbyterian

14 August 1912

Leonard Wilmot Howard
Pearl Alethea McLachlan

Leonard Wilmot Howard
Pearl Alethea McLachlan
💍 1912/6210

Bachelor
Spinster

Builder
Domestic duties

24
22

Palmerston
Masterton

10 months
22 years

Presbyterian Manse, Palmerston North

12/5023

14 August 1912

Rev. Alex Doull, Presbyterian

No	41
Date of Notice	14 August 1912
	Groom	Bride
Names of Parties	Leonard Wilmot Howard	Pearl Alethea McLachlan
	💍 1912/6210
Condition	Bachelor	Spinster
Profession	Builder	Domestic duties
Age	24	22
Dwelling Place	Palmerston	Masterton
Length of Residence	10 months	22 years
Marriage Place	Presbyterian Manse, Palmerston North
Folio	12/5023
Consent
Date of Certificate	14 August 1912
Officiating Minister	Rev. Alex Doull, 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).