Intentions to Marry, 1912 Canterbury, Otago, Southland, Chatham Islands

Reference: Registrar-General of Births, Deaths and Marriages, Notices of intention to marry, Series 8937, R2840450, 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 032

District of Christchurch Quarter ending 31 March 1912 Registrar L. C. 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

2 February 1912

George Harry Fryer
Emily Cousins

George Henry Fryer
Emily Cousins
💍 1912/605

Widower
Widow

Railway Official

42
43

Sydenham
Sydenham

7 years
9 years

Registrars Office, Christchurch

12/179

2 February 1912

L. C. Williams, Registrar

No	64
Date of Notice	2 February 1912
	Groom	Bride
Names of Parties	George Harry Fryer	Emily Cousins
BDM Match (94%)	George Henry Fryer	Emily Cousins
	💍 1912/605
Condition	Widower	Widow
Profession	Railway Official
Age	42	43
Dwelling Place	Sydenham	Sydenham
Length of Residence	7 years	9 years
Marriage Place	Registrars Office, Christchurch
Folio	12/179
Consent
Date of Certificate	2 February 1912
Officiating Minister	L. C. Williams, Registrar

2 February 1912

Henry Alexander Purves
Lydia Louisa Turner

Henry Alexander Purves
Lydia Louise Turner
💍 1912/606

Bachelor
Spinster

Boot Finisher

21
22

Christchurch
Christchurch

12 years
Life

Registrars Office, Christchurch

12/180

2 February 1912

L. C. Williams, Registrar

No	65
Date of Notice	2 February 1912
	Groom	Bride
Names of Parties	Henry Alexander Purves	Lydia Louisa Turner
BDM Match (97%)	Henry Alexander Purves	Lydia Louise Turner
	💍 1912/606
Condition	Bachelor	Spinster
Profession	Boot Finisher
Age	21	22
Dwelling Place	Christchurch	Christchurch
Length of Residence	12 years	Life
Marriage Place	Registrars Office, Christchurch
Folio	12/180
Consent
Date of Certificate	2 February 1912
Officiating Minister	L. C. Williams, Registrar

2 February 1912

Alfred Amos Stevens
Kathleen Eva Norris

Alfred Amos Stevens
Kathleen Eva Norris
💍 1912/1176

Bachelor
Spinster

Farmer
Clerk

23
27

St. Albans
Christchurch

6 months
6 months

Residence of Rev. C. H. Garland, Chester St.

12/776

2 February 1912

Rev. C. H. Garland, Methodist

No	66
Date of Notice	2 February 1912
	Groom	Bride
Names of Parties	Alfred Amos Stevens	Kathleen Eva Norris
	💍 1912/1176
Condition	Bachelor	Spinster
Profession	Farmer	Clerk
Age	23	27
Dwelling Place	St. Albans	Christchurch
Length of Residence	6 months	6 months
Marriage Place	Residence of Rev. C. H. Garland, Chester St.
Folio	12/776
Consent
Date of Certificate	2 February 1912
Officiating Minister	Rev. C. H. Garland, Methodist

3 February 1912

Ernest Scott Francis
Maud Mary Askew

Ernest Scott Francis
Maud Mary Askew
💍 1912/1158

Bachelor
Spinster

Carter

24
22

Linwood
Linwood

3 years
3 months

Residence of Rev. C. H. Laws, Fitzgerald Ave., Christchurch

12/785

3 February 1912

Rev. C. H. Laws, Methodist

No	67
Date of Notice	3 February 1912
	Groom	Bride
Names of Parties	Ernest Scott Francis	Maud Mary Askew
	💍 1912/1158
Condition	Bachelor	Spinster
Profession	Carter
Age	24	22
Dwelling Place	Linwood	Linwood
Length of Residence	3 years	3 months
Marriage Place	Residence of Rev. C. H. Laws, Fitzgerald Ave., Christchurch
Folio	12/785
Consent
Date of Certificate	3 February 1912
Officiating Minister	Rev. C. H. Laws, Methodist

5 February 1912

Ernest Henry Wright
Susan Mabel Tozer

Ernest Henry Wright
Susan Mabel Tozer
💍 1912/1204

Widower
Spinster

Telephone Exchange Clerk

32
26

Christchurch
Christchurch

Life
6 years

Congregational Church, Linwood

12/832

5 February 1912

Rev. J. Sarginson, Congregationalist

No	68
Date of Notice	5 February 1912
	Groom	Bride
Names of Parties	Ernest Henry Wright	Susan Mabel Tozer
	💍 1912/1204
Condition	Widower	Spinster
Profession	Telephone Exchange Clerk
Age	32	26
Dwelling Place	Christchurch	Christchurch
Length of Residence	Life	6 years
Marriage Place	Congregational Church, Linwood
Folio	12/832
Consent
Date of Certificate	5 February 1912
Officiating Minister	Rev. J. Sarginson, Congregationalist

5 February 1912

Horace Ellis Hamilton
Ida Maurice Walker

Horace Ellis Hamilton
Ida Morice Walker
💍 1912/1961

Bachelor
Spinster

Clerk

26
23

St. Albans
St. Albans

14 years
Life

St. Matthews Church, St. Albans

12/162

5 February 1912

Rev. P. B. Haggitt, Anglican

No	69
Date of Notice	5 February 1912
	Groom	Bride
Names of Parties	Horace Ellis Hamilton	Ida Maurice Walker
BDM Match (94%)	Horace Ellis Hamilton	Ida Morice Walker
	💍 1912/1961
BDM Match (94%)	Horace Ellis Hamilton	Ida Morice Walker
	💍 1912/1961
Condition	Bachelor	Spinster
Profession	Clerk
Age	26	23
Dwelling Place	St. Albans	St. Albans
Length of Residence	14 years	Life
Marriage Place	St. Matthews Church, St. Albans
Folio	12/162
Consent
Date of Certificate	5 February 1912
Officiating Minister	Rev. P. B. Haggitt, Anglican

5 February 1912

William James Purtle
Mabel Winifred Purdue

William James Purtle
Mabel Winifred Purdue
💍 1912/607

Bachelor
Spinster

Motor Driver

29
27

Christchurch
Christchurch

4 years
7 years

Registrars Office, Christchurch

12/181

5 February 1912

L. C. Williams, Registrar

No	70
Date of Notice	5 February 1912
	Groom	Bride
Names of Parties	William James Purtle	Mabel Winifred Purdue
	💍 1912/607
Condition	Bachelor	Spinster
Profession	Motor Driver
Age	29	27
Dwelling Place	Christchurch	Christchurch
Length of Residence	4 years	7 years
Marriage Place	Registrars Office, Christchurch
Folio	12/181
Consent
Date of Certificate	5 February 1912
Officiating Minister	L. C. Williams, Registrar

5 February 1912

James Lane Were
Hazel O'Callaghan

James Lane Were
Hazel O'Callaghan
💍 1912/4489

Bachelor
Spinster

Driver

23
20

St. Albans
Fendalton

Life
Life

St. Pauls Church, Papanui

12/248

5 February 1912

Rev. J. A. Julins, Anglican

No	71
Date of Notice	5 February 1912
	Groom	Bride
Names of Parties	James Lane Were	Hazel O'Callaghan
	💍 1912/4489
Condition	Bachelor	Spinster
Profession	Driver
Age	23	20
Dwelling Place	St. Albans	Fendalton
Length of Residence	Life	Life
Marriage Place	St. Pauls Church, Papanui
Folio	12/248
Consent
Date of Certificate	5 February 1912
Officiating Minister	Rev. J. A. Julins, Anglican

5 February 1912

Henry Norman John Kidman
Beatrice Gertrude Dulcie Beauchamp

Henry Norman John Kidman
Beatrice Gertrude Dulcie Beauchamp
💍 1912/1152

Bachelor
Spinster

Postal Official

26
23

Riccarton
Fendalton

13 years
18 years

St. Mary's Church, Addington

12/779

5 February 1912

Rev. W. S. Bean, Anglican

No	72
Date of Notice	5 February 1912
	Groom	Bride
Names of Parties	Henry Norman John Kidman	Beatrice Gertrude Dulcie Beauchamp
	💍 1912/1152
Condition	Bachelor	Spinster
Profession	Postal Official
Age	26	23
Dwelling Place	Riccarton	Fendalton
Length of Residence	13 years	18 years
Marriage Place	St. Mary's Church, Addington
Folio	12/779
Consent
Date of Certificate	5 February 1912
Officiating Minister	Rev. W. S. Bean, Anglican

6 February 1912

William Thomas Askew
Elsie May Gee

William Thomas Askew
Elsie May Gee
💍 1912/608

Bachelor
Spinster

Carter

22
22

Sydenham
Spreydon

18 years
8 years

Registrars Office, Christchurch

12/182

6 February 1912

L. C. Williams, Registrar

No	73
Date of Notice	6 February 1912
	Groom	Bride
Names of Parties	William Thomas Askew	Elsie May Gee
	💍 1912/608
Condition	Bachelor	Spinster
Profession	Carter
Age	22	22
Dwelling Place	Sydenham	Spreydon
Length of Residence	18 years	8 years
Marriage Place	Registrars Office, Christchurch
Folio	12/182
Consent
Date of Certificate	6 February 1912
Officiating Minister	L. C. Williams, Registrar

6 February 1912

William John Culley
Emily Stewart Cooke

William John Culley
Emily Stewart Cooke
💍 1912/609

Bachelor
Spinster

Laborer

38
30

Christchurch
Christchurch

5 years
2 years

Registrars Office, Christchurch

12/183

6 February 1912

L. C. Williams, Registrar

No	74
Date of Notice	6 February 1912
	Groom	Bride
Names of Parties	William John Culley	Emily Stewart Cooke
	💍 1912/609
Condition	Bachelor	Spinster
Profession	Laborer
Age	38	30
Dwelling Place	Christchurch	Christchurch
Length of Residence	5 years	2 years
Marriage Place	Registrars Office, Christchurch
Folio	12/183
Consent
Date of Certificate	6 February 1912
Officiating Minister	L. C. Williams, Registrar

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).