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 034

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

10 February 1912

Frederick Herbert Fuller
Lydia Maud Butler

Frederick Herbert Fuller
Lydia Maud Butler
💍 1912/1136

Bachelor
Spinster

Painter

24
25

Christchurch
Christchurch

20 years
2 years

St. Andrews Church, Christchurch

12/787

10 February 1912

Rev. J. MacKenzie, Presbyterian

No	86
Date of Notice	10 February 1912
	Groom	Bride
Names of Parties	Frederick Herbert Fuller	Lydia Maud Butler
	💍 1912/1136
Condition	Bachelor	Spinster
Profession	Painter
Age	24	25
Dwelling Place	Christchurch	Christchurch
Length of Residence	20 years	2 years
Marriage Place	St. Andrews Church, Christchurch
Folio	12/787
Consent
Date of Certificate	10 February 1912
Officiating Minister	Rev. J. MacKenzie, Presbyterian

10 February 1912

William Harry Chaplin
Grace Edith Robinson

William Henry Chaplin
Grace Edith Robinson
💍 1912/2017

Bachelor
Spinster

Fitter

26
23

Christchurch
Christchurch

Life
6 years

Primitive Methodist Church, Cambridge Terrace, Christchurch

12/1682

10 February 1912

Rev. S. Henderson, Prim. Methodist

No	87
Date of Notice	10 February 1912
	Groom	Bride
Names of Parties	William Harry Chaplin	Grace Edith Robinson
BDM Match (95%)	William Henry Chaplin	Grace Edith Robinson
	💍 1912/2017
Condition	Bachelor	Spinster
Profession	Fitter
Age	26	23
Dwelling Place	Christchurch	Christchurch
Length of Residence	Life	6 years
Marriage Place	Primitive Methodist Church, Cambridge Terrace, Christchurch
Folio	12/1682
Consent
Date of Certificate	10 February 1912
Officiating Minister	Rev. S. Henderson, Prim. Methodist

12 February 1912

William Liddle
Ellen Elizabeth Maude Jarran

William Liddle
Ellen Elizabeth Maude Farrar
💍 1912/1145

Bachelor
Spinster

Salesman

30
31

Christchurch
Christchurch

8 days
7 weeks

St. Mary's Church, Addington

12/778

12 February 1912

Rev. W. S. Bean, Anglican

No	88
Date of Notice	12 February 1912
	Groom	Bride
Names of Parties	William Liddle	Ellen Elizabeth Maude Jarran
BDM Match (96%)	William Liddle	Ellen Elizabeth Maude Farrar
	💍 1912/1145
Condition	Bachelor	Spinster
Profession	Salesman
Age	30	31
Dwelling Place	Christchurch	Christchurch
Length of Residence	8 days	7 weeks
Marriage Place	St. Mary's Church, Addington
Folio	12/778
Consent
Date of Certificate	12 February 1912
Officiating Minister	Rev. W. S. Bean, Anglican

12 February 1912

Roger Marshall Cookson
Ivy May Smith

Bachelor
Spinster

Farmer

26
29

Spreydon
Spreydon

2 years
Life

Registrar's Office, Christchurch

12/186

12 February 1912

L. C. Williams, Registrar

No	89
Date of Notice	12 February 1912
	Groom	Bride
Names of Parties	Roger Marshall Cookson	Ivy May Smith
Condition	Bachelor	Spinster
Profession	Farmer
Age	26	29
Dwelling Place	Spreydon	Spreydon
Length of Residence	2 years	Life
Marriage Place	Registrar's Office, Christchurch
Folio	12/186
Consent
Date of Certificate	12 February 1912
Officiating Minister	L. C. Williams, Registrar

12 February 1912

Isaac Thompson
Mercedez Lucia Gundersen

Isaac Thompson
Mercedez Lucia Gundersen
💍 1912/1284

Bachelor
Spinster

Surgeon

35
20

Riccarton
Riccarton

6 years
Life

Anglican Church, Riccarton

12/863

Anita Gundersen, mother

12 February 1912

Rev. H. J. York, Anglican

No	90
Date of Notice	12 February 1912
	Groom	Bride
Names of Parties	Isaac Thompson	Mercedez Lucia Gundersen
	💍 1912/1284
Condition	Bachelor	Spinster
Profession	Surgeon
Age	35	20
Dwelling Place	Riccarton	Riccarton
Length of Residence	6 years	Life
Marriage Place	Anglican Church, Riccarton
Folio	12/863
Consent	Anita Gundersen, mother
Date of Certificate	12 February 1912
Officiating Minister	Rev. H. J. York, Anglican

12 February 1912

William Fredrick White
Nellie Rose McEvoy

William Fredrick White
Nellie Rose McEvoy
💍 1912/1656

Bachelor
Spinster

Fruitgrower

32
21

Christchurch
Christchurch

3 days
5 weeks

House of Mrs. Moodie, 396 Oxford Terrace, Christchurch

12/815

12 February 1912

Staff Capt. R. Greenfield, Salvationist

No	91
Date of Notice	12 February 1912
	Groom	Bride
Names of Parties	William Fredrick White	Nellie Rose McEvoy
	💍 1912/1656
Condition	Bachelor	Spinster
Profession	Fruitgrower
Age	32	21
Dwelling Place	Christchurch	Christchurch
Length of Residence	3 days	5 weeks
Marriage Place	House of Mrs. Moodie, 396 Oxford Terrace, Christchurch
Folio	12/815
Consent
Date of Certificate	12 February 1912
Officiating Minister	Staff Capt. R. Greenfield, Salvationist

12 February 1912

Herbert Gerrard Cox
Ellen Gladys Taylor

Herbert Gerrard Cox
Ellen Gladys Taylor
💍 1912/4317

Bachelor
Spinster

Clerk

21
23

Christchurch
Christchurch

Life
Life

Holy Trinity Church, Avonside

12/4159

12 February 1912

Rev. O. Fitz-Gerald, Anglican

No	92
Date of Notice	12 February 1912
	Groom	Bride
Names of Parties	Herbert Gerrard Cox	Ellen Gladys Taylor
	💍 1912/4317
Condition	Bachelor	Spinster
Profession	Clerk
Age	21	23
Dwelling Place	Christchurch	Christchurch
Length of Residence	Life	Life
Marriage Place	Holy Trinity Church, Avonside
Folio	12/4159
Consent
Date of Certificate	12 February 1912
Officiating Minister	Rev. O. Fitz-Gerald, Anglican

12 February 1912

Robert Meyer
Verone Meyer

Robert Meyer
Verone Meyer
💍 1912/1288

Bachelor
Spinster

Driver

21
19

Christchurch
Christchurch

16 Months
2 years

St. Mary's Church, Manchester St., Christchurch

12/867

J. Arginan, father

12 February 1912

Rev. J. Arginan, Romanist

No	93
Date of Notice	12 February 1912
	Groom	Bride
Names of Parties	Robert Meyer	Verone Meyer
	💍 1912/1288
Condition	Bachelor	Spinster
Profession	Driver
Age	21	19
Dwelling Place	Christchurch	Christchurch
Length of Residence	16 Months	2 years
Marriage Place	St. Mary's Church, Manchester St., Christchurch
Folio	12/867
Consent	J. Arginan, father
Date of Certificate	12 February 1912
Officiating Minister	Rev. J. Arginan, Romanist

13 February 1912

James Kruse
Elsie Elizabeth Smythe

James Kruse
Elsie Elizabeth Smythe
💍 1912/1672

Bachelor
Spinster

Butcher

20
18

Papanui
Christchurch

Life
Life

House of Mr. Smythe, 343 Tuam St., Christchurch

12/807

Sarah Susannah Kruse Spencer, mother; Charles Edward Smythe, father

13 February 1912

Rev. J. Tait, Presbyterian

No	94
Date of Notice	13 February 1912
	Groom	Bride
Names of Parties	James Kruse	Elsie Elizabeth Smythe
	💍 1912/1672
Condition	Bachelor	Spinster
Profession	Butcher
Age	20	18
Dwelling Place	Papanui	Christchurch
Length of Residence	Life	Life
Marriage Place	House of Mr. Smythe, 343 Tuam St., Christchurch
Folio	12/807
Consent	Sarah Susannah Kruse Spencer, mother; Charles Edward Smythe, father
Date of Certificate	13 February 1912
Officiating Minister	Rev. J. Tait, Presbyterian

14 February 1912

John Turner
Florence Ann Armstrong

John Turner
Florence Annie Armstrong
💍 1912/1864

Bachelor
Spinster

Farmer

35
35

Christchurch
Dallington

3 days
23 years

Richmond Methodist Church, Richmond

12/1575

14 February 1912

Rev. A. McBean, Methodist

No	95
Date of Notice	14 February 1912
	Groom	Bride
Names of Parties	John Turner	Florence Ann Armstrong
BDM Match (96%)	John Turner	Florence Annie Armstrong
	💍 1912/1864
Condition	Bachelor	Spinster
Profession	Farmer
Age	35	35
Dwelling Place	Christchurch	Dallington
Length of Residence	3 days	23 years
Marriage Place	Richmond Methodist Church, Richmond
Folio	12/1575
Consent
Date of Certificate	14 February 1912
Officiating Minister	Rev. A. McBean, Methodist

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).