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 327

District of Timaru Quarter ending 31 March 1912 Registrar Alexander Montgomery

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

13 March 1912

Lawrie Hall Wilson
Caroline Mary Nelson

Lawrie Hall Wilson
Caroline Mary Wilson
💍 1912/738

Bachelor
Spinster

Labourer
Domestic Servant

20
22

Timaru
Timaru

4 months
4 months

Registrar's Office, Timaru

12/313

David Nelson (Father)

13 March 1912

Alex. Montgomery, Registrar

No	16
Date of Notice	13 March 1912
	Groom	Bride
Names of Parties	Lawrie Hall Wilson	Caroline Mary Nelson
BDM Match (95%)	Lawrie Hall Wilson	Caroline Mary Wilson
	💍 1912/738
Condition	Bachelor	Spinster
Profession	Labourer	Domestic Servant
Age	20	22
Dwelling Place	Timaru	Timaru
Length of Residence	4 months	4 months
Marriage Place	Registrar's Office, Timaru
Folio	12/313
Consent	David Nelson (Father)
Date of Certificate	13 March 1912
Officiating Minister	Alex. Montgomery, Registrar

13 March 1912

Frederick George Thompson
Elsie May Taylor

Frederick George Sydney Thompson
Elsie May Taylor
💍 1912/1412

Frederick John Sims
Ethel May Taylor
💍 1913/879

Bachelor
Spinster

Locomotive Cleaner
Household Duties

19
23

Timaru
Timaru

16 months
2 years 8 months

Dwellinghouse of John Taylor, 44 Arthur St., Timaru

12/1039

George Henry Thompson (Father)

13 March 1912

Rev. A. E. Hunt, Congregational Minister

No	17
Date of Notice	13 March 1912
	Groom	Bride
Names of Parties	Frederick George Thompson	Elsie May Taylor
BDM Match (89%)	Frederick George Sydney Thompson	Elsie May Taylor
	💍 1912/1412
BDM Match (66%)	Frederick John Sims	Ethel May Taylor
	💍 1913/879
Condition	Bachelor	Spinster
Profession	Locomotive Cleaner	Household Duties
Age	19	23
Dwelling Place	Timaru	Timaru
Length of Residence	16 months	2 years 8 months
Marriage Place	Dwellinghouse of John Taylor, 44 Arthur St., Timaru
Folio	12/1039
Consent	George Henry Thompson (Father)
Date of Certificate	13 March 1912
Officiating Minister	Rev. A. E. Hunt, Congregational Minister

20 March 1912

John Ernest Lelliot Bull
Ada O'Callaghan

John Ernest Lelliot Cull
Ada O'Callaghan
💍 1912/1420

Bachelor
Spinster

Engineer
Teacher

33
24

Auckland
Timaru

15 months
15 months

St. Mary's Anglican Church, Timaru

12/1046

20 March 1912

Archdeacon Jacob, Church of England Clergyman

No	18
Date of Notice	20 March 1912
	Groom	Bride
Names of Parties	John Ernest Lelliot Bull	Ada O'Callaghan
BDM Match (98%)	John Ernest Lelliot Cull	Ada O'Callaghan
	💍 1912/1420
Condition	Bachelor	Spinster
Profession	Engineer	Teacher
Age	33	24
Dwelling Place	Auckland	Timaru
Length of Residence	15 months	15 months
Marriage Place	St. Mary's Anglican Church, Timaru
Folio	12/1046
Consent
Date of Certificate	20 March 1912
Officiating Minister	Archdeacon Jacob, Church of England Clergyman

25 March 1912

Edwin Green
Alice May Hornbrook

Edwin Green
Alice May Hornbrook
💍 1912/1421

Bachelor
Spinster

Station Manager
Domestic Duties

36
26

Gleniti
Timaru

36 years
26 years

St. Mary's English Church, Timaru

12/1047

25 March 1912

Rev. J. M. Burnow, Church of England Clergyman

No	19
Date of Notice	25 March 1912
	Groom	Bride
Names of Parties	Edwin Green	Alice May Hornbrook
	💍 1912/1421
Condition	Bachelor	Spinster
Profession	Station Manager	Domestic Duties
Age	36	26
Dwelling Place	Gleniti	Timaru
Length of Residence	36 years	26 years
Marriage Place	St. Mary's English Church, Timaru
Folio	12/1047
Consent
Date of Certificate	25 March 1912
Officiating Minister	Rev. J. M. Burnow, Church of England Clergyman

25 March 1912

Thomas Ball
Emily Bartlett

Thomas Ball
Emily Bartlett
💍 1912/3859

Bachelor
Spinster

Carter
Weaver

23
28

Timaru
Timaru

3 years
28 years

Trinity Church, Timaru

12/3643

25 March 1912

Rev. J. Stinson, Presbyterian Minister

No	20
Date of Notice	25 March 1912
	Groom	Bride
Names of Parties	Thomas Ball	Emily Bartlett
	💍 1912/3859
Condition	Bachelor	Spinster
Profession	Carter	Weaver
Age	23	28
Dwelling Place	Timaru	Timaru
Length of Residence	3 years	28 years
Marriage Place	Trinity Church, Timaru
Folio	12/3643
Consent
Date of Certificate	25 March 1912
Officiating Minister	Rev. J. Stinson, Presbyterian Minister

26 March 1912

Benjamin Rowland Booth
Kate Atherton

Benjamin Rowland Tooth
Kate Atherton
💍 1912/3858

Widower
Spinster

Builder
Domestic Duties

58
34

Timaru
Timaru

34 years
4 years

Dwellinghouse of Richard Atherton, Oxford St., Timaru

12/3642

26 March 1912

Rev. J. Stinson, Presbyterian Minister

No	21
Date of Notice	26 March 1912
	Groom	Bride
Names of Parties	Benjamin Rowland Booth	Kate Atherton
BDM Match (98%)	Benjamin Rowland Tooth	Kate Atherton
	💍 1912/3858
Condition	Widower	Spinster
Profession	Builder	Domestic Duties
Age	58	34
Dwelling Place	Timaru	Timaru
Length of Residence	34 years	4 years
Marriage Place	Dwellinghouse of Richard Atherton, Oxford St., Timaru
Folio	12/3642
Consent
Date of Certificate	26 March 1912
Officiating Minister	Rev. J. Stinson, Presbyterian Minister

26 March 1912

Frederick Walter Nicholls
Ivy Elizabeth Dobier

Frederick Walter Nicholls
Ivy Elizabeth Dobier
💍 1912/1411

Bachelor
Spinster

Labourer
Domestic Duties

39
30

Timaru
Timaru

6 weeks
29 years

Dwellinghouse of Mrs. Dobier, Russell's Square, Timaru

12/1038

26 March 1912

Rev. W. Baumber, Methodist Minister

No	22
Date of Notice	26 March 1912
	Groom	Bride
Names of Parties	Frederick Walter Nicholls	Ivy Elizabeth Dobier
	💍 1912/1411
Condition	Bachelor	Spinster
Profession	Labourer	Domestic Duties
Age	39	30
Dwelling Place	Timaru	Timaru
Length of Residence	6 weeks	29 years
Marriage Place	Dwellinghouse of Mrs. Dobier, Russell's Square, Timaru
Folio	12/1038
Consent
Date of Certificate	26 March 1912
Officiating Minister	Rev. W. Baumber, Methodist Minister

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).