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 816

District of Gore Quarter ending 30 June 1912 Registrar George Brett

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

11 April 1912

George Edward McLellan
Mary Hannah

George Edward McLellan
Mary Hannah
💍 1912/3929

Bachelor
Spinster

Farmer

23
22

Chatton
Tuturau

20 years
Since birth

At the residence of Mr. George Hannah, Tuturau

12/3791

11 April 1912

Rev. George McDonald

No	21
Date of Notice	11 April 1912
	Groom	Bride
Names of Parties	George Edward McLellan	Mary Hannah
	💍 1912/3929
Condition	Bachelor	Spinster
Profession	Farmer
Age	23	22
Dwelling Place	Chatton	Tuturau
Length of Residence	20 years	Since birth
Marriage Place	At the residence of Mr. George Hannah, Tuturau
Folio	12/3791
Consent
Date of Certificate	11 April 1912
Officiating Minister	Rev. George McDonald

12 April 1912

Alexander McLellan
Lillie Hannah

Alexander McLellan
Lillie Hannah
💍 1912/3930

Widower
Spinster

Farmer

25
20

Chatton
Tuturau

20 years
Since birth

At the residence of Mr. George Hannah, Tuturau

12/3792

George Hannah, Father

12 April 1912

Rev. George McDonald

No	22
Date of Notice	12 April 1912
	Groom	Bride
Names of Parties	Alexander McLellan	Lillie Hannah
	💍 1912/3930
Condition	Widower	Spinster
Profession	Farmer
Age	25	20
Dwelling Place	Chatton	Tuturau
Length of Residence	20 years	Since birth
Marriage Place	At the residence of Mr. George Hannah, Tuturau
Folio	12/3792
Consent	George Hannah, Father
Date of Certificate	12 April 1912
Officiating Minister	Rev. George McDonald

15 April 1912

Alfred William Hewitt
Catherine Flora Nicholson

Alfred William Hewitt
Catherine Flora Nicholson
💍 1912/4004

Bachelor
Spinster

Plumber

27
31

Croydon Bush
Croydon Bush

4 days
4 days

In the residence of Mr. John Nicholson, Croydon

12/3716

15 April 1912

Rev. George Hervey

No	23
Date of Notice	15 April 1912
	Groom	Bride
Names of Parties	Alfred William Hewitt	Catherine Flora Nicholson
	💍 1912/4004
Condition	Bachelor	Spinster
Profession	Plumber
Age	27	31
Dwelling Place	Croydon Bush	Croydon Bush
Length of Residence	4 days	4 days
Marriage Place	In the residence of Mr. John Nicholson, Croydon
Folio	12/3716
Consent
Date of Certificate	15 April 1912
Officiating Minister	Rev. George Hervey

22 April 1912

Carle Henry Gohl
Lena Augusta Imbs

Carle Henry Gohl
Lena Augusta Imbs
💍 1912/4005

Bachelor
Spinster

Engine Driver

30
29

Gore
Gore

5 days
1 year

At the residence of Mr. Imbs, East Gore

12/3717

22 April 1912

Rev. Andrew Gray

No	24
Date of Notice	22 April 1912
	Groom	Bride
Names of Parties	Carle Henry Gohl	Lena Augusta Imbs
	💍 1912/4005
Condition	Bachelor	Spinster
Profession	Engine Driver
Age	30	29
Dwelling Place	Gore	Gore
Length of Residence	5 days	1 year
Marriage Place	At the residence of Mr. Imbs, East Gore
Folio	12/3717
Consent
Date of Certificate	22 April 1912
Officiating Minister	Rev. Andrew Gray

5 June 1912

William Conn
Elizabeth Cruickshank Watt

William Conn
Elizabeth Cruickshank Watt
💍 1912/4009

Bachelor
Spinster

Farmer

32
25

Gore
Gore

4 days
4 days

At the Manse, Knapdale

12/3721

5 June 1912

Rev. A. Hardie

No	25
Date of Notice	5 June 1912
	Groom	Bride
Names of Parties	William Conn	Elizabeth Cruickshank Watt
	💍 1912/4009
Condition	Bachelor	Spinster
Profession	Farmer
Age	32	25
Dwelling Place	Gore	Gore
Length of Residence	4 days	4 days
Marriage Place	At the Manse, Knapdale
Folio	12/3721
Consent
Date of Certificate	5 June 1912
Officiating Minister	Rev. A. Hardie

6 June 1912

William Henry Kirk
Henrietta Mary Challis

William Henry Kirk
Henrietta Mary Challis
💍 1912/2548

Bachelor
Spinster

Railway Surfaceman

29
29

Gore
Gore

3 days
3 days

The office of Deputy Registrar, Mersey Street, Gore

12/2368

6 June 1912

The Registrar, Gore

No	26
Date of Notice	6 June 1912
	Groom	Bride
Names of Parties	William Henry Kirk	Henrietta Mary Challis
	💍 1912/2548
Condition	Bachelor	Spinster
Profession	Railway Surfaceman
Age	29	29
Dwelling Place	Gore	Gore
Length of Residence	3 days	3 days
Marriage Place	The office of Deputy Registrar, Mersey Street, Gore
Folio	12/2368
Consent
Date of Certificate	6 June 1912
Officiating Minister	The Registrar, Gore

17 June 1912

Peter Sinclair
Agnes Lewis Robertson

Peter Sinclair
Agnes Lewis Robertson
💍 1912/4002

Bachelor
Spinster

Farmer

27
25

North Chatton
North Chatton

3 days
20 years

At the Residence of Mr. John Robertson, North Chatton

12/3714

17 June 1912

Rev. S. Robertson Orr

No	27
Date of Notice	17 June 1912
	Groom	Bride
Names of Parties	Peter Sinclair	Agnes Lewis Robertson
	💍 1912/4002
Condition	Bachelor	Spinster
Profession	Farmer
Age	27	25
Dwelling Place	North Chatton	North Chatton
Length of Residence	3 days	20 years
Marriage Place	At the Residence of Mr. John Robertson, North Chatton
Folio	12/3714
Consent
Date of Certificate	17 June 1912
Officiating Minister	Rev. S. Robertson Orr

20 June 1912

George Leslie Bugg
Edith Harriet Dunstan

George Leslie Bugg
Edith Harriet Dunstan
💍 1912/4008

Bachelor
Spinster

Salvation Army Captain
Salvation Army Lieutenant

27
27

Gore
Gore

3 days
3 days

Salvation Army Barracks, Gore

12/3720

20 June 1912

Brigadier John Jago

No	28
Date of Notice	20 June 1912
	Groom	Bride
Names of Parties	George Leslie Bugg	Edith Harriet Dunstan
	💍 1912/4008
Condition	Bachelor	Spinster
Profession	Salvation Army Captain	Salvation Army Lieutenant
Age	27	27
Dwelling Place	Gore	Gore
Length of Residence	3 days	3 days
Marriage Place	Salvation Army Barracks, Gore
Folio	12/3720
Consent
Date of Certificate	20 June 1912
Officiating Minister	Brigadier John Jago

20 June 1912

John Denniston
Frances Butler

John Denniston
Frances Butler
💍 1912/4091

Bachelor
Spinster

Millowner

37
27

Riversdale
Riversdale

12 years
4 years

St. Marks Church, Riversdale

12/3932

20 June 1912

Rev. William Uphill

No	29
Date of Notice	20 June 1912
	Groom	Bride
Names of Parties	John Denniston	Frances Butler
	💍 1912/4091
Condition	Bachelor	Spinster
Profession	Millowner
Age	37	27
Dwelling Place	Riversdale	Riversdale
Length of Residence	12 years	4 years
Marriage Place	St. Marks Church, Riversdale
Folio	12/3932
Consent
Date of Certificate	20 June 1912
Officiating Minister	Rev. William Uphill

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).