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 029

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

15 January 1912

Robert Yellowlees
Edith Emily Mitchell

Robert Yellowlees
Edith Emily Mitchell
💍 1912/4315

Bachelor
Spinster

Machinist

34
24

Christchurch
Christchurch

6 years
5 years

Holy Trinity Church, Avonside

12/415

15 January 1912

Canon Pascoe, Anglican

No	31
Date of Notice	15 January 1912
	Groom	Bride
Names of Parties	Robert Yellowlees	Edith Emily Mitchell
	💍 1912/4315
	💍 1912/4315
Condition	Bachelor	Spinster
Profession	Machinist
Age	34	24
Dwelling Place	Christchurch	Christchurch
Length of Residence	6 years	5 years
Marriage Place	Holy Trinity Church, Avonside
Folio	12/415
Consent
Date of Certificate	15 January 1912
Officiating Minister	Canon Pascoe, Anglican

15 January 1912

David Douglas
Mary Ann Beard

David Douglas
Mary Ann Beard
💍 1912/1931

Bachelor
Widow, 20 March 1908

Boiler-maker

43
50

Spreydon
Spreydon

9 months
33 years

Roman Catholic Cathedral, Christchurch

12/1644

15 January 1912

Rev. J. Hanrahan, Romanist

No	32
Date of Notice	15 January 1912
	Groom	Bride
Names of Parties	David Douglas	Mary Ann Beard
	💍 1912/1931
	💍 1912/1931
Condition	Bachelor	Widow, 20 March 1908
Profession	Boiler-maker
Age	43	50
Dwelling Place	Spreydon	Spreydon
Length of Residence	9 months	33 years
Marriage Place	Roman Catholic Cathedral, Christchurch
Folio	12/1644
Consent
Date of Certificate	15 January 1912
Officiating Minister	Rev. J. Hanrahan, Romanist

16 January 1912

Frank Leslie Murray
Margaret Paterson Morrison

Frank Leslie Murray
Margaret Paterson Morrison
💍 1912/1665

Widower, 29 May 1909
Spinster

Landsalesman

33
34

Cashmere Hills
Cashmere Hills

Life
3 years

St. Augustine's Church, Cashmere Hills

12/823

16 January 1912

Rev. P. J. Cocks, Anglican

No	33
Date of Notice	16 January 1912
	Groom	Bride
Names of Parties	Frank Leslie Murray	Margaret Paterson Morrison
	💍 1912/1665
	💍 1912/1665
Condition	Widower, 29 May 1909	Spinster
Profession	Landsalesman
Age	33	34
Dwelling Place	Cashmere Hills	Cashmere Hills
Length of Residence	Life	3 years
Marriage Place	St. Augustine's Church, Cashmere Hills
Folio	12/823
Consent
Date of Certificate	16 January 1912
Officiating Minister	Rev. P. J. Cocks, Anglican

16 January 1912

Lionel Vivian Comerford
May Julia Miller

Lionel Vivian Comerford
May Julia Millar
💍 1912/1019

Bachelor
Spinster

Accountant

32
24

Sumner
Wellington

3 years
1 month

Congregational Church, Wellington

12/844

16 January 1912

Rev. J. R. Glasson, Congregationalist

No	34
Date of Notice	16 January 1912
	Groom	Bride
Names of Parties	Lionel Vivian Comerford	May Julia Miller
BDM Match (97%)	Lionel Vivian Comerford	May Julia Millar
	💍 1912/1019
Condition	Bachelor	Spinster
Profession	Accountant
Age	32	24
Dwelling Place	Sumner	Wellington
Length of Residence	3 years	1 month
Marriage Place	Congregational Church, Wellington
Folio	12/844
Consent
Date of Certificate	16 January 1912
Officiating Minister	Rev. J. R. Glasson, Congregationalist

18 January 1912

Henry Taylor Rogers
Mary Duncan French

Henry Taylor Rogers
Mary Duncan French
💍 1912/1149

Bachelor
Spinster

Saddler

34
31

Christchurch
Christchurch

6 years
Life

House of Mr. R. French, 17 Hamilton St., Addington

12/800

18 January 1912

Rev. A. Turner, Methodist

No	35
Date of Notice	18 January 1912
	Groom	Bride
Names of Parties	Henry Taylor Rogers	Mary Duncan French
	💍 1912/1149
	💍 1912/1149
Condition	Bachelor	Spinster
Profession	Saddler
Age	34	31
Dwelling Place	Christchurch	Christchurch
Length of Residence	6 years	Life
Marriage Place	House of Mr. R. French, 17 Hamilton St., Addington
Folio	12/800
Consent
Date of Certificate	18 January 1912
Officiating Minister	Rev. A. Turner, Methodist

18 January 1912

William Henry Pouncey Reynolds
Ethel Simmons

William Henry Pouncey Reynolds
Ethel Simmons
💍 1912/1654

Bachelor
Spinster

Night-porter

22
30

Christchurch
Christchurch

9 months
9 months

Trinity Congregational Church, Christchurch

12/813

18 January 1912

Rev. W. J. Bloss, Congregationalist

No	36
Date of Notice	18 January 1912
	Groom	Bride
Names of Parties	William Henry Pouncey Reynolds	Ethel Simmons
	💍 1912/1654
	💍 1912/1654
Condition	Bachelor	Spinster
Profession	Night-porter
Age	22	30
Dwelling Place	Christchurch	Christchurch
Length of Residence	9 months	9 months
Marriage Place	Trinity Congregational Church, Christchurch
Folio	12/813
Consent
Date of Certificate	18 January 1912
Officiating Minister	Rev. W. J. Bloss, Congregationalist

18 January 1912

James Banwell
Annie Jean Liddy

James Banwell
Annie Jean Liddy
💍 1912/526

Bachelor
Spinster

Laborer

22
21

Christchurch
Christchurch

20 years
7 years

Registrar's Office, Christchurch

12/173

18 January 1912

P. B. Pirani, Deputy Registrar

No	37
Date of Notice	18 January 1912
	Groom	Bride
Names of Parties	James Banwell	Annie Jean Liddy
	💍 1912/526
	💍 1912/526
Condition	Bachelor	Spinster
Profession	Laborer
Age	22	21
Dwelling Place	Christchurch	Christchurch
Length of Residence	20 years	7 years
Marriage Place	Registrar's Office, Christchurch
Folio	12/173
Consent
Date of Certificate	18 January 1912
Officiating Minister	P. B. Pirani, Deputy Registrar

19 January 1912

Arthur Henry Joynbee
Winifred Alice Hayes

Arthur Henry Toynbee
Winifred Alice Hayes
💍 1912/1154

Bachelor
Spinster

Butcher

26
24

Ohau
Redcliffs

1 year
7 weeks

Baptist Church, Elgin St., Sydenham

12/781

19 January 1912

Rev. T. A. Williams, Baptist

No	38
Date of Notice	19 January 1912
	Groom	Bride
Names of Parties	Arthur Henry Joynbee	Winifred Alice Hayes
BDM Match (98%)	Arthur Henry Toynbee	Winifred Alice Hayes
	💍 1912/1154
Condition	Bachelor	Spinster
Profession	Butcher
Age	26	24
Dwelling Place	Ohau	Redcliffs
Length of Residence	1 year	7 weeks
Marriage Place	Baptist Church, Elgin St., Sydenham
Folio	12/781
Consent
Date of Certificate	19 January 1912
Officiating Minister	Rev. T. A. Williams, Baptist

20 January 1912

Robert Leonard Wilson
Margaret Gabriel McEvoy

Robert Leonard Wilson
Margaret Gabriel McEvedy
💍 1912/527

Bachelor
Spinster

Laborer

28
23

Christchurch
Christchurch

3 days
3 days

Registrar's Office, Christchurch

12/174

20 January 1912

P. B. Pirani, Deputy Registrar

No	39
Date of Notice	20 January 1912
	Groom	Bride
Names of Parties	Robert Leonard Wilson	Margaret Gabriel McEvoy
BDM Match (96%)	Robert Leonard Wilson	Margaret Gabriel McEvedy
	💍 1912/527
Condition	Bachelor	Spinster
Profession	Laborer
Age	28	23
Dwelling Place	Christchurch	Christchurch
Length of Residence	3 days	3 days
Marriage Place	Registrar's Office, Christchurch
Folio	12/174
Consent
Date of Certificate	20 January 1912
Officiating Minister	P. B. Pirani, Deputy Registrar

23 January 1912

John O'Brien
Mary Og Ozanne

John O'Brien
Mary Ozanne
💍 1912/528

Bachelor
Spinster

Laborer

28
28

Christchurch
Christchurch

3 years
Life

Registrar's Office, Christchurch

12/175

23 January 1912

L. C. Williams, Registrar

No	40
Date of Notice	23 January 1912
	Groom	Bride
Names of Parties	John O'Brien	Mary Og Ozanne
BDM Match (89%)	John O'Brien	Mary Ozanne
	💍 1912/528
Condition	Bachelor	Spinster
Profession	Laborer
Age	28	28
Dwelling Place	Christchurch	Christchurch
Length of Residence	3 years	Life
Marriage Place	Registrar's Office, Christchurch
Folio	12/175
Consent
Date of Certificate	23 January 1912
Officiating Minister	L. C. Williams, Registrar

23 January 1912

William Howell Payne
Mary Ann Collan

William Howell Payne
Mary Ann Gollan
💍 1912/1188

Bachelor
Spinster

Laborer

32
29

Christchurch
Christchurch

4 days
3 months

House of Mr. S. J. Dennis, 136 Waltham Rd., Sydenham

12/840

23 January 1912

Rev. C. Murray, Presbyterian

No	41
Date of Notice	23 January 1912
	Groom	Bride
Names of Parties	William Howell Payne	Mary Ann Collan
BDM Match (97%)	William Howell Payne	Mary Ann Gollan
	💍 1912/1188
Condition	Bachelor	Spinster
Profession	Laborer
Age	32	29
Dwelling Place	Christchurch	Christchurch
Length of Residence	4 days	3 months
Marriage Place	House of Mr. S. J. Dennis, 136 Waltham Rd., Sydenham
Folio	12/840
Consent
Date of Certificate	23 January 1912
Officiating Minister	Rev. C. Murray, Presbyterian

These records have been automatically transcribed and must be verified using the page image (below)

100% Contrast

100% Brightness

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).