Intentions to Marry, 1913 Auckland, Taranaki

Reference: Registrar-General of Births, Deaths and Marriages, Notices of intention to marry, Series 8937, R2840451, Archives New Zealand Te Rua Mahara o te Kāwanatanga, Wellington

1913 is bound in three volumes - Auckland, Taranaki (1913a), Hawke's Bay, Wellington, Marlborough, Nelson, Westland (1913b), and Canterbury, Otago, Southland, Chatham Islands (1913c).

Page 393

District of Hikurangi Quarter ending 31 March 1913 Registrar J. Cooney

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 January 1913

Joseph Dobson Sutherland
Isabella Munro Sutherland

Joseph Dobson
Isabella Munro Sutherland
💍 1913/1228

Bachelor
Spinster

Mill hand
Domestic duties

30
19

Hikurangi
Hikurangi

7 months
15 years

Mr. H. Howlett's Residence, Hikurangi

13/688

George Sutherland, father

11 January 1913

Rev. W. Holloway, Hikurangi

No	1
Date of Notice	11 January 1913
	Groom	Bride
Names of Parties	Joseph Dobson Sutherland	Isabella Munro Sutherland
BDM Match (77%)	Joseph Dobson	Isabella Munro Sutherland
	💍 1913/1228
Condition	Bachelor	Spinster
Profession	Mill hand	Domestic duties
Age	30	19
Dwelling Place	Hikurangi	Hikurangi
Length of Residence	7 months	15 years
Marriage Place	Mr. H. Howlett's Residence, Hikurangi
Folio	13/688
Consent	George Sutherland, father
Date of Certificate	11 January 1913
Officiating Minister	Rev. W. Holloway, Hikurangi

5 February 1913

Arthur William Harnett
Ida Annie Rawlings

Arthur William Harnett
Ida Annie Rawlings
💍 1913/1225

Bachelor
Spinster

Farmer
Domestic duties

28
23

Towai
Towai

19 years
7 years

Mr. R. Rawlings' Residence, Towai

13/685

5 February 1913

Rev. Jasper Calder, Kamo

No	2
Date of Notice	5 February 1913
	Groom	Bride
Names of Parties	Arthur William Harnett	Ida Annie Rawlings
	💍 1913/1225
Condition	Bachelor	Spinster
Profession	Farmer	Domestic duties
Age	28	23
Dwelling Place	Towai	Towai
Length of Residence	19 years	7 years
Marriage Place	Mr. R. Rawlings' Residence, Towai
Folio	13/685
Consent
Date of Certificate	5 February 1913
Officiating Minister	Rev. Jasper Calder, Kamo

8 February 1913

Paraone Hoori
Mabel Emily Slight

Paraone Hoori
Mabel Emily Slight
💍 1913/1227

Bachelor
Spinster

Railway porter
Tailoress

22
21

Hikurangi
Hikurangi

6 months
2 months

Residence of Bridegroom, Hikurangi

13/687

8 February 1913

Rev. G. C. Laws, Hikurangi

No	3
Date of Notice	8 February 1913
	Groom	Bride
Names of Parties	Paraone Hoori	Mabel Emily Slight
	💍 1913/1227
Condition	Bachelor	Spinster
Profession	Railway porter	Tailoress
Age	22	21
Dwelling Place	Hikurangi	Hikurangi
Length of Residence	6 months	2 months
Marriage Place	Residence of Bridegroom, Hikurangi
Folio	13/687
Consent
Date of Certificate	8 February 1913
Officiating Minister	Rev. G. C. Laws, Hikurangi

6 March 1913

Richard Sissons Mackenzie
Catherine Dawson Ferguson

Richard Sissons MacKenzie
Catherine Dawson Ferguson
💍 1913/1247

Bachelor
Spinster

Settler
Domestic duties

27
25

Otonga
Tutukaka

25 years
20 years

Mr. Hugh Ferguson's Residence, Tutukaka

13/683

6 March 1913

Rev. W. H. Holloway, Hikurangi

No	4
Date of Notice	6 March 1913
	Groom	Bride
Names of Parties	Richard Sissons Mackenzie	Catherine Dawson Ferguson
BDM Match (98%)	Richard Sissons MacKenzie	Catherine Dawson Ferguson
	💍 1913/1247
Condition	Bachelor	Spinster
Profession	Settler	Domestic duties
Age	27	25
Dwelling Place	Otonga	Tutukaka
Length of Residence	25 years	20 years
Marriage Place	Mr. Hugh Ferguson's Residence, Tutukaka
Folio	13/683
Consent
Date of Certificate	6 March 1913
Officiating Minister	Rev. W. H. Holloway, Hikurangi

15 March 1913

Claus Tissen
Florence Gasson

Claus Nissen
Florence Gasson
💍 1913/1246

Divorced
Spinster

Mill Hand
Domestic duties

35
19

Whakapara
Whakapara

3 years
6 months

Mr. R. Rennie's Residence, Whakapara

13/682

James Gasson, father

15 March 1913

Rev. W. H. Holloway, Hikurangi

No	5
Date of Notice	15 March 1913
	Groom	Bride
Names of Parties	Claus Tissen	Florence Gasson
BDM Match (96%)	Claus Nissen	Florence Gasson
	💍 1913/1246
Condition	Divorced	Spinster
Profession	Mill Hand	Domestic duties
Age	35	19
Dwelling Place	Whakapara	Whakapara
Length of Residence	3 years	6 months
Marriage Place	Mr. R. Rennie's Residence, Whakapara
Folio	13/682
Consent	James Gasson, father
Date of Certificate	15 March 1913
Officiating Minister	Rev. W. H. Holloway, Hikurangi

17 March 1913

Hugh Llewellyn Edwards Powell
Esther Hawhinney

Hugh Llewellyn Edwards Powell
Esther Mowhinney
💍 1913/811

Bachelor
Spinster

Farmer
Domestic

34
26

Opuawhonga
Marua

27 years
25 years

Registry Office, Hikurangi

13/242

17 March 1913

The Registrar, Hikurangi

No	6
Date of Notice	17 March 1913
	Groom	Bride
Names of Parties	Hugh Llewellyn Edwards Powell	Esther Hawhinney
BDM Match (94%)	Hugh Llewellyn Edwards Powell	Esther Mowhinney
	💍 1913/811
Condition	Bachelor	Spinster
Profession	Farmer	Domestic
Age	34	26
Dwelling Place	Opuawhonga	Marua
Length of Residence	27 years	25 years
Marriage Place	Registry Office, Hikurangi
Folio	13/242
Consent
Date of Certificate	17 March 1913
Officiating Minister	The Registrar, Hikurangi

20 March 1913

John William Longman
Alice Elizabeth Rowley

John William Langman
Alice Elizabeth Rowley
💍 1913/1226

Bachelor
Divorced

Farmer
Domestic

47
30

Matapouri
Matapouri

18 years
3 months

Wesleyan Church, Hikurangi

13/686

20 March 1913

Rev. Gordon Laws, Hikurangi

No	7
Date of Notice	20 March 1913
	Groom	Bride
Names of Parties	John William Longman	Alice Elizabeth Rowley
BDM Match (98%)	John William Langman	Alice Elizabeth Rowley
	💍 1913/1226
Condition	Bachelor	Divorced
Profession	Farmer	Domestic
Age	47	30
Dwelling Place	Matapouri	Matapouri
Length of Residence	18 years	3 months
Marriage Place	Wesleyan Church, Hikurangi
Folio	13/686
Consent
Date of Certificate	20 March 1913
Officiating Minister	Rev. Gordon Laws, Hikurangi

25 March 1913

Septimus Ben Thorburn
Mary Jane Carter

Lepthomus Ben Thorburn
Mary Jane Carter
💍 1913/1248

Bachelor
Spinster

Labourer
Domestic

24
20

Whananaki
Whananaki

2 years
9 years

Mr. A. Carter's Residence, Whananaki

13/684

25 March 1913

Rev. W. H. Holloway, Hikurangi

No	8
Date of Notice	25 March 1913
	Groom	Bride
Names of Parties	Septimus Ben Thorburn	Mary Jane Carter
BDM Match (93%)	Lepthomus Ben Thorburn	Mary Jane Carter
	💍 1913/1248
Condition	Bachelor	Spinster
Profession	Labourer	Domestic
Age	24	20
Dwelling Place	Whananaki	Whananaki
Length of Residence	2 years	9 years
Marriage Place	Mr. A. Carter's Residence, Whananaki
Folio	13/684
Consent
Date of Certificate	25 March 1913
Officiating Minister	Rev. W. H. Holloway, Hikurangi

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).