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 647

District of Rotorua Quarter ending 30 June 1913 Registrar Charles Vernon Roberts

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

19 April 1913

Allan Everard Cave
Ellen May Buchanan

Allan Everard Cave
Ellen May Buchanan
💍 1913/3006

Bachelor
Spinster

Builder
Household duties

24
21

Rotorua
Rotorua

3 days
9 months

Presbyterian Church, Puknatna Street

13/2800

19 April 1913

Rev. Thomas Scott

No	9
Date of Notice	19 April 1913
	Groom	Bride
Names of Parties	Allan Everard Cave	Ellen May Buchanan
	💍 1913/3006
Condition	Bachelor	Spinster
Profession	Builder	Household duties
Age	24	21
Dwelling Place	Rotorua	Rotorua
Length of Residence	3 days	9 months
Marriage Place	Presbyterian Church, Puknatna Street
Folio	13/2800
Consent
Date of Certificate	19 April 1913
Officiating Minister	Rev. Thomas Scott

22 April 1913

Mark William Speet
Annie Dunbar

Mark William Speer
Annie Dunbar
💍 1913/3007

Divorced
Spinster

Driver
Domestic duties

50
36

Rotorua
Rotorua

about 3 years
4 years

Residence of Miss Edith Anderson in Eruera Street, Rotorua

13/2778

22 April 1913

Rev. Thomas Scott

No	10
Date of Notice	22 April 1913
	Groom	Bride
Names of Parties	Mark William Speet	Annie Dunbar
BDM Match (97%)	Mark William Speer	Annie Dunbar
	💍 1913/3007
Condition	Divorced	Spinster
Profession	Driver	Domestic duties
Age	50	36
Dwelling Place	Rotorua	Rotorua
Length of Residence	about 3 years	4 years
Marriage Place	Residence of Miss Edith Anderson in Eruera Street, Rotorua
Folio	13/2778
Consent
Date of Certificate	22 April 1913
Officiating Minister	Rev. Thomas Scott

29 April 1913

John Esilman Tod
Wikitorie Grace Butt

John Esihuan Tod
Wikitoria Grace Butt
💍 1913/4835

Bachelor
Spinster

Farmer
Domestic Duties

28
21

Rotorua
Ohinemutu

4 days
21 years

St Luke's Church, Haupapa Street, Rotorua

13/4412

29 April 1913

Rev. Archdeacon Charles Archibald Tisdall

No	11
Date of Notice	29 April 1913
	Groom	Bride
Names of Parties	John Esilman Tod	Wikitorie Grace Butt
BDM Match (91%)	John Esihuan Tod	Wikitoria Grace Butt
	💍 1913/4835
Condition	Bachelor	Spinster
Profession	Farmer	Domestic Duties
Age	28	21
Dwelling Place	Rotorua	Ohinemutu
Length of Residence	4 days	21 years
Marriage Place	St Luke's Church, Haupapa Street, Rotorua
Folio	13/4412
Consent
Date of Certificate	29 April 1913
Officiating Minister	Rev. Archdeacon Charles Archibald Tisdall

5 May 1913

James Boyd Purcell
Mary Glafield

James Boyd Purcell
Mary Oldfield
💍 1913/4836

Bachelor
Spinster

Telegraphist
Domestic Duties

27
23

Rotorua
Rotorua

5 days
12 years

St Luke's Church, Haupapa Street

13/4413

5 May 1913

Rev. Archdeacon David Ruddock

No	12
Date of Notice	5 May 1913
	Groom	Bride
Names of Parties	James Boyd Purcell	Mary Glafield
BDM Match (92%)	James Boyd Purcell	Mary Oldfield
	💍 1913/4836
Condition	Bachelor	Spinster
Profession	Telegraphist	Domestic Duties
Age	27	23
Dwelling Place	Rotorua	Rotorua
Length of Residence	5 days	12 years
Marriage Place	St Luke's Church, Haupapa Street
Folio	13/4413
Consent
Date of Certificate	5 May 1913
Officiating Minister	Rev. Archdeacon David Ruddock

6 May 1913

Richard Harcourt Aubrey
Hannah Gough

Richard Harcourt Aubrey
Hannah Gough
💍 1913/2694

Bachelor
Spinster

Farmer
Domestic Duties

42
33

Rotorua
Rotorua

3 days

at the Registry Office Courthouse

13/2414

6 May 1913

Charles Vernon Roberts (Registrar)

No	13
Date of Notice	6 May 1913
	Groom	Bride
Names of Parties	Richard Harcourt Aubrey	Hannah Gough
	💍 1913/2694
Condition	Bachelor	Spinster
Profession	Farmer	Domestic Duties
Age	42	33
Dwelling Place	Rotorua	Rotorua
Length of Residence	3 days
Marriage Place	at the Registry Office Courthouse
Folio	13/2414
Consent
Date of Certificate	6 May 1913
Officiating Minister	Charles Vernon Roberts (Registrar)

10 June 1913

Walter Edge
Mary Winifred Ann Campbell White

Walter Edge
Mary Winifred Ann Campbell White
💍 1913/3034

Bachelor
Spinster

Saddler
Waitress

26
18

Rotorua
Rotorua

4½ years
14 years

St John's Presbyterian Church in Pukehina Street

13/2805

John White, father; Andrew Campbell, real father

10 June 1913

Rev. Thomas Scott

No	14
Date of Notice	10 June 1913
	Groom	Bride
Names of Parties	Walter Edge	Mary Winifred Ann Campbell White
	💍 1913/3034
Condition	Bachelor	Spinster
Profession	Saddler	Waitress
Age	26	18
Dwelling Place	Rotorua	Rotorua
Length of Residence	4½ years	14 years
Marriage Place	St John's Presbyterian Church in Pukehina Street
Folio	13/2805
Consent	John White, father; Andrew Campbell, real father
Date of Certificate	10 June 1913
Officiating Minister	Rev. Thomas Scott

18 June 1913

Hubert John Hall
Ereni Paora Hiki

Hubert John Hall
Ereni Paora Hiki
💍 1913/3244

Bachelor
Spinster

Secretary
Domestic Duties

35
17

Oruanui
Oruanui

3 days

Roman Catholic Church at Whakarewarewa

13/2867

Hiki, father

18 June 1913

Rev. Dean A. Lightheart

No	15
Date of Notice	18 June 1913
	Groom	Bride
Names of Parties	Hubert John Hall	Ereni Paora Hiki
	💍 1913/3244
Condition	Bachelor	Spinster
Profession	Secretary	Domestic Duties
Age	35	17
Dwelling Place	Oruanui	Oruanui
Length of Residence	3 days
Marriage Place	Roman Catholic Church at Whakarewarewa
Folio	13/2867
Consent	Hiki, father
Date of Certificate	18 June 1913
Officiating Minister	Rev. Dean A. Lightheart

25 June 1913

Arthur Webster
Sarah Jane Jones

Arthur Webster
Sarah Jane Jones
💍 1913/3245

Bachelor
Spinster

Farmer
Domestic duties

37
21

Tauranga
Tauranga

3 days
2 weeks

St Luke's Church, Haupapa Street

13/2868

25 June 1913

Rev. J. A. Meyer

No	16
Date of Notice	25 June 1913
	Groom	Bride
Names of Parties	Arthur Webster	Sarah Jane Jones
	💍 1913/3245
Condition	Bachelor	Spinster
Profession	Farmer	Domestic duties
Age	37	21
Dwelling Place	Tauranga	Tauranga
Length of Residence	3 days	2 weeks
Marriage Place	St Luke's Church, Haupapa Street
Folio	13/2868
Consent
Date of Certificate	25 June 1913
Officiating Minister	Rev. J. A. Meyer

28 June 1913

Renata Makiha
Piaterihi Mohi Wikitahi

Renata Makiha
Riaterihi Mohi Wikitahi
💍 1913/2695

Bachelor
Widow

Ganger
Guide

32
38

Whakarewarewa
Whakarewarewa

10 years
3 years

at the Registry Office Courthouse, Rotorua

13/2415

28 June 1913

Charles Vernon Roberts

No	17
Date of Notice	28 June 1913
	Groom	Bride
Names of Parties	Renata Makiha	Piaterihi Mohi Wikitahi
BDM Match (98%)	Renata Makiha	Riaterihi Mohi Wikitahi
	💍 1913/2695
Condition	Bachelor	Widow
Profession	Ganger	Guide
Age	32	38
Dwelling Place	Whakarewarewa	Whakarewarewa
Length of Residence	10 years	3 years
Marriage Place	at the Registry Office Courthouse, Rotorua
Folio	13/2415
Consent
Date of Certificate	28 June 1913
Officiating Minister	Charles Vernon Roberts

28 June 1913

Walter Ernest Watson
Lucy Woodcock

Walter Ernest Watson
Lucy Woodcock
💍 1913/3246

Bachelor
Spinster

Cook
Waitress

30
35

Rotorua
Rotorua

7 months

St Michael's Roman Catholic Church, Ohinemutu

13/2869

28 June 1913

Rev. Dean A. Lightheart

No	18
Date of Notice	28 June 1913
	Groom	Bride
Names of Parties	Walter Ernest Watson	Lucy Woodcock
	💍 1913/3246
Condition	Bachelor	Spinster
Profession	Cook	Waitress
Age	30	35
Dwelling Place	Rotorua	Rotorua
Length of Residence	7 months
Marriage Place	St Michael's Roman Catholic Church, Ohinemutu
Folio	13/2869
Consent
Date of Certificate	28 June 1913
Officiating Minister	Rev. Dean A. Lightheart

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).