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 333

District of Gisborne Quarter ending 31 December 1913 Registrar J. Henry Ewart Hill

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

173

18 November 1913

Cyrus Tidswell
Rachel Dever

Cyrus Henry Tidswell
Rachel Dever
💍 1913/7306

Bachelor
Spinster

Sheepfarmer
Home Duties

22
21

Makaraka, Poverty Bay
Patutahi, Poverty Bay

Life
Life

Parents of The Brides residence, Patutahi

13/7093

18 November 1913

Rev. Henry H. Blair, Presbyterian Minister (Matawhero)

No	173
Date of Notice	18 November 1913
	Groom	Bride
Names of Parties	Cyrus Tidswell	Rachel Dever
BDM Match (85%)	Cyrus Henry Tidswell	Rachel Dever
	💍 1913/7306
Condition	Bachelor	Spinster
Profession	Sheepfarmer	Home Duties
Age	22	21
Dwelling Place	Makaraka, Poverty Bay	Patutahi, Poverty Bay
Length of Residence	Life	Life
Marriage Place	Parents of The Brides residence, Patutahi
Folio	13/7093
Consent
Date of Certificate	18 November 1913
Officiating Minister	Rev. Henry H. Blair, Presbyterian Minister (Matawhero)

174

25 November 1913

Alfred Wade
Sarah Parker

Alfred Wade
Sarah Parker
💍 1913/7781

Bachelor
Spinster

Manager, Freezing Coy
Domestic Duties

29
24

Gisborne
Gisborne

14 years
3 months

Holy Trinity Church

13/7571

25 November 1913

Rev. Leslie G. Thomas, Church of England

No	174
Date of Notice	25 November 1913
	Groom	Bride
Names of Parties	Alfred Wade	Sarah Parker
	💍 1913/7781
Condition	Bachelor	Spinster
Profession	Manager, Freezing Coy	Domestic Duties
Age	29	24
Dwelling Place	Gisborne	Gisborne
Length of Residence	14 years	3 months
Marriage Place	Holy Trinity Church
Folio	13/7571
Consent
Date of Certificate	25 November 1913
Officiating Minister	Rev. Leslie G. Thomas, Church of England

175

21 November 1913

Liki Martell
Margaret Kirk

Hiki Martell
Margaret Kirk
💍 1914/7005

Bachelor
Spinster

Fitter at Brewery
Housekeeper

22
23

Kaiti, Poverty Bay
Kaiti

12 months
18 months

The office of The Registrar of Marriages, Gisborne

712

21 November 1913

Note: This marriage has not yet been solemnised

No	175
Date of Notice	21 November 1913
	Groom	Bride
Names of Parties	Liki Martell	Margaret Kirk
BDM Match (96%)	Hiki Martell	Margaret Kirk
	💍 1914/7005
Condition	Bachelor	Spinster
Profession	Fitter at Brewery	Housekeeper
Age	22	23
Dwelling Place	Kaiti, Poverty Bay	Kaiti
Length of Residence	12 months	18 months
Marriage Place	The office of The Registrar of Marriages, Gisborne
Folio	712
Consent
Date of Certificate	21 November 1913
Officiating Minister	Note: This marriage has not yet been solemnised

176

26 November 1913

Alexander McDowell
Charlotte Milligan

Alexander McDowell
Charlotte Milligan
💍 1913/7313

Bachelor
Spinster

General Labourer
Domestic Servant

38
33

Gisborne, Poverty Bay
Gisborne

About 12 months
4 days

Presbyterian Church Manse, St. Andrew's, Gisborne

13/7077

26 November 1913

Rev. William Grant, Presbyterian Minister

No	176
Date of Notice	26 November 1913
	Groom	Bride
Names of Parties	Alexander McDowell	Charlotte Milligan
	💍 1913/7313
Condition	Bachelor	Spinster
Profession	General Labourer	Domestic Servant
Age	38	33
Dwelling Place	Gisborne, Poverty Bay	Gisborne
Length of Residence	About 12 months	4 days
Marriage Place	Presbyterian Church Manse, St. Andrew's, Gisborne
Folio	13/7077
Consent
Date of Certificate	26 November 1913
Officiating Minister	Rev. William Grant, Presbyterian Minister

177

29 November 1913

Edward John Gregory
Doreene Gladys Brassington

Edward John Gregory
Ivorene Gladys Bressington
💍 1913/6938

Bachelor
Spinster

Civil Servant
Waitress

21
22

Gisborne
Gisborne

15 months
17 months

The office of The Registrar of Marriages, Gisborne

13/6632

29 November 1913

Registrar of Marriages, Gisborne

No	177
Date of Notice	29 November 1913
	Groom	Bride
Names of Parties	Edward John Gregory	Doreene Gladys Brassington
BDM Match (92%)	Edward John Gregory	Ivorene Gladys Bressington
	💍 1913/6938
Condition	Bachelor	Spinster
Profession	Civil Servant	Waitress
Age	21	22
Dwelling Place	Gisborne	Gisborne
Length of Residence	15 months	17 months
Marriage Place	The office of The Registrar of Marriages, Gisborne
Folio	13/6632
Consent
Date of Certificate	29 November 1913
Officiating Minister	Registrar of Marriages, Gisborne

178

29 November 1913

Robert Ernest Shipp
Annie Elizabeth Quick

Robert Ernest Shipp
Annie Elizaeth Quick
💍 1913/6945

Bachelor
Spinster

Setter
Domestic Servant

24
15

Matawai, Poverty Bay
Matawai

4 years
1 year, 6 months

The office of The Registrar of Marriages, Gisborne

13/6633

William Henry Quick (Father)

29 November 1913

Registrar of Marriages, Gisborne

No	178
Date of Notice	29 November 1913
	Groom	Bride
Names of Parties	Robert Ernest Shipp	Annie Elizabeth Quick
BDM Match (98%)	Robert Ernest Shipp	Annie Elizaeth Quick
	💍 1913/6945
Condition	Bachelor	Spinster
Profession	Setter	Domestic Servant
Age	24	15
Dwelling Place	Matawai, Poverty Bay	Matawai
Length of Residence	4 years	1 year, 6 months
Marriage Place	The office of The Registrar of Marriages, Gisborne
Folio	13/6633
Consent	William Henry Quick (Father)
Date of Certificate	29 November 1913
Officiating Minister	Registrar of Marriages, Gisborne

179

2 December 1913

Robert Howard Robinson
Kate Simmons

Robert Henry Robinson
Kate Simmons
💍 1913/7761

Widower
Spinster

Storeman
Domestic Servant

32
29

Gisborne
Gisborne, Poverty Bay

About 6 years
About 10 months

Holy Trinity Church, Gisborne

13/7574

2 December 1913

Rev. Leslie G. Thomas, Church of England

No	179
Date of Notice	2 December 1913
	Groom	Bride
Names of Parties	Robert Howard Robinson	Kate Simmons
BDM Match (91%)	Robert Henry Robinson	Kate Simmons
	💍 1913/7761
Condition	Widower	Spinster
Profession	Storeman	Domestic Servant
Age	32	29
Dwelling Place	Gisborne	Gisborne, Poverty Bay
Length of Residence	About 6 years	About 10 months
Marriage Place	Holy Trinity Church, Gisborne
Folio	13/7574
Consent
Date of Certificate	2 December 1913
Officiating Minister	Rev. Leslie G. Thomas, Church of England

180

2 December 1913

Wolfram Gottingham
Sophia Johanson

Wolfran Cottingham
Sophia Johanson
💍 1913/7481

Bachelor
Spinster

French Polisher
Domestic Duties

28
21

Gisborne
Gisborne, Bright Street

5 years
8 years

Methodist Church, Bright Street, Gisborne

13/7069

2 December 1913

Rev. John A. Rochore, Methodist Minister

No	180
Date of Notice	2 December 1913
	Groom	Bride
Names of Parties	Wolfram Gottingham	Sophia Johanson
BDM Match (94%)	Wolfran Cottingham	Sophia Johanson
	💍 1913/7481
Condition	Bachelor	Spinster
Profession	French Polisher	Domestic Duties
Age	28	21
Dwelling Place	Gisborne	Gisborne, Bright Street
Length of Residence	5 years	8 years
Marriage Place	Methodist Church, Bright Street, Gisborne
Folio	13/7069
Consent
Date of Certificate	2 December 1913
Officiating Minister	Rev. John A. Rochore, 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).