Intentions to Marry, 1913 Hawke's Bay, Wellington, Marlborough, Nelson, Westland

Reference: Registrar-General of Births, Deaths and Marriages, Notices of intention to marry, Series 8937, R2840452, 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 025

District of Hastings Quarter ending 31 March 1913 Registrar Robert Brathwaite

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

13 January 1913

Archibald Wells
Barbara Bell

Archibald Wells
Barbara Bell
💍 1913/4717

Bachelor
Spinster

Labourer
Domestic

25
23

Havelock N.
Havelock N.

3 weeks
7 months

Presbyterian Church, Havelock North

13/4344

13 January 1913

Rev. Robert Waugh

No	1
Date of Notice	13 January 1913
	Groom	Bride
Names of Parties	Archibald Wells	Barbara Bell
	💍 1913/4717
Condition	Bachelor	Spinster
Profession	Labourer	Domestic
Age	25	23
Dwelling Place	Havelock N.	Havelock N.
Length of Residence	3 weeks	7 months
Marriage Place	Presbyterian Church, Havelock North
Folio	13/4344
Consent
Date of Certificate	13 January 1913
Officiating Minister	Rev. Robert Waugh

25 January 1913

William Hamilton Maitland
Kathleen Agnes Brathwaite

William Hamilton Maitland
Kathleen Agnes Brathwaite
💍 1913/379

Bachelor
Spinster

Secretary and Accountant
Domestic Duties

33
24

Hastings
Hastings

3 months
24 years

St. Matthews, Hastings

13/847

25 January 1913

Rev. J. B. Brocklehurst

No	2
Date of Notice	25 January 1913
	Groom	Bride
Names of Parties	William Hamilton Maitland	Kathleen Agnes Brathwaite
	💍 1913/379
Condition	Bachelor	Spinster
Profession	Secretary and Accountant	Domestic Duties
Age	33	24
Dwelling Place	Hastings	Hastings
Length of Residence	3 months	24 years
Marriage Place	St. Matthews, Hastings
Folio	13/847
Consent
Date of Certificate	25 January 1913
Officiating Minister	Rev. J. B. Brocklehurst

29 January 1913

Thomas Leslie Shone
Frances Bell Poppelwell

Thomas Leslie Shone
Frances Bell Poppelwell
💍 1913/385

Bachelor
Spinster

Salesman
Household Duties

23
22

Hastings
Hastings

3 months
20 years

Sacred Heart Church

13/853

29 January 1913

Rev. Father Keogh

No	3
Date of Notice	29 January 1913
	Groom	Bride
Names of Parties	Thomas Leslie Shone	Frances Bell Poppelwell
	💍 1913/385
Condition	Bachelor	Spinster
Profession	Salesman	Household Duties
Age	23	22
Dwelling Place	Hastings	Hastings
Length of Residence	3 months	20 years
Marriage Place	Sacred Heart Church
Folio	13/853
Consent
Date of Certificate	29 January 1913
Officiating Minister	Rev. Father Keogh

29 January 1913

Douglas Barrington Kent
Flora Elya Hairn

Douglas Barrington Kent
Flora Eliza Nairn
💍 1913/380

Bachelor
Spinster

Solicitor
Nurse

34
42

Hastings
Hastings

6 months
4 years

St. Matthews, Hastings

13/84

29 January 1913

Rev. J. B. Brocklehurst

No	4
Date of Notice	29 January 1913
	Groom	Bride
Names of Parties	Douglas Barrington Kent	Flora Elya Hairn
BDM Match (91%)	Douglas Barrington Kent	Flora Eliza Nairn
	💍 1913/380
Condition	Bachelor	Spinster
Profession	Solicitor	Nurse
Age	34	42
Dwelling Place	Hastings	Hastings
Length of Residence	6 months	4 years
Marriage Place	St. Matthews, Hastings
Folio	13/84
Consent
Date of Certificate	29 January 1913
Officiating Minister	Rev. J. B. Brocklehurst

29 January 1913

Francis O'Connell
Selina Winton McCain

Francis O'Connell
Selina Winton McKain
💍 1913/399

Bachelor
Spinster

Carter
Domestic Duties

24
18

Hastings
Hastings

13 months
9 years

At the House of Henry Joseph McCain

13/84

Henry Joseph McCain, Father

29 January 1913

Rev. P. Ramsay

No	5
Date of Notice	29 January 1913
	Groom	Bride
Names of Parties	Francis O'Connell	Selina Winton McCain
BDM Match (98%)	Francis O'Connell	Selina Winton McKain
	💍 1913/399
Condition	Bachelor	Spinster
Profession	Carter	Domestic Duties
Age	24	18
Dwelling Place	Hastings	Hastings
Length of Residence	13 months	9 years
Marriage Place	At the House of Henry Joseph McCain
Folio	13/84
Consent	Henry Joseph McCain, Father
Date of Certificate	29 January 1913
Officiating Minister	Rev. P. Ramsay

3 February 1913

George Richard Butcher
Olive Ellen Somerville

George Richard Butcher
Olive Ellen Somerville
💍 1913/4719

Bachelor
Spinster

Labourer
Domestic

31
24

Havelock N.
Havelock N.

4 years
27 years

Presbyterian Church, Havelock

13/4345

3 February 1913

Rev. Robert Waugh

No	6
Date of Notice	3 February 1913
	Groom	Bride
Names of Parties	George Richard Butcher	Olive Ellen Somerville
	💍 1913/4719
Condition	Bachelor	Spinster
Profession	Labourer	Domestic
Age	31	24
Dwelling Place	Havelock N.	Havelock N.
Length of Residence	4 years	27 years
Marriage Place	Presbyterian Church, Havelock
Folio	13/4345
Consent
Date of Certificate	3 February 1913
Officiating Minister	Rev. Robert Waugh

4 February 1913

Thomas McArthur
Elsie Lawrence

Thomas McArthur
Elsie Lawrence
💍 1913/8800

Bachelor
Spinster

Storeman
Domestic

33
23

Hastings
Hastings

3 years
8 years

Presbyterian Church, Hastings

13/843

4 February 1913

Rev. P. Ramsay

No	7
Date of Notice	4 February 1913
	Groom	Bride
Names of Parties	Thomas McArthur	Elsie Lawrence
	💍 1913/8800
Condition	Bachelor	Spinster
Profession	Storeman	Domestic
Age	33	23
Dwelling Place	Hastings	Hastings
Length of Residence	3 years	8 years
Marriage Place	Presbyterian Church, Hastings
Folio	13/843
Consent
Date of Certificate	4 February 1913
Officiating Minister	Rev. P. Ramsay

8 February 1913

Joseph William Bates
Elapwell Tofar Hutton Woodie

Joseph William Bates
Maxwell Forfar Hutton Moodie
💍 1913/2572

Widower
Spinster

Pharmacist
Domestic Duties

39
36

Hastings
Dunedin

11 years
36 years

Mr. George Hutton Woodie's House, Royal Terrace, Dunedin

13/2117

8 February 1913

Rev. W. G. Diyon

No	8
Date of Notice	8 February 1913
	Groom	Bride
Names of Parties	Joseph William Bates	Elapwell Tofar Hutton Woodie
BDM Match (89%)	Joseph William Bates	Maxwell Forfar Hutton Moodie
	💍 1913/2572
Condition	Widower	Spinster
Profession	Pharmacist	Domestic Duties
Age	39	36
Dwelling Place	Hastings	Dunedin
Length of Residence	11 years	36 years
Marriage Place	Mr. George Hutton Woodie's House, Royal Terrace, Dunedin
Folio	13/2117
Consent
Date of Certificate	8 February 1913
Officiating Minister	Rev. W. G. Diyon

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).