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 045

District of Napier Quarter ending 31 March 1913 Registrar William Buchanan

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

14 March 1913

John Thompson
Annie Genevieve Bain

John Thompson
Annie Genevieve Bain
💍 1913/1367

Bachelor
Spinster

Butcher
Cook

29
26

Napier
Port Ahuriri

9 months
26 years

St. Patrick's Church Napier

13/878

14 March 1913

Rev. Father O'Connor

No	30
Date of Notice	14 March 1913
	Groom	Bride
Names of Parties	John Thompson	Annie Genevieve Bain
	💍 1913/1367
Condition	Bachelor	Spinster
Profession	Butcher	Cook
Age	29	26
Dwelling Place	Napier	Port Ahuriri
Length of Residence	9 months	26 years
Marriage Place	St. Patrick's Church Napier
Folio	13/878
Consent
Date of Certificate	14 March 1913
Officiating Minister	Rev. Father O'Connor

15 March 1913

Walter Joseph Sturmey
Ethel Maud Addison

Walter Joseph Sturmey
Ethel Maud Addison
💍 1913/1359

Bachelor
Spinster

Monumental Mason
Cook

22
22

Napier
Port Ahuriri

12 months
5 years

Presbyterian Church Port Ahuriri

13/862

15 March 1913

Rev. Thos. Tait

No	31
Date of Notice	15 March 1913
	Groom	Bride
Names of Parties	Walter Joseph Sturmey	Ethel Maud Addison
	💍 1913/1359
Condition	Bachelor	Spinster
Profession	Monumental Mason	Cook
Age	22	22
Dwelling Place	Napier	Port Ahuriri
Length of Residence	12 months	5 years
Marriage Place	Presbyterian Church Port Ahuriri
Folio	13/862
Consent
Date of Certificate	15 March 1913
Officiating Minister	Rev. Thos. Tait

18 March 1913

Ernest Alfred Sutton
Edith Mary Tarrant

Ernest Alfred Sutton
Edith Mary Tarrant
💍 1913/2401

Bachelor
Spinster

Shop Assistant
Domestic Duties

22
26

Napier
Ioanui Ohakune

5 years
2 years

House of F. W. Tarrant, Ohakune

13/868

18 March 1913

F. B. Lawrence

No	32
Date of Notice	18 March 1913
	Groom	Bride
Names of Parties	Ernest Alfred Sutton	Edith Mary Tarrant
	💍 1913/2401
Condition	Bachelor	Spinster
Profession	Shop Assistant	Domestic Duties
Age	22	26
Dwelling Place	Napier	Ioanui Ohakune
Length of Residence	5 years	2 years
Marriage Place	House of F. W. Tarrant, Ohakune
Folio	13/868
Consent
Date of Certificate	18 March 1913
Officiating Minister	F. B. Lawrence

18 March 1913

Arthur Burrow
Ada Emily Smyrk

Arthur Burrow
Ada Emily Smyrk
💍 1913/1366

Bachelor
Spinster

Engine Driver
Dressmaker

24
26

Napier
Napier

15 months
14 years

Congregational Church Napier

13/877

18 March 1913

Rev. Alfred Hodge

No	33
Date of Notice	18 March 1913
	Groom	Bride
Names of Parties	Arthur Burrow	Ada Emily Smyrk
	💍 1913/1366
Condition	Bachelor	Spinster
Profession	Engine Driver	Dressmaker
Age	24	26
Dwelling Place	Napier	Napier
Length of Residence	15 months	14 years
Marriage Place	Congregational Church Napier
Folio	13/877
Consent
Date of Certificate	18 March 1913
Officiating Minister	Rev. Alfred Hodge

20 March 1913

John Gilman Sharp Dunn
Louisa Lewis Gebson

John Gilman Sharp Dunn
Louisa Lewis Gibson
💍 1913/2348

Bachelor
Spinster

Solicitor
Typist

25
23

Napier
Christchurch

5 1/2 years
7 years

Presbyterian Church Christchurch

13/1915

20 March 1913

Rev. John Mackenzie

No	34
Date of Notice	20 March 1913
	Groom	Bride
Names of Parties	John Gilman Sharp Dunn	Louisa Lewis Gebson
BDM Match (97%)	John Gilman Sharp Dunn	Louisa Lewis Gibson
	💍 1913/2348
Condition	Bachelor	Spinster
Profession	Solicitor	Typist
Age	25	23
Dwelling Place	Napier	Christchurch
Length of Residence	5 1/2 years	7 years
Marriage Place	Presbyterian Church Christchurch
Folio	13/1915
Consent
Date of Certificate	20 March 1913
Officiating Minister	Rev. John Mackenzie

20 March 1913

William Jackson Bradshaw
Ella Johanna Grimwood

William Jackson Bradshaw
Ella Johnanna Grimwood
💍 1913/4789

Bachelor
Spinster

Telegraphist
Dressmaker

24
25

Napier
Petone

23 years
1 year 4 months

House of J. Grimwood, Petone

13/4391

20 March 1913

Rev. Thompson

No	35
Date of Notice	20 March 1913
	Groom	Bride
Names of Parties	William Jackson Bradshaw	Ella Johanna Grimwood
BDM Match (98%)	William Jackson Bradshaw	Ella Johnanna Grimwood
	💍 1913/4789
Condition	Bachelor	Spinster
Profession	Telegraphist	Dressmaker
Age	24	25
Dwelling Place	Napier	Petone
Length of Residence	23 years	1 year 4 months
Marriage Place	House of J. Grimwood, Petone
Folio	13/4391
Consent
Date of Certificate	20 March 1913
Officiating Minister	Rev. Thompson

20 March 1913

Henry George William Hunt
Martha Beatrice Fitzgibbons

Henry George William Hunt
Martha Beatrice Fitzgibbons
💍 1913/1370

Bachelor
Spinster

Labourer
Housemaid

28
22

Napier
Port Ahuriri

16 months
9 years

House of Rev. I. Tait, Napier

13/863

20 March 1913

Rev. Thos. Tait

No	36
Date of Notice	20 March 1913
	Groom	Bride
Names of Parties	Henry George William Hunt	Martha Beatrice Fitzgibbons
	💍 1913/1370
Condition	Bachelor	Spinster
Profession	Labourer	Housemaid
Age	28	22
Dwelling Place	Napier	Port Ahuriri
Length of Residence	16 months	9 years
Marriage Place	House of Rev. I. Tait, Napier
Folio	13/863
Consent
Date of Certificate	20 March 1913
Officiating Minister	Rev. Thos. Tait

25 March 1913

Launcelot Noel Glasson
Florence Clara Annette Redstone

Launcelot Noel Glasson
Florence Clara Annette Redstone
💍 1913/867

Bachelor
Spinster

Bank Clerk
Newspaper Correspondent

24
26

Napier
Gisborne

20 months
19 years

Office of Registrar of Marriages, Napier

13/298

25 March 1913

W. Buchanan, Registrar

No	37
Date of Notice	25 March 1913
	Groom	Bride
Names of Parties	Launcelot Noel Glasson	Florence Clara Annette Redstone
	💍 1913/867
Condition	Bachelor	Spinster
Profession	Bank Clerk	Newspaper Correspondent
Age	24	26
Dwelling Place	Napier	Gisborne
Length of Residence	20 months	19 years
Marriage Place	Office of Registrar of Marriages, Napier
Folio	13/298
Consent
Date of Certificate	25 March 1913
Officiating Minister	W. Buchanan, Registrar

27 March 1913

Samuel Browne Caskey
Elizabeth Stenhouse Whyte

Samuel Browne Caskey
Elizabeth Stenhouse Whyte
💍 1913/868

Bachelor
Spinster

Labourer
Domestic

34
28

Napier
Napier

2 years
12 months

Office of Registrar of Marriages, Napier

13/299

27 March 1913

W. Buchanan, Registrar

No	38
Date of Notice	27 March 1913
	Groom	Bride
Names of Parties	Samuel Browne Caskey	Elizabeth Stenhouse Whyte
	💍 1913/868
Condition	Bachelor	Spinster
Profession	Labourer	Domestic
Age	34	28
Dwelling Place	Napier	Napier
Length of Residence	2 years	12 months
Marriage Place	Office of Registrar of Marriages, Napier
Folio	13/299
Consent
Date of Certificate	27 March 1913
Officiating Minister	W. Buchanan, Registrar

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).