Intentions to Marry, 1913 Canterbury, Otago, Southland, Chatham Islands

Reference: Registrar-General of Births, Deaths and Marriages, Notices of intention to marry, Series 8937, R2840453, 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 362

District of Timaru Quarter ending 30 June 1913 Registrar Alexander Montgomery

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

23 May 1913

William Allan Mann
Ada Harriet Moller

William Allan Mann
Uta Hariet Moller
💍 1913/2954

Bachelor
Spinster

Engraver
Milliner

29
30

Timaru
Timaru

15 months
3 days

Registrar's Office Timaru

13/2498

23 May 1913

Alex. Montgomery, Registrar

No	66
Date of Notice	23 May 1913
	Groom	Bride
Names of Parties	William Allan Mann	Ada Harriet Moller
BDM Match (92%)	William Allan Mann	Uta Hariet Moller
	💍 1913/2954
Condition	Bachelor	Spinster
Profession	Engraver	Milliner
Age	29	30
Dwelling Place	Timaru	Timaru
Length of Residence	15 months	3 days
Marriage Place	Registrar's Office Timaru
Folio	13/2498
Consent
Date of Certificate	23 May 1913
Officiating Minister	Alex. Montgomery, Registrar

23 May 1913

Johnston Montgomery
Bertha Hall

Johnston Montgomery
Bertha Hall
💍 1913/3943

Bachelor
Spinster

Farmer
Domestic Servant

67
45

Esk Valley
Esk Valley

3 weeks
3 weeks

Dwellinghouse of Bridegroom, Esk Valley

13/3518

23 May 1913

Rev. L. C. Brady, Church of England Clergyman

No	67
Date of Notice	23 May 1913
	Groom	Bride
Names of Parties	Johnston Montgomery	Bertha Hall
	💍 1913/3943
Condition	Bachelor	Spinster
Profession	Farmer	Domestic Servant
Age	67	45
Dwelling Place	Esk Valley	Esk Valley
Length of Residence	3 weeks	3 weeks
Marriage Place	Dwellinghouse of Bridegroom, Esk Valley
Folio	13/3518
Consent
Date of Certificate	23 May 1913
Officiating Minister	Rev. L. C. Brady, Church of England Clergyman

2 June 1913

Strickland Clough
Christina Kerr

Strickland Clough
Christina Kerr
💍 1913/2675

Bachelor
Divorced

Vulcaniser
Nurse

42
45

Timaru
Christchurch

6 weeks
1 year

Registrar's Office Christchurch

13/2302

2 June 1913

Registrar Christchurch

No	68
Date of Notice	2 June 1913
	Groom	Bride
Names of Parties	Strickland Clough	Christina Kerr
	💍 1913/2675
Condition	Bachelor	Divorced
Profession	Vulcaniser	Nurse
Age	42	45
Dwelling Place	Timaru	Christchurch
Length of Residence	6 weeks	1 year
Marriage Place	Registrar's Office Christchurch
Folio	13/2302
Consent
Date of Certificate	2 June 1913
Officiating Minister	Registrar Christchurch

3 June 1913

Arthur Christian Bull
Agnes McArthur

Arthur Christian Brill
Agnes McArthur
💍 1913/3920

Bachelor
Spinster

Wood Carver
Domestic duties

56
46

Timaru
Timaru

3 days
56 years

Dwellinghouse of D. McArthur, 75 Hassell St., Timaru

13/3477

3 June 1913

Rev. L. Stinson, Presbyterian Minister

No	69
Date of Notice	3 June 1913
	Groom	Bride
Names of Parties	Arthur Christian Bull	Agnes McArthur
BDM Match (95%)	Arthur Christian Brill	Agnes McArthur
	💍 1913/3920
Condition	Bachelor	Spinster
Profession	Wood Carver	Domestic duties
Age	56	46
Dwelling Place	Timaru	Timaru
Length of Residence	3 days	56 years
Marriage Place	Dwellinghouse of D. McArthur, 75 Hassell St., Timaru
Folio	13/3477
Consent
Date of Certificate	3 June 1913
Officiating Minister	Rev. L. Stinson, Presbyterian Minister

4 June 1913

Edward Heath
Edith Emma Coddow

Edward Heath
Edith Emma Raddon
💍 1913/2955

Widower
Spinster

Insurance Agent
Photographer

40
33

Timaru
Timaru

8 months
1 year

Registrar's Office Timaru

13/2499

4 June 1913

Alex. Montgomery, Timaru Registrar

No	70
Date of Notice	4 June 1913
	Groom	Bride
Names of Parties	Edward Heath	Edith Emma Coddow
BDM Match (91%)	Edward Heath	Edith Emma Raddon
	💍 1913/2955
Condition	Widower	Spinster
Profession	Insurance Agent	Photographer
Age	40	33
Dwelling Place	Timaru	Timaru
Length of Residence	8 months	1 year
Marriage Place	Registrar's Office Timaru
Folio	13/2499
Consent
Date of Certificate	4 June 1913
Officiating Minister	Alex. Montgomery, Timaru Registrar

4 June 1913

George Smith
Louisa Butler

George Smith
Louisa Butler
💍 1913/3961

Widower
Spinster

Gentleman
Domestic duties

56
36

Timaru
Timaru

3 days
3 days

Manse of Rev. A. Macaulay Caldwell, Timaru

13/3536

4 June 1913

Rev. A. Macaulay Caldwell, Presbyterian Minister

No	71
Date of Notice	4 June 1913
	Groom	Bride
Names of Parties	George Smith	Louisa Butler
	💍 1913/3961
Condition	Widower	Spinster
Profession	Gentleman	Domestic duties
Age	56	36
Dwelling Place	Timaru	Timaru
Length of Residence	3 days	3 days
Marriage Place	Manse of Rev. A. Macaulay Caldwell, Timaru
Folio	13/3536
Consent
Date of Certificate	4 June 1913
Officiating Minister	Rev. A. Macaulay Caldwell, Presbyterian Minister

4 June 1913

John Joseph Rennie
Betty Benson Smith

John Joseph Rennie
Betty Benson Smith
💍 1913/3999

Bachelor
Spinster

Dairyman
Shop Assistant

29
20

Timaru
Timaru

4 years
2 years

Roman Catholic Church, Timaru

13/3473

4 June 1913

Dean Tubman, Roman Catholic Priest

No	72
Date of Notice	4 June 1913
	Groom	Bride
Names of Parties	John Joseph Rennie	Betty Benson Smith
	💍 1913/3999
Condition	Bachelor	Spinster
Profession	Dairyman	Shop Assistant
Age	29	20
Dwelling Place	Timaru	Timaru
Length of Residence	4 years	2 years
Marriage Place	Roman Catholic Church, Timaru
Folio	13/3473
Consent
Date of Certificate	4 June 1913
Officiating Minister	Dean Tubman, Roman Catholic Priest

10 June 1913

Philip Henry Looney
Jennet Pettigrew Baker, usually known as Ruddle

Philip Henry Gosney
Jennet Pethgrew Ruddle
💍 1913/3940

Bachelor
Spinster

Labourer
Mill Hand

26
19

Timaru
Timaru

10 years
19 years

Dwellinghouse of Mrs. Ruddle, Elizabeth St., Timaru

13/3515

Jennet Baker (Mother)

10 June 1913

Rev. J. Featherston, Methodist Minister

No	73
Date of Notice	10 June 1913
	Groom	Bride
Names of Parties	Philip Henry Looney	Jennet Pettigrew Baker, usually known as Ruddle
BDM Match (67%)	Philip Henry Gosney	Jennet Pethgrew Ruddle
	💍 1913/3940
Condition	Bachelor	Spinster
Profession	Labourer	Mill Hand
Age	26	19
Dwelling Place	Timaru	Timaru
Length of Residence	10 years	19 years
Marriage Place	Dwellinghouse of Mrs. Ruddle, Elizabeth St., Timaru
Folio	13/3515
Consent	Jennet Baker (Mother)
Date of Certificate	10 June 1913
Officiating Minister	Rev. J. Featherston, 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).