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 355

District of Timaru Quarter ending 31 March 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

6 March 1913

William Thomas Gardyne
Adeline Annie Burrell

William Thomas Gardyne
Adeline Annie Burrell
💍 1913/2104

Bachelor
Spinster

Butcher
General Servant

22 years
21 years

Timaru
Timaru

3 years
18 years

St Mary's English Church, Timaru

13/1569

6 March 1913

Archdeacon Jacob, Church of England Clergyman

No	24
Date of Notice	6 March 1913
	Groom	Bride
Names of Parties	William Thomas Gardyne	Adeline Annie Burrell
	💍 1913/2104
Condition	Bachelor	Spinster
Profession	Butcher	General Servant
Age	22 years	21 years
Dwelling Place	Timaru	Timaru
Length of Residence	3 years	18 years
Marriage Place	St Mary's English Church, Timaru
Folio	13/1569
Consent
Date of Certificate	6 March 1913
Officiating Minister	Archdeacon Jacob, Church of England Clergyman

10 March 1913

Archibald Archer Sealy
Susan Florence Sealy

Archibald Archer
Susan Florence Sealy
💍 1913/2106

Bachelor
Spinster

Grazier
Household duties

32 years
32 years

Timaru
Timaru

3 days
6 months

St Mary's English Church, Timaru

13/1570

10 March 1913

Archdeacon Jacob, Church of England Clergyman

No	25
Date of Notice	10 March 1913
	Groom	Bride
Names of Parties	Archibald Archer Sealy	Susan Florence Sealy
BDM Match (86%)	Archibald Archer	Susan Florence Sealy
	💍 1913/2106
Condition	Bachelor	Spinster
Profession	Grazier	Household duties
Age	32 years	32 years
Dwelling Place	Timaru	Timaru
Length of Residence	3 days	6 months
Marriage Place	St Mary's English Church, Timaru
Folio	13/1570
Consent
Date of Certificate	10 March 1913
Officiating Minister	Archdeacon Jacob, Church of England Clergyman

10 March 1913

Andrew James Hedley
Agnes Paton Davie

Andrew James Hedley
Agnes Paton Davie
💍 1913/3910

Bachelor
Spinster

Farmer
Domestic duties

28 years
30 years

Seadown
Washdyke

28 years
30 years

Residence of R. Davie, Washdyke

13/3485

10 March 1913

Rev. A. Macaulay Caldwell, Presbyterian Minister

No	26
Date of Notice	10 March 1913
	Groom	Bride
Names of Parties	Andrew James Hedley	Agnes Paton Davie
	💍 1913/3910
Condition	Bachelor	Spinster
Profession	Farmer	Domestic duties
Age	28 years	30 years
Dwelling Place	Seadown	Washdyke
Length of Residence	28 years	30 years
Marriage Place	Residence of R. Davie, Washdyke
Folio	13/3485
Consent
Date of Certificate	10 March 1913
Officiating Minister	Rev. A. Macaulay Caldwell, Presbyterian Minister

10 March 1913

John Dempsey
Bertha Emma Cotterell

John Dempsey
Bertha Emma Catterill
💍 1913/2096

Bachelor
Spinster

Labourer
Domestic Servant

26 years
25 years

St Andrews
Timaru

12 months
12 months

Roman Catholic Church, Timaru

13/1561

10 March 1913

Rev. Father Smyth, Roman Catholic Priest

No	27
Date of Notice	10 March 1913
	Groom	Bride
Names of Parties	John Dempsey	Bertha Emma Cotterell
BDM Match (95%)	John Dempsey	Bertha Emma Catterill
	💍 1913/2096
Condition	Bachelor	Spinster
Profession	Labourer	Domestic Servant
Age	26 years	25 years
Dwelling Place	St Andrews	Timaru
Length of Residence	12 months	12 months
Marriage Place	Roman Catholic Church, Timaru
Folio	13/1561
Consent
Date of Certificate	10 March 1913
Officiating Minister	Rev. Father Smyth, Roman Catholic Priest

11 March 1913

Daniel McCulloch Black
Muriel Hope Greenfield

Daniel McCulloch Black
Muriel Hope Greenfield
💍 1913/2107

Bachelor
Spinster

Contractor
Household duties

29 years
18 years

Timaru
Timaru

11 months
10 years

St Mary's English Church, Timaru

13/1571

R. Greenfield, father

11 March 1913

Archdeacon Jacob, Church of England Clergyman

No	28
Date of Notice	11 March 1913
	Groom	Bride
Names of Parties	Daniel McCulloch Black	Muriel Hope Greenfield
	💍 1913/2107
Condition	Bachelor	Spinster
Profession	Contractor	Household duties
Age	29 years	18 years
Dwelling Place	Timaru	Timaru
Length of Residence	11 months	10 years
Marriage Place	St Mary's English Church, Timaru
Folio	13/1571
Consent	R. Greenfield, father
Date of Certificate	11 March 1913
Officiating Minister	Archdeacon Jacob, Church of England Clergyman

17 March 1913

Claude Glanville
Hannah Sophia Foster

Claude Glanvile
Hannah Sophia Foster
💍 1913/2116

Bachelor
Spinster

Clerk
Domestic duties

23 years
24 years

Timaru
Timaru

9 years
24 years

Congregational Church, Timaru

13/1557

17 March 1913

Rev. A. E. Hunt, Congregational Minister

No	29
Date of Notice	17 March 1913
	Groom	Bride
Names of Parties	Claude Glanville	Hannah Sophia Foster
BDM Match (97%)	Claude Glanvile	Hannah Sophia Foster
	💍 1913/2116
Condition	Bachelor	Spinster
Profession	Clerk	Domestic duties
Age	23 years	24 years
Dwelling Place	Timaru	Timaru
Length of Residence	9 years	24 years
Marriage Place	Congregational Church, Timaru
Folio	13/1557
Consent
Date of Certificate	17 March 1913
Officiating Minister	Rev. A. E. Hunt, Congregational Minister

17 March 1913

Jeremiah McKenna
Una Sarah McKay

Jeremiah McKenna
Una Sarah McKay
💍 1913/931

Bachelor
Spinster

Farm Labourer
Domestic Servant

23 years
18 years

Timaru
Timaru

3 days
4 months

Registrar's Office, Timaru

13/3388

Jemima McKay, mother

17 March 1913

Alex Montgomery, Registrar

No	30
Date of Notice	17 March 1913
	Groom	Bride
Names of Parties	Jeremiah McKenna	Una Sarah McKay
	💍 1913/931
Condition	Bachelor	Spinster
Profession	Farm Labourer	Domestic Servant
Age	23 years	18 years
Dwelling Place	Timaru	Timaru
Length of Residence	3 days	4 months
Marriage Place	Registrar's Office, Timaru
Folio	13/3388
Consent	Jemima McKay, mother
Date of Certificate	17 March 1913
Officiating Minister	Alex Montgomery, Registrar

17 March 1913

Andrew Robertson Hamilton Wallace
Margaret Berry

Andrew Robertson Hamilton Wallace
Margaret Berry
💍 1913/2094

Bachelor
Spinster

Shepherd
Domestic Servant

24 years
24 years

Timaru
Timaru

6 months
4 months

Residence of James Wallace, Marston St, Timaru

13/1537

17 March 1913

Rev. A. Allen, Wesleyan Minister

No	31
Date of Notice	17 March 1913
	Groom	Bride
Names of Parties	Andrew Robertson Hamilton Wallace	Margaret Berry
	💍 1913/2094
Condition	Bachelor	Spinster
Profession	Shepherd	Domestic Servant
Age	24 years	24 years
Dwelling Place	Timaru	Timaru
Length of Residence	6 months	4 months
Marriage Place	Residence of James Wallace, Marston St, Timaru
Folio	13/1537
Consent
Date of Certificate	17 March 1913
Officiating Minister	Rev. A. Allen, Wesleyan 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).