Intentions to Marry, 1914 Auckland, Taranaki

Reference: Registrar-General of Births, Deaths and Marriages, Notices of intention to marry, Series 8937, R2840454, Archives New Zealand Te Rua Mahara o te Kāwanatanga, Wellington

1914 is bound in three volumes - Auckland, Taranaki (1914a), Wellington, Hawke's Bay, Marlborough, Nelson, Westland (1914b), and Canterbury, Otago, Southland, Chatham Islands (1914c).

Page 369

District of Gisborne Quarter ending 31 March 1914 Registrar Henry Smart 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

4 February 1914

Hogan Ernest Wilson
Edith Mary Bennison

Logan Ernest Wilson
Edith Mary Bennison
💍 1914/13

Bachelor
Spinster

Stoker
Lady's Help

25
28

Ormond
Ormond

6 months
10 months

Private Residence of Mr. T. Brosnahan, Ormond

14/4560

see attached

4 February 1914

Rev. Reginald P. Quinn, Roman Catholic Minister, Ormond

No	29
Date of Notice	4 February 1914
	Groom	Bride
Names of Parties	Hogan Ernest Wilson	Edith Mary Bennison
BDM Match (97%)	Logan Ernest Wilson	Edith Mary Bennison
	💍 1914/13
Condition	Bachelor	Spinster
Profession	Stoker	Lady's Help
Age	25	28
Dwelling Place	Ormond	Ormond
Length of Residence	6 months	10 months
Marriage Place	Private Residence of Mr. T. Brosnahan, Ormond
Folio	14/4560
Consent	see attached
Date of Certificate	4 February 1914
Officiating Minister	Rev. Reginald P. Quinn, Roman Catholic Minister, Ormond

4 February 1914

Albert Scragg
Margaret Siverina Simonsen

Albert Scragg
Margaret Siverina Simonsen
💍 1914/7022

Bachelor
Spinster

Sheepfarmer
Domestic Duties

25
18

Gisborne
Gisborne

Life
2 years

The Office of the Registrar of Marriages, Gisborne

14/705

Isabella Simonsen (Mother)

4 February 1914

Registrar of Marriages, Gisborne

No	30
Date of Notice	4 February 1914
	Groom	Bride
Names of Parties	Albert Scragg	Margaret Siverina Simonsen
	💍 1914/7022
Condition	Bachelor	Spinster
Profession	Sheepfarmer	Domestic Duties
Age	25	18
Dwelling Place	Gisborne	Gisborne
Length of Residence	Life	2 years
Marriage Place	The Office of the Registrar of Marriages, Gisborne
Folio	14/705
Consent	Isabella Simonsen (Mother)
Date of Certificate	4 February 1914
Officiating Minister	Registrar of Marriages, Gisborne

11 February 1914

Robert John Ramonti
Annie Pamela Morris

Robert John Lamont
Annie Pamala Morris
💍 1914/7023

Bachelor
Widow

Butcher
Housekeeper

24
33

Gisborne
Gisborne

17 years
7 years

The Office of the Registrar of Marriages, Gisborne

14/706

11 February 1914

Registrar of Marriages, Gisborne

No	31
Date of Notice	11 February 1914
	Groom	Bride
Names of Parties	Robert John Ramonti	Annie Pamela Morris
BDM Match (92%)	Robert John Lamont	Annie Pamala Morris
	💍 1914/7023
Condition	Bachelor	Widow
Profession	Butcher	Housekeeper
Age	24	33
Dwelling Place	Gisborne	Gisborne
Length of Residence	17 years	7 years
Marriage Place	The Office of the Registrar of Marriages, Gisborne
Folio	14/706
Consent
Date of Certificate	11 February 1914
Officiating Minister	Registrar of Marriages, Gisborne

11 February 1914

William John Telford
Jane Maybin

William John Telford
Jane Maybin
💍 1914/7024

Bachelor
Spinster

Carpenter
Cook

31
28

Gisborne
Gisborne

1 year
1 year

The Office of the Registrar of Marriages, Gisborne

14/707

11 February 1914

Registrar of Marriages, Gisborne

No	32
Date of Notice	11 February 1914
	Groom	Bride
Names of Parties	William John Telford	Jane Maybin
	💍 1914/7024
Condition	Bachelor	Spinster
Profession	Carpenter	Cook
Age	31	28
Dwelling Place	Gisborne	Gisborne
Length of Residence	1 year	1 year
Marriage Place	The Office of the Registrar of Marriages, Gisborne
Folio	14/707
Consent
Date of Certificate	11 February 1914
Officiating Minister	Registrar of Marriages, Gisborne

13 February 1914

Rupert Valentine Pearce
Jessie Madeline Young

Rupert Valentine Pearce
Jessie Madoline Young
💍 1914/7098

Bachelor
Spinster

Chemist
Domestic Duties

24
24

Gisborne
Gisborne

2 1/2 years
3 years

St. Andrew's Presbyterian Church

14/806

13 February 1914

Rev. Henry Thos. Blair, Presbyterian Minister

No	33
Date of Notice	13 February 1914
	Groom	Bride
Names of Parties	Rupert Valentine Pearce	Jessie Madeline Young
BDM Match (98%)	Rupert Valentine Pearce	Jessie Madoline Young
	💍 1914/7098
Condition	Bachelor	Spinster
Profession	Chemist	Domestic Duties
Age	24	24
Dwelling Place	Gisborne	Gisborne
Length of Residence	2 1/2 years	3 years
Marriage Place	St. Andrew's Presbyterian Church
Folio	14/806
Consent
Date of Certificate	13 February 1914
Officiating Minister	Rev. Henry Thos. Blair, Presbyterian Minister

13 February 1914

James Fitzgerald
Nellie Spencer

James Fitzgerald
Nellie Heaney
💍 1914/7063

John Fitzgerald
Nellie Shanahan
💍 1914/549

Bachelor
Spinster

Blacksmith
Dressmaker

26
25

Gisborne
Gisborne

12 years
Life

St. Mary's Roman Catholic Church

14/795

13 February 1914

Rev. Thomas Kane, Roman Catholic Minister

No	34
Date of Notice	13 February 1914
	Groom	Bride
Names of Parties	James Fitzgerald	Nellie Spencer
BDM Match (82%)	James Fitzgerald	Nellie Heaney
	💍 1914/7063
BDM Match (68%)	John Fitzgerald	Nellie Shanahan
	💍 1914/549
Condition	Bachelor	Spinster
Profession	Blacksmith	Dressmaker
Age	26	25
Dwelling Place	Gisborne	Gisborne
Length of Residence	12 years	Life
Marriage Place	St. Mary's Roman Catholic Church
Folio	14/795
Consent
Date of Certificate	13 February 1914
Officiating Minister	Rev. Thomas Kane, Roman Catholic Minister

14 February 1914

Alfred Bessire
Koukab Shabil

Bachelor
Spinster

Pedlar
Domestic Duties

40
17

Gisborne
Gisborne

About 12 years
10 months

St. Mary's Roman Catholic Church

14/796

Joseph Shabil (Father)

14 February 1914

Rev. Thomas Kane, Roman Catholic Minister

No	35
Date of Notice	14 February 1914
	Groom	Bride
Names of Parties	Alfred Bessire	Koukab Shabil
Condition	Bachelor	Spinster
Profession	Pedlar	Domestic Duties
Age	40	17
Dwelling Place	Gisborne	Gisborne
Length of Residence	About 12 years	10 months
Marriage Place	St. Mary's Roman Catholic Church
Folio	14/796
Consent	Joseph Shabil (Father)
Date of Certificate	14 February 1914
Officiating Minister	Rev. Thomas Kane, Roman Catholic Minister

16 February 1914

Charles Victor Havre
Mildred Hoyde

Charles Victor Harre
Mildred Hyde
💍 1914/7091

Bachelor
Spinster

Draper
Domestic Duties

25
25

Gisborne
Gisborne

5 years
9 years

Holy Trinity Church

14/823

16 February 1914

Rev. Leslie Lawson, Church of England

No	36
Date of Notice	16 February 1914
	Groom	Bride
Names of Parties	Charles Victor Havre	Mildred Hoyde
BDM Match (94%)	Charles Victor Harre	Mildred Hyde
	💍 1914/7091
Condition	Bachelor	Spinster
Profession	Draper	Domestic Duties
Age	25	25
Dwelling Place	Gisborne	Gisborne
Length of Residence	5 years	9 years
Marriage Place	Holy Trinity Church
Folio	14/823
Consent
Date of Certificate	16 February 1914
Officiating Minister	Rev. Leslie Lawson, Church of England

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).