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 366

District of Gisborne Quarter ending 31 March 1914 Registrar Henry Stuart 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

29 January 1914

Johnson Ralph
Florence Towers

Johnson Raby
Florence Towers Holt
💍 1914/7077

Bachelor
Spinster

Fish Dealer
Domestic Duties

29
27

Gisborne
Gisborne

3 years
9 years

Private residence of Mrs Barlow, 6 Ormond Road

810

29 January 1914

Rev John A. Rochore, Methodist Minister

No	22
Date of Notice	29 January 1914
	Groom	Bride
Names of Parties	Johnson Ralph	Florence Towers
BDM Match (76%)	Johnson Raby	Florence Towers Holt
	💍 1914/7077
Condition	Bachelor	Spinster
Profession	Fish Dealer	Domestic Duties
Age	29	27
Dwelling Place	Gisborne	Gisborne
Length of Residence	3 years	9 years
Marriage Place	Private residence of Mrs Barlow, 6 Ormond Road
Folio	810
Consent
Date of Certificate	29 January 1914
Officiating Minister	Rev John A. Rochore, Methodist Minister

30 January 1914

John Joseph Hauger
Mary Ellen Knight

John Joseph Langer
Mary Ellen McKnight
💍 1914/12

John Arthur Walker
Mary Ethel Wright
💍 1915/444

Widower
Widow

Sheepfarmer
Laundress

48
39

Rakauroa, Poverty Bay
Rakauroa, Poverty Bay

30 years
6 years

Roman Catholic Church

4559

30 January 1914

Rev Reginald R. Quinn, Roman Catholic Minister

No	23
Date of Notice	30 January 1914
	Groom	Bride
Names of Parties	John Joseph Hauger	Mary Ellen Knight
BDM Match (89%)	John Joseph Langer	Mary Ellen McKnight
	💍 1914/12
BDM Match (60%)	John Arthur Walker	Mary Ethel Wright
	💍 1915/444
Condition	Widower	Widow
Profession	Sheepfarmer	Laundress
Age	48	39
Dwelling Place	Rakauroa, Poverty Bay	Rakauroa, Poverty Bay
Length of Residence	30 years	6 years
Marriage Place	Roman Catholic Church
Folio	4559
Consent
Date of Certificate	30 January 1914
Officiating Minister	Rev Reginald R. Quinn, Roman Catholic Minister

2 February 1914

Oliver Thoday
Ellen Dolman

Oliver Thodey
Ellen Dolman
💍 1914/7082

Bachelor
Spinster

Bricklayer
Domestic Duties

23
26

Gisborne
Patutahi

3 years
Life

St George's English Church, Patutahi

815

2 February 1914

Rev Henry Thomas Rasyesley?, Church of England, Patutahi

No	24
Date of Notice	2 February 1914
	Groom	Bride
Names of Parties	Oliver Thoday	Ellen Dolman
BDM Match (96%)	Oliver Thodey	Ellen Dolman
	💍 1914/7082
Condition	Bachelor	Spinster
Profession	Bricklayer	Domestic Duties
Age	23	26
Dwelling Place	Gisborne	Patutahi
Length of Residence	3 years	Life
Marriage Place	St George's English Church, Patutahi
Folio	815
Consent
Date of Certificate	2 February 1914
Officiating Minister	Rev Henry Thomas Rasyesley?, Church of England, Patutahi

4 February 1914

Frederick William Owen
Edith May Owen

Frederick William Outen
Edith May Owen
💍 1914/7021

Bachelor
Spinster

Seaman
Domestic Servant

28
19

Gisborne
Gisborne

1 year
19 years

The office of the Registrar of Marriages

704

Susan Owen (mother)

4 February 1914

Registrar of Marriages, Gisborne

No	25
Date of Notice	4 February 1914
	Groom	Bride
Names of Parties	Frederick William Owen	Edith May Owen
BDM Match (96%)	Frederick William Outen	Edith May Owen
	💍 1914/7021
Condition	Bachelor	Spinster
Profession	Seaman	Domestic Servant
Age	28	19
Dwelling Place	Gisborne	Gisborne
Length of Residence	1 year	19 years
Marriage Place	The office of the Registrar of Marriages
Folio	704
Consent	Susan Owen (mother)
Date of Certificate	4 February 1914
Officiating Minister	Registrar of Marriages, Gisborne

6 February 1914

Gordon Henderson
Hilda File

Gordon Henderson
Hilda File
💍 1914/7090

Bachelor
Spinster

Carpenter
Dressmaker

28
25

Gisborne
Gisborne

2 years
2 years

Holy Trinity Church

822

6 February 1914

Rev Leslie Dawson Thomas, Church of England

No	26
Date of Notice	6 February 1914
	Groom	Bride
Names of Parties	Gordon Henderson	Hilda File
	💍 1914/7090
Condition	Bachelor	Spinster
Profession	Carpenter	Dressmaker
Age	28	25
Dwelling Place	Gisborne	Gisborne
Length of Residence	2 years	2 years
Marriage Place	Holy Trinity Church
Folio	822
Consent
Date of Certificate	6 February 1914
Officiating Minister	Rev Leslie Dawson Thomas, Church of England

9 February 1914

William Bougen
Rose Dawson

William Bougen
Rose Samson
💍 1914/6950

Bachelor
Spinster

Shepherd
Domestic Duties

31
16

Waikohu
Waikohu, Poverty Bay

5 years
5 years

Private residence of bride's parents, Waikohu, Poverty Bay

909

9 February 1914

Rev Geo William Watson, Church of England, Te Karaka

No	27
Date of Notice	9 February 1914
	Groom	Bride
Names of Parties	William Bougen	Rose Dawson
BDM Match (91%)	William Bougen	Rose Samson
	💍 1914/6950
Condition	Bachelor	Spinster
Profession	Shepherd	Domestic Duties
Age	31	16
Dwelling Place	Waikohu	Waikohu, Poverty Bay
Length of Residence	5 years	5 years
Marriage Place	Private residence of bride's parents, Waikohu, Poverty Bay
Folio	909
Consent
Date of Certificate	9 February 1914
Officiating Minister	Rev Geo William Watson, Church of England, Te Karaka

9 February 1914

John William James Knight
Jessie Eleanor Owen

John William James McKnight
Jessie Elenor Owen
💍 1914/7083

Bachelor
Spinster

Cabinetmaker
Domestic Duties

23
17

Gisborne
Gisborne, Poverty Bay

2 years
2 years

Private residence of the bride's parents, Materoa Street, Gisborne

816

John Michael Owen (father)

9 February 1914

Rev Thos. Keith Owen, Baptist Minister

No	28
Date of Notice	9 February 1914
	Groom	Bride
Names of Parties	John William James Knight	Jessie Eleanor Owen
BDM Match (94%)	John William James McKnight	Jessie Elenor Owen
	💍 1914/7083
Condition	Bachelor	Spinster
Profession	Cabinetmaker	Domestic Duties
Age	23	17
Dwelling Place	Gisborne	Gisborne, Poverty Bay
Length of Residence	2 years	2 years
Marriage Place	Private residence of the bride's parents, Materoa Street, Gisborne
Folio	816
Consent	John Michael Owen (father)
Date of Certificate	9 February 1914
Officiating Minister	Rev Thos. Keith Owen, Baptist 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).