Intentions to Marry, 1914 Wellington, Hawkes Bay, Marlborough, Nelson, Westland

Reference: Registrar-General of Births, Deaths and Marriages, Notices of intention to marry, Series 8937, R2840455, 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 1337

District of Masterton Quarter ending 30 June 1914 Registrar William Miller Easthope

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

3 April 1914

William Kemble Welch
Ruby Mary Alberta McLachlan

William Kemble Welch
Ruby Mary Alberta McLachlan
💍 1914/8760

Bachelor
Spinster

Dentist
Nurse

24
26

Masterton
Masterton

4 years
26 years

St Matthews Church Masterton

2556

3 April 1914

Rev H. Watson, Anglican

No	15
Date of Notice	3 April 1914
	Groom	Bride
Names of Parties	William Kemble Welch	Ruby Mary Alberta McLachlan
	💍 1914/8760
Condition	Bachelor	Spinster
Profession	Dentist	Nurse
Age	24	26
Dwelling Place	Masterton	Masterton
Length of Residence	4 years	26 years
Marriage Place	St Matthews Church Masterton
Folio	2556
Consent
Date of Certificate	3 April 1914
Officiating Minister	Rev H. Watson, Anglican

4 April 1914

William Grace
Minnie Watting

William Grace
Minnie Watling
💍 1914/6441

Bachelor
Spinster

Storeman
Domestic duties

36
33

Masterton
Masterton

3 years
2 years

The Wesleyan Church Masterton

3353

4 April 1914

Rev S. J. Serpell, Wesleyan

No	16
Date of Notice	4 April 1914
	Groom	Bride
Names of Parties	William Grace	Minnie Watting
BDM Match (96%)	William Grace	Minnie Watling
	💍 1914/6441
Condition	Bachelor	Spinster
Profession	Storeman	Domestic duties
Age	36	33
Dwelling Place	Masterton	Masterton
Length of Residence	3 years	2 years
Marriage Place	The Wesleyan Church Masterton
Folio	3353
Consent
Date of Certificate	4 April 1914
Officiating Minister	Rev S. J. Serpell, Wesleyan

7 April 1914

Frederick John Bealing
Elizabeth Saunders Joy

Frederick John Besling
Elizabeth Saunders Joy
💍 1914/2841

Bachelor
Spinster

Coachbuilder
Domestic duties

25
25

Masterton
Masterton

3 days
7 years

The Congregational Church Masterton

6693

7 April 1914

Rev A. J. Thompson, Presbyterian

No	17
Date of Notice	7 April 1914
	Groom	Bride
Names of Parties	Frederick John Bealing	Elizabeth Saunders Joy
BDM Match (98%)	Frederick John Besling	Elizabeth Saunders Joy
	💍 1914/2841
Condition	Bachelor	Spinster
Profession	Coachbuilder	Domestic duties
Age	25	25
Dwelling Place	Masterton	Masterton
Length of Residence	3 days	7 years
Marriage Place	The Congregational Church Masterton
Folio	6693
Consent
Date of Certificate	7 April 1914
Officiating Minister	Rev A. J. Thompson, Presbyterian

7 April 1914

John McKenzie James
Mary Elizabeth Falloon

John McKenzie James
Mary Elizabeth Falloon
💍 1914/6423

Bachelor
Spinster

Farmer
Domestic duties

36
31

Masterton
Masterton

36 years
31 years

The house of H. Falloon Wangaehu, Masterton

3951

7 April 1914

Rev S. J. Serpell, Wesleyan

No	18
Date of Notice	7 April 1914
	Groom	Bride
Names of Parties	John McKenzie James	Mary Elizabeth Falloon
	💍 1914/6423
Condition	Bachelor	Spinster
Profession	Farmer	Domestic duties
Age	36	31
Dwelling Place	Masterton	Masterton
Length of Residence	36 years	31 years
Marriage Place	The house of H. Falloon Wangaehu, Masterton
Folio	3951
Consent
Date of Certificate	7 April 1914
Officiating Minister	Rev S. J. Serpell, Wesleyan

7 April 1914

Austin Norman Grenfell Tyler
Elizabeth Mary Michell

Austin Norman Grenfell Tyler
Elizabeth Mary Michell
💍 1914/8757

Widower
Spinster

Builder
Tailoress

31
33

Masterton
Masterton

4 days
33 years

St. Matthews Church Masterton

2553

7 April 1914

Rev H. Watson, Anglican

No	19
Date of Notice	7 April 1914
	Groom	Bride
Names of Parties	Austin Norman Grenfell Tyler	Elizabeth Mary Michell
	💍 1914/8757
Condition	Widower	Spinster
Profession	Builder	Tailoress
Age	31	33
Dwelling Place	Masterton	Masterton
Length of Residence	4 days	33 years
Marriage Place	St. Matthews Church Masterton
Folio	2553
Consent
Date of Certificate	7 April 1914
Officiating Minister	Rev H. Watson, Anglican

7 April 1914

James Alexander McLean
Jessie Kennedy

James Alexander McLean
Jessie Kennedy
💍 1914/8750

Bachelor
Spinster

Sheep farmer
Nurse

51
34

Masterton
Masterton

3 days
1 year

The house of D. B. Carrick Cole Street Masterton

2552

7 April 1914

Rev A. J. Thompson, Presbyterian

No	20
Date of Notice	7 April 1914
	Groom	Bride
Names of Parties	James Alexander McLean	Jessie Kennedy
	💍 1914/8750
Condition	Bachelor	Spinster
Profession	Sheep farmer	Nurse
Age	51	34
Dwelling Place	Masterton	Masterton
Length of Residence	3 days	1 year
Marriage Place	The house of D. B. Carrick Cole Street Masterton
Folio	2552
Consent
Date of Certificate	7 April 1914
Officiating Minister	Rev A. J. Thompson, Presbyterian

9 April 1914

George Wishart
Amy Taplin

George Wishart
Amy Taplin
💍 1914/8761

Bachelor
Spinster

Butcher
Domestic duties

30
28

Masterton
Lower Taueru

30 years
28 years

Knox Church Masterton

2557

9 April 1914

Rev A. J. Thompson, Presbyterian

No	21
Date of Notice	9 April 1914
	Groom	Bride
Names of Parties	George Wishart	Amy Taplin
	💍 1914/8761
Condition	Bachelor	Spinster
Profession	Butcher	Domestic duties
Age	30	28
Dwelling Place	Masterton	Lower Taueru
Length of Residence	30 years	28 years
Marriage Place	Knox Church Masterton
Folio	2557
Consent
Date of Certificate	9 April 1914
Officiating Minister	Rev A. J. Thompson, Presbyterian

13 April 1914

Arthur Victor Thirkell
Ivy Ethel Chapman

Arthur Victor Thirkell
Joy Ethel Chapman
💍 1914/8758

Bachelor
Spinster

Farmer
Domestic duties

24
20

Masterton
Post Office, Ihuraua

3 days
10 years

The house of F. Chapman Post Office Ihuraua

2554

Father, Frederick Richard Chapman

13 April 1914

Rev J. Halliday, Presbyterian

No	22
Date of Notice	13 April 1914
	Groom	Bride
Names of Parties	Arthur Victor Thirkell	Ivy Ethel Chapman
BDM Match (94%)	Arthur Victor Thirkell	Joy Ethel Chapman
	💍 1914/8758
Condition	Bachelor	Spinster
Profession	Farmer	Domestic duties
Age	24	20
Dwelling Place	Masterton	Post Office, Ihuraua
Length of Residence	3 days	10 years
Marriage Place	The house of F. Chapman Post Office Ihuraua
Folio	2554
Consent	Father, Frederick Richard Chapman
Date of Certificate	13 April 1914
Officiating Minister	Rev J. Halliday, Presbyterian

14 April 1914

Elmer Finley Fairbrother
Alma Ellen May Miller

Elmer Finley Fairbrother
Alma Ellen May Miller
💍 1914/6434

Bachelor
Spinster

Auctioneer's Clerk
Shop Assistant

24
23

Masterton
Masterton

3 days
20 years

The Methodist Church Masterton

3952

14 April 1914

Rev S. J. Serpell, Wesleyan

No	23
Date of Notice	14 April 1914
	Groom	Bride
Names of Parties	Elmer Finley Fairbrother	Alma Ellen May Miller
	💍 1914/6434
Condition	Bachelor	Spinster
Profession	Auctioneer's Clerk	Shop Assistant
Age	24	23
Dwelling Place	Masterton	Masterton
Length of Residence	3 days	20 years
Marriage Place	The Methodist Church Masterton
Folio	3952
Consent
Date of Certificate	14 April 1914
Officiating Minister	Rev S. J. Serpell, Wesleyan

14 April 1914

John Joseph Haly
Rhoda Theodora Clark

John Joseph Hale
Rhoda Theodora Clark
💍 1914/8762

Bachelor
Spinster

Insurance Agent
Domestic duties

31
25

Masterton
Masterton

3 days
3 days

St. Matthews Church Masterton

2558

14 April 1914

Rev H. Watson, Anglican

No	24
Date of Notice	14 April 1914
	Groom	Bride
Names of Parties	John Joseph Haly	Rhoda Theodora Clark
BDM Match (97%)	John Joseph Hale	Rhoda Theodora Clark
	💍 1914/8762
Condition	Bachelor	Spinster
Profession	Insurance Agent	Domestic duties
Age	31	25
Dwelling Place	Masterton	Masterton
Length of Residence	3 days	3 days
Marriage Place	St. Matthews Church Masterton
Folio	2558
Consent
Date of Certificate	14 April 1914
Officiating Minister	Rev H. Watson, Anglican

These records have been automatically transcribed and must be verified using the page image (below)

100% Contrast

100% Brightness

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).