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 1385

District of Pahiatua Quarter ending 30 September 1914 Registrar Daniel O'Rourke

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

7 July 1914

William Alexander Proctor Henderson
Hazel Laurel Wills

William Alexander Proctor Henderson
Hazel Laurel Wills
💍 1914/1903

Bachelor
Spinster

Carpenter
Domestic Duties

28
19

Mangamaire
Mangamaire

3 days
11 years

Mangamaire Public School

5576

Marion Lowry, Mother

7 July 1914

Rev. R. Richards

No	25
Date of Notice	7 July 1914
	Groom	Bride
Names of Parties	William Alexander Proctor Henderson	Hazel Laurel Wills
	💍 1914/1903
Condition	Bachelor	Spinster
Profession	Carpenter	Domestic Duties
Age	28	19
Dwelling Place	Mangamaire	Mangamaire
Length of Residence	3 days	11 years
Marriage Place	Mangamaire Public School
Folio	5576
Consent	Marion Lowry, Mother
Date of Certificate	7 July 1914
Officiating Minister	Rev. R. Richards

14 July 1914

Harry Austin Joon
Violet Mary Lewer

Harry Austin Toon
Violet Mary Lewer
💍 1914/1938

Bachelor
Spinster

Driver
Domestic Duties

23
17

Pahiatua
Pahiatua

18 years
5 years

Residence of Henry Lewer, Pahiatua

5579

Henry Lewer, Father

14 July 1914

Rev. M. Bawden Harris

No	26
Date of Notice	14 July 1914
	Groom	Bride
Names of Parties	Harry Austin Joon	Violet Mary Lewer
BDM Match (97%)	Harry Austin Toon	Violet Mary Lewer
	💍 1914/1938
Condition	Bachelor	Spinster
Profession	Driver	Domestic Duties
Age	23	17
Dwelling Place	Pahiatua	Pahiatua
Length of Residence	18 years	5 years
Marriage Place	Residence of Henry Lewer, Pahiatua
Folio	5579
Consent	Henry Lewer, Father
Date of Certificate	14 July 1914
Officiating Minister	Rev. M. Bawden Harris

23 July 1914

Frank William Hawkins
Catherine Mary McNamara

Frank William Hawkins
Catherine Mary McNamara
💍 1914/1896

Widower
Spinster

Accountant
Dressmaker

42
36

Dannevirke
Pahiatua

12 years
5 months

Roman Catholic Church, Pahiatua

5570

23 July 1914

Rev. T. McKenna

No	27
Date of Notice	23 July 1914
	Groom	Bride
Names of Parties	Frank William Hawkins	Catherine Mary McNamara
	💍 1914/1896
Condition	Widower	Spinster
Profession	Accountant	Dressmaker
Age	42	36
Dwelling Place	Dannevirke	Pahiatua
Length of Residence	12 years	5 months
Marriage Place	Roman Catholic Church, Pahiatua
Folio	5570
Consent
Date of Certificate	23 July 1914
Officiating Minister	Rev. T. McKenna

17 August 1914

Thomas Ferdinand Williams
Sarah Bryant

Thomas Ferdinand Williams
Sarah Bryant
💍 1914/1905

Bachelor
Spinster

Farmer
Domestic Duties

27
20

Kaitawa
Marima

25 years
20 years

Residence of Frederick Williams, Pahiatua

5578

Arthur David Bryant, Father

17 August 1914

Rev. M. Bawden Harris

No	28
Date of Notice	17 August 1914
	Groom	Bride
Names of Parties	Thomas Ferdinand Williams	Sarah Bryant
	💍 1914/1905
Condition	Bachelor	Spinster
Profession	Farmer	Domestic Duties
Age	27	20
Dwelling Place	Kaitawa	Marima
Length of Residence	25 years	20 years
Marriage Place	Residence of Frederick Williams, Pahiatua
Folio	5578
Consent	Arthur David Bryant, Father
Date of Certificate	17 August 1914
Officiating Minister	Rev. M. Bawden Harris

19 August 1914

Leopold George Wenham
Dorothy Eva Hercock

Leopold George Wenham
Dorothy Eva Hercock
💍 1914/3101

Bachelor
Spinster

Farmer
Domestic Duties

24
17

Hukanui
Mangamaire

12 years
3 years

Residence of Daniel Hercock, Mangamaire

6848

Daniel Hercock, Father

19 August 1914

Rev. L. H. Fenn

No	29
Date of Notice	19 August 1914
	Groom	Bride
Names of Parties	Leopold George Wenham	Dorothy Eva Hercock
	💍 1914/3101
Condition	Bachelor	Spinster
Profession	Farmer	Domestic Duties
Age	24	17
Dwelling Place	Hukanui	Mangamaire
Length of Residence	12 years	3 years
Marriage Place	Residence of Daniel Hercock, Mangamaire
Folio	6848
Consent	Daniel Hercock, Father
Date of Certificate	19 August 1914
Officiating Minister	Rev. L. H. Fenn

29 August 1914

Robert McGovern
Dora Winifred Martin

Robert McGovern
Dora Winifred Martin
💍 1914/1904

Bachelor
Spinster

Farmer
Domestic Duties

30
30

Pahiatua
Pahiatua

3 days
13 years

Residence of F. Ledsole, Pahiatua

5577

29 August 1914

Rev. R. Richards

No	30
Date of Notice	29 August 1914
	Groom	Bride
Names of Parties	Robert McGovern	Dora Winifred Martin
	💍 1914/1904
Condition	Bachelor	Spinster
Profession	Farmer	Domestic Duties
Age	30	30
Dwelling Place	Pahiatua	Pahiatua
Length of Residence	3 days	13 years
Marriage Place	Residence of F. Ledsole, Pahiatua
Folio	5577
Consent
Date of Certificate	29 August 1914
Officiating Minister	Rev. R. Richards

31 August 1914

Charles Edwin Bone
Elizabeth Miller Ritchie

Charles Edwin Bone
Elizabeth Miller Ritchie
💍 1914/1901

Bachelor
Spinster

Farmer
School teacher

21
30

Kohinui
Kohinui

20 years
4 years

Residence of Mr. D. Ritchie, Pahiatua

5574

31 August 1914

Rev. M. Bawden Harris

No	31
Date of Notice	31 August 1914
	Groom	Bride
Names of Parties	Charles Edwin Bone	Elizabeth Miller Ritchie
	💍 1914/1901
Condition	Bachelor	Spinster
Profession	Farmer	School teacher
Age	21	30
Dwelling Place	Kohinui	Kohinui
Length of Residence	20 years	4 years
Marriage Place	Residence of Mr. D. Ritchie, Pahiatua
Folio	5574
Consent
Date of Certificate	31 August 1914
Officiating Minister	Rev. M. Bawden Harris

1 September 1914

William Charles Bull
Flora Murray McPhail

William Charles Bull
Flora Murray McPhail
💍 1914/1902

Bachelor
Spinster

Labourer
Domestic Duties

26
27

Pahiatua
Pahiatua

7 Days
17 years

Residence of John McPhail, Pahiatua

5575

1 September 1914

Rev. M. Bawden Harris

No	32
Date of Notice	1 September 1914
	Groom	Bride
Names of Parties	William Charles Bull	Flora Murray McPhail
	💍 1914/1902
Condition	Bachelor	Spinster
Profession	Labourer	Domestic Duties
Age	26	27
Dwelling Place	Pahiatua	Pahiatua
Length of Residence	7 Days	17 years
Marriage Place	Residence of John McPhail, Pahiatua
Folio	5575
Consent
Date of Certificate	1 September 1914
Officiating Minister	Rev. M. Bawden Harris

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).