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 1092

District of Napier Quarter ending 31 March 1914 Registrar W. Buchanan

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

19 January 1914

William James Allan
Beryl Oceana Miles

William James Allan
Beryl Oceana Miles
💍 1914/6526

Bachelor
Spinster

Labourer
Servant

21
20

Napier
Napier

21 years
12 months

Office of Registrar of Marriages Napier

325

No person in Dominion authorised to give consent

2 February 1914

W. Buchanan Registrar

No	12
Date of Notice	19 January 1914
	Groom	Bride
Names of Parties	William James Allan	Beryl Oceana Miles
	💍 1914/6526
Condition	Bachelor	Spinster
Profession	Labourer	Servant
Age	21	20
Dwelling Place	Napier	Napier
Length of Residence	21 years	12 months
Marriage Place	Office of Registrar of Marriages Napier
Folio	325
Consent	No person in Dominion authorised to give consent
Date of Certificate	2 February 1914
Officiating Minister	W. Buchanan Registrar

19 January 1914

James Edward Reeves
Evaline Margaret Hislop Pearson

James Edward Reeves
Evaline Margaret Hislop Pearson
💍 1914/6878

Bachelor
Spinster

Farmer
Domestic Duties

24
29

Clive Grange
Clive Grange

4 years
2 years

The Manse Taradale

735

19 January 1914

Rev. F. Tucker

No	13
Date of Notice	19 January 1914
	Groom	Bride
Names of Parties	James Edward Reeves	Evaline Margaret Hislop Pearson
	💍 1914/6878
Condition	Bachelor	Spinster
Profession	Farmer	Domestic Duties
Age	24	29
Dwelling Place	Clive Grange	Clive Grange
Length of Residence	4 years	2 years
Marriage Place	The Manse Taradale
Folio	735
Consent
Date of Certificate	19 January 1914
Officiating Minister	Rev. F. Tucker

20 January 1914

Robert George Batherall
Josephine Thomson Leitch

Robert George Catherall
Josephine Thomson Leitch
💍 1914/6882

Bachelor
Spinster

Printer
Dressmaker

38
38

Taradale
Taradale

3 days
1 month

House of Thomas Leitch Taradale

739

20 January 1914

Rev. F. Tucker

No	14
Date of Notice	20 January 1914
	Groom	Bride
Names of Parties	Robert George Batherall	Josephine Thomson Leitch
BDM Match (98%)	Robert George Catherall	Josephine Thomson Leitch
	💍 1914/6882
Condition	Bachelor	Spinster
Profession	Printer	Dressmaker
Age	38	38
Dwelling Place	Taradale	Taradale
Length of Residence	3 days	1 month
Marriage Place	House of Thomas Leitch Taradale
Folio	739
Consent
Date of Certificate	20 January 1914
Officiating Minister	Rev. F. Tucker

24 January 1914

Alfred John Holman
Edith Ada McClurg

Alfred John Holman
Edith Ada McClurg
💍 1914/6886

Bachelor
Spinster

Labourer
Servant

20
18

Napier
Napier

5 years
4 years

St. Augustines Church Napier

743

Henry Reddy Holman, Father; Mary Jane McClurg, Mother

24 January 1914

Rev. Canon Tuke

No	15
Date of Notice	24 January 1914
	Groom	Bride
Names of Parties	Alfred John Holman	Edith Ada McClurg
	💍 1914/6886
Condition	Bachelor	Spinster
Profession	Labourer	Servant
Age	20	18
Dwelling Place	Napier	Napier
Length of Residence	5 years	4 years
Marriage Place	St. Augustines Church Napier
Folio	743
Consent	Henry Reddy Holman, Father; Mary Jane McClurg, Mother
Date of Certificate	24 January 1914
Officiating Minister	Rev. Canon Tuke

26 January 1914

Victor Weggery
Mabel Symons

Victor Weggery
Mabel Symons
💍 1914/6887

Bachelor
Spinster

Farmer
Servant

23
21

Napier
Napier

4 days
21 years

St. Augustines Church Napier

744

26 January 1914

Rev. Canon Tuke

No	16
Date of Notice	26 January 1914
	Groom	Bride
Names of Parties	Victor Weggery	Mabel Symons
	💍 1914/6887
Condition	Bachelor	Spinster
Profession	Farmer	Servant
Age	23	21
Dwelling Place	Napier	Napier
Length of Residence	4 days	21 years
Marriage Place	St. Augustines Church Napier
Folio	744
Consent
Date of Certificate	26 January 1914
Officiating Minister	Rev. Canon Tuke

28 January 1914

Arthur George Wright
Alice Mary O'Shannassy

Arthur George Wright
Alice Mary O'Shannassy
💍 1914/7026

Bachelor
Spinster

Carpenter
Tailoress

26
30

Napier
Napier

6 years
30 years

St. Patrick's Church Napier

750

28 January 1914

Rev. Father O'Sullivan

No	17
Date of Notice	28 January 1914
	Groom	Bride
Names of Parties	Arthur George Wright	Alice Mary O'Shannassy
	💍 1914/7026
Condition	Bachelor	Spinster
Profession	Carpenter	Tailoress
Age	26	30
Dwelling Place	Napier	Napier
Length of Residence	6 years	30 years
Marriage Place	St. Patrick's Church Napier
Folio	750
Consent
Date of Certificate	28 January 1914
Officiating Minister	Rev. Father O'Sullivan

28 January 1914

Duncan Mackenzie
Alice May Green

Duncan MacKenzie
Alice May Green
💍 1914/7028

Bachelor
Spinster

Shepherd
Domestic Duties

22
20

Napier
Napier

3 days
3 days

St. Pauls Church Napier

760

John Green, Father

28 January 1914

Rev. J. A. Asher

No	18
Date of Notice	28 January 1914
	Groom	Bride
Names of Parties	Duncan Mackenzie	Alice May Green
BDM Match (97%)	Duncan MacKenzie	Alice May Green
	💍 1914/7028
Condition	Bachelor	Spinster
Profession	Shepherd	Domestic Duties
Age	22	20
Dwelling Place	Napier	Napier
Length of Residence	3 days	3 days
Marriage Place	St. Pauls Church Napier
Folio	760
Consent	John Green, Father
Date of Certificate	28 January 1914
Officiating Minister	Rev. J. A. Asher

4 February 1914

George Vaughan Rowe Brooks
Daisy Winifred Knock

George Vaughan Rowe Brooks
Daisy Winifred Knock
💍 1914/6885

Bachelor
Spinster

Railway Fireman
Domestic Duties

22
18

Napier
Napier

2 years
15 years

St. Augustines Church Napier

742

Charles Knock, Father

4 February 1914

Rev. Canon Tuke

No	19
Date of Notice	4 February 1914
	Groom	Bride
Names of Parties	George Vaughan Rowe Brooks	Daisy Winifred Knock
	💍 1914/6885
Condition	Bachelor	Spinster
Profession	Railway Fireman	Domestic Duties
Age	22	18
Dwelling Place	Napier	Napier
Length of Residence	2 years	15 years
Marriage Place	St. Augustines Church Napier
Folio	742
Consent	Charles Knock, Father
Date of Certificate	4 February 1914
Officiating Minister	Rev. Canon Tuke

4 February 1914

Alfred William Spencer
Mary Elizabeth Brock

Alfred William Spencer
Mary Elizabeth Brock
💍 1914/6527

Bachelor
Spinster

Labourer
Domestic Duties

33
19

Napier
Napier

33 years
19 years

Office of Registrar of Marriages Napier

326

Oscar William Brock, Father

4 February 1914

W. Buchanan, Registrar

No	20
Date of Notice	4 February 1914
	Groom	Bride
Names of Parties	Alfred William Spencer	Mary Elizabeth Brock
	💍 1914/6527
Condition	Bachelor	Spinster
Profession	Labourer	Domestic Duties
Age	33	19
Dwelling Place	Napier	Napier
Length of Residence	33 years	19 years
Marriage Place	Office of Registrar of Marriages Napier
Folio	326
Consent	Oscar William Brock, Father
Date of Certificate	4 February 1914
Officiating Minister	W. Buchanan, Registrar

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).