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 1076

District of Hastings Quarter ending 31 March 1914 Registrar Robert Brathwaite

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

24 January 1914

Sydney Francis Russell
Eva Alice Ash

Sydney Frances Russell
Eva Alice Ash
💍 1914/6528

Bachelor
Spinster

Carpenter
Tailoress

24
26

Hastings
Hastings

3 weeks
5 days

Registrars Office Hastings

303

27 January 1914

Robert Brathwaite

No	8
Date of Notice	24 January 1914
	Groom	Bride
Names of Parties	Sydney Francis Russell	Eva Alice Ash
BDM Match (98%)	Sydney Frances Russell	Eva Alice Ash
	💍 1914/6528
Condition	Bachelor	Spinster
Profession	Carpenter	Tailoress
Age	24	26
Dwelling Place	Hastings	Hastings
Length of Residence	3 weeks	5 days
Marriage Place	Registrars Office Hastings
Folio	303
Consent
Date of Certificate	27 January 1914
Officiating Minister	Robert Brathwaite

29 January 1914

William John McIlraith
Martha Earl

William John McIlwraith
Martha Earl
💍 1914/6888

Bachelor
Spinster

Shepherd
Domestic

25
24

Hastings
Hastings

6 years
1 year

Presbyterian Church Hastings

726

29 January 1914

Rev. W. R. Hutcheson

No	9
Date of Notice	29 January 1914
	Groom	Bride
Names of Parties	William John McIlraith	Martha Earl
BDM Match (98%)	William John McIlwraith	Martha Earl
	💍 1914/6888
Condition	Bachelor	Spinster
Profession	Shepherd	Domestic
Age	25	24
Dwelling Place	Hastings	Hastings
Length of Residence	6 years	1 year
Marriage Place	Presbyterian Church Hastings
Folio	726
Consent
Date of Certificate	29 January 1914
Officiating Minister	Rev. W. R. Hutcheson

30 January 1914

Andrew Cameron
Margaret Riley

Andrew Cameron
Margaret Riley
💍 1914/6529

Bachelor
Widow

Labourer
Domestic

30
25

Hastings
Hastings

3 years
4 months

Registrars Office Hastings

304

30 January 1914

R. Brathwaite

No	10
Date of Notice	30 January 1914
	Groom	Bride
Names of Parties	Andrew Cameron	Margaret Riley
	💍 1914/6529
Condition	Bachelor	Widow
Profession	Labourer	Domestic
Age	30	25
Dwelling Place	Hastings	Hastings
Length of Residence	3 years	4 months
Marriage Place	Registrars Office Hastings
Folio	304
Consent
Date of Certificate	30 January 1914
Officiating Minister	R. Brathwaite

3 February 1914

Joseph James Lowry
Catherine Roberts

Joseph James Lowery
Catherine Roberts
💍 1914/6898

Bachelor
Spinster

Clerk
Shop Assistant

25
17

Hastings
Hastings

8 years
8 years

Residence of Bride's Parents Market St. Hastings

731

J. W. Roberts Father

3 February 1914

Rev. P. Ramsay

No	11
Date of Notice	3 February 1914
	Groom	Bride
Names of Parties	Joseph James Lowry	Catherine Roberts
BDM Match (97%)	Joseph James Lowery	Catherine Roberts
	💍 1914/6898
Condition	Bachelor	Spinster
Profession	Clerk	Shop Assistant
Age	25	17
Dwelling Place	Hastings	Hastings
Length of Residence	8 years	8 years
Marriage Place	Residence of Bride's Parents Market St. Hastings
Folio	731
Consent	J. W. Roberts Father
Date of Certificate	3 February 1914
Officiating Minister	Rev. P. Ramsay

10 February 1914

Ture Gillies
Moaata Horomona

Ture Gillies
Maata Horomona
💍 1914/6530

Bachelor
Spinster

Farmer
Domestic duties

22
21

Waimarama
Waimarama

22 years
12 months

Registrars Office Hastings

305

10 February 1914

Robert Brathwaite

No	12
Date of Notice	10 February 1914
	Groom	Bride
Names of Parties	Ture Gillies	Moaata Horomona
BDM Match (97%)	Ture Gillies	Maata Horomona
	💍 1914/6530
Condition	Bachelor	Spinster
Profession	Farmer	Domestic duties
Age	22	21
Dwelling Place	Waimarama	Waimarama
Length of Residence	22 years	12 months
Marriage Place	Registrars Office Hastings
Folio	305
Consent
Date of Certificate	10 February 1914
Officiating Minister	Robert Brathwaite

11 February 1914

William Francis Pellett
Ella Ethel Willis

William Francis Pellett
Ella Ethel Willis
💍 1914/9123

Bachelor
Spinster

Waiter
Domestic

25
21

Hastings
Hastings

18 months
12 years

St. Matthews Hastings

4219

11 February 1914

Rev. J. B. Brocklehurst

No	13
Date of Notice	11 February 1914
	Groom	Bride
Names of Parties	William Francis Pellett	Ella Ethel Willis
	💍 1914/9123
Condition	Bachelor	Spinster
Profession	Waiter	Domestic
Age	25	21
Dwelling Place	Hastings	Hastings
Length of Residence	18 months	12 years
Marriage Place	St. Matthews Hastings
Folio	4219
Consent
Date of Certificate	11 February 1914
Officiating Minister	Rev. J. B. Brocklehurst

14 February 1914

Arthur Otway Wellwood
Una Gladys Giles

Arthur Otway Wellwood
Onyx Gladys Giles
💍 1914/7033

Bachelor
Spinster

Farmer
Domestic

24
22

Hastings
Taradale

24 years
2 weeks

English Church Napier Taradale

765

14 February 1914

Rev. J. B. Brocklehurst

No	14
Date of Notice	14 February 1914
	Groom	Bride
Names of Parties	Arthur Otway Wellwood	Una Gladys Giles
BDM Match (91%)	Arthur Otway Wellwood	Onyx Gladys Giles
	💍 1914/7033
Condition	Bachelor	Spinster
Profession	Farmer	Domestic
Age	24	22
Dwelling Place	Hastings	Taradale
Length of Residence	24 years	2 weeks
Marriage Place	English Church Napier Taradale
Folio	765
Consent
Date of Certificate	14 February 1914
Officiating Minister	Rev. J. B. Brocklehurst

18 February 1914

William Alfred Smith
Mary Smith

William Alfred Smith
Mary Smith
💍 1914/6531

Bachelor
Spinster

Drover
Domestic

24
20

Hastings
Hastings

24 years
2 years

Registrars Office Hastings

306

Frances Emma Mear Mother

19 February 1914

Robert Brathwaite

No	15
Date of Notice	18 February 1914
	Groom	Bride
Names of Parties	William Alfred Smith	Mary Smith
	💍 1914/6531
Condition	Bachelor	Spinster
Profession	Drover	Domestic
Age	24	20
Dwelling Place	Hastings	Hastings
Length of Residence	24 years	2 years
Marriage Place	Registrars Office Hastings
Folio	306
Consent	Frances Emma Mear Mother
Date of Certificate	19 February 1914
Officiating Minister	Robert Brathwaite

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).