Intentions to Marry, 1914 Canterbury, Otago, Southland, Chatham Island

Reference: Registrar-General of Births, Deaths and Marriages, Notices of intention to marry, Series 8937, R2840456, 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 2385

District of Temuka Quarter ending 31 December 1914 Registrar Alfred Roberts

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

13 October 1914

Patrick Murphy
Elizabeth Adams

Patrick Murphy
Elizabeth Adams
💍 1914/4084

Widower
Spinster

Farmer
Domestic duties

41
31

Pleasant Point
Temuka

10 years
4 days

Roman Catholic Church, Temuka

7971

13 October 1914

Rev. Francis Kerley

No	41
Date of Notice	13 October 1914
	Groom	Bride
Names of Parties	Patrick Murphy	Elizabeth Adams
	💍 1914/4084
Condition	Widower	Spinster
Profession	Farmer	Domestic duties
Age	41	31
Dwelling Place	Pleasant Point	Temuka
Length of Residence	10 years	4 days
Marriage Place	Roman Catholic Church, Temuka
Folio	7971
Consent
Date of Certificate	13 October 1914
Officiating Minister	Rev. Francis Kerley

31 October 1914

William Roeti Bannister
Eva Paurini

William Koeti Bannister
Eva Paurini
💍 1914/4083

Bachelor
Spinster

Bridge Carpenter
Domestic duties

25
22

Temuka
Temuka

7 years
6 months

Church of England, Temuka

7970

31 October 1914

Rev. A. H. Norris

No	42
Date of Notice	31 October 1914
	Groom	Bride
Names of Parties	William Roeti Bannister	Eva Paurini
BDM Match (98%)	William Koeti Bannister	Eva Paurini
	💍 1914/4083
Condition	Bachelor	Spinster
Profession	Bridge Carpenter	Domestic duties
Age	25	22
Dwelling Place	Temuka	Temuka
Length of Residence	7 years	6 months
Marriage Place	Church of England, Temuka
Folio	7970
Consent
Date of Certificate	31 October 1914
Officiating Minister	Rev. A. H. Norris

9 November 1914

Benjamin Baker
Lilian Rita Caroline Keen

Benjamin Baker
Lilian Rita Caroline Keen
💍 1914/4201

Bachelor
Spinster

Labourer
Domestic duties

23
27

Temuka
Temuka

6 days
4 days

Registrar's Office, Temuka

7962

9 November 1914

Registrar

No	43
Date of Notice	9 November 1914
	Groom	Bride
Names of Parties	Benjamin Baker	Lilian Rita Caroline Keen
	💍 1914/4201
Condition	Bachelor	Spinster
Profession	Labourer	Domestic duties
Age	23	27
Dwelling Place	Temuka	Temuka
Length of Residence	6 days	4 days
Marriage Place	Registrar's Office, Temuka
Folio	7962
Consent
Date of Certificate	9 November 1914
Officiating Minister	Registrar

14 November 1914

Patrick Hanly
Brigid Sullivan

Patrick Hanly
Brigid Sullivan
💍 1914/4082

Bachelor
Spinster

Farmer
Household duties

28
31

Temuka
Levels

3 days
14 years

Roman Catholic Church, Temuka

7969

14 November 1914

Rev. F. Kerley

No	44
Date of Notice	14 November 1914
	Groom	Bride
Names of Parties	Patrick Hanly	Brigid Sullivan
	💍 1914/4082
Condition	Bachelor	Spinster
Profession	Farmer	Household duties
Age	28	31
Dwelling Place	Temuka	Levels
Length of Residence	3 days	14 years
Marriage Place	Roman Catholic Church, Temuka
Folio	7969
Consent
Date of Certificate	14 November 1914
Officiating Minister	Rev. F. Kerley

3 December 1914

Arthur Nesbit Cairns
Mabel Sarah Martin

Arthur Nesbit Cairns
Mabel Sarah Martin
💍 1914/4081

Bachelor
Spinster

Bootmaker
Shopkeeper

26
22

Temuka
Temuka

7 months
22 years

Methodist Parsonage, Temuka

7968

3 December 1914

J. D. Burnard

No	45
Date of Notice	3 December 1914
	Groom	Bride
Names of Parties	Arthur Nesbit Cairns	Mabel Sarah Martin
	💍 1914/4081
Condition	Bachelor	Spinster
Profession	Bootmaker	Shopkeeper
Age	26	22
Dwelling Place	Temuka	Temuka
Length of Residence	7 months	22 years
Marriage Place	Methodist Parsonage, Temuka
Folio	7968
Consent
Date of Certificate	3 December 1914
Officiating Minister	J. D. Burnard

5 December 1914

John Henry
Alice Ellen Moore

John Henry
Alice Ellen Moore
💍 1914/4074

Bachelor
Spinster

Grocer's Assistant
Household duties

25
21

Temuka
Temuka

20 years
6 years

Church of England, Temuka

7967

5 December 1914

Rev. A. H. Norris

No	46
Date of Notice	5 December 1914
	Groom	Bride
Names of Parties	John Henry	Alice Ellen Moore
	💍 1914/4074
Condition	Bachelor	Spinster
Profession	Grocer's Assistant	Household duties
Age	25	21
Dwelling Place	Temuka	Temuka
Length of Residence	20 years	6 years
Marriage Place	Church of England, Temuka
Folio	7967
Consent
Date of Certificate	5 December 1914
Officiating Minister	Rev. A. H. Norris

23 December 1914

Herbert Price Levens
Mary Annie Pearce

Herbert Price Levens
Mary Annie Pearce
💍 1914/4203

Bachelor
Spinster

Gardener
Domestic duties

26
28

Temuka
Winchester

3 days
1 month

Residence of Mrs Pearce, Winchester

7964

23 December 1914

Rev. C. Macdonald

No	47
Date of Notice	23 December 1914
	Groom	Bride
Names of Parties	Herbert Price Levens	Mary Annie Pearce
	💍 1914/4203
Condition	Bachelor	Spinster
Profession	Gardener	Domestic duties
Age	26	28
Dwelling Place	Temuka	Winchester
Length of Residence	3 days	1 month
Marriage Place	Residence of Mrs Pearce, Winchester
Folio	7964
Consent
Date of Certificate	23 December 1914
Officiating Minister	Rev. C. Macdonald

24 December 1914

Robert Hill
Ella Mary Cross

Robert Hill
Ella Mary Cross
💍 1914/4063

Bachelor
Spinster

Cycle Mechanic
Domestic duties

24
21

Temuka
Temuka

5 years
21 years

Methodist Church, Temuka

7966

24 December 1914

Rev. Jno. Harris

No	48
Date of Notice	24 December 1914
	Groom	Bride
Names of Parties	Robert Hill	Ella Mary Cross
	💍 1914/4063
Condition	Bachelor	Spinster
Profession	Cycle Mechanic	Domestic duties
Age	24	21
Dwelling Place	Temuka	Temuka
Length of Residence	5 years	21 years
Marriage Place	Methodist Church, Temuka
Folio	7966
Consent
Date of Certificate	24 December 1914
Officiating Minister	Rev. Jno. Harris

28 December 1914

Robert McKinnon Mills
Ellen Holwell

Robert McKinnan Mills
Ellen Holwell
💍 1914/4204

Bachelor
Spinster

Farmer
Domestic duties

25
28

Temuka
Temuka

14 years
28 years

Residence of Mrs D. Findlay, Temuka

7965

28 December 1914

Rev. Chas Macdonald

No	49
Date of Notice	28 December 1914
	Groom	Bride
Names of Parties	Robert McKinnon Mills	Ellen Holwell
BDM Match (98%)	Robert McKinnan Mills	Ellen Holwell
	💍 1914/4204
Condition	Bachelor	Spinster
Profession	Farmer	Domestic duties
Age	25	28
Dwelling Place	Temuka	Temuka
Length of Residence	14 years	28 years
Marriage Place	Residence of Mrs D. Findlay, Temuka
Folio	7965
Consent
Date of Certificate	28 December 1914
Officiating Minister	Rev. Chas Macdonald

30 December 1914

Michael James Quinn
Josephine O'Neill

Michael James Quinn
Josephine O'Neill
💍 1915/9109

Widower
Widow

Farmer
Domestic duties

36
32

Temuka
Temuka

36 years
32 years

Roman Catholic Church, Temuka

1363

30 December 1914

Rev. F. Kerley

No	50
Date of Notice	30 December 1914
	Groom	Bride
Names of Parties	Michael James Quinn	Josephine O'Neill
	💍 1915/9109
Condition	Widower	Widow
Profession	Farmer	Domestic duties
Age	36	32
Dwelling Place	Temuka	Temuka
Length of Residence	36 years	32 years
Marriage Place	Roman Catholic Church, Temuka
Folio	1363
Consent
Date of Certificate	30 December 1914
Officiating Minister	Rev. F. Kerley

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).