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 2393

District of Timaru Quarter ending 30 June 1914 Registrar Alexander Montgomery

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

2 April 1914

John Easton Gray
Eliza Jane McClintock

John Easton Gray
Eliza Jane McClintock
💍 1914/844

Bachelor
Spinster

Storeman
Domestic duties

40 years
36 years

Timaru
Claremont

3 years
12 years

Trinity Presbyterian Church, Timaru

4526

2 April 1914

Rev. Thomas Stinson, Presbyterian Minister

No	38
Date of Notice	2 April 1914
	Groom	Bride
Names of Parties	John Easton Gray	Eliza Jane McClintock
	💍 1914/844
Condition	Bachelor	Spinster
Profession	Storeman	Domestic duties
Age	40 years	36 years
Dwelling Place	Timaru	Claremont
Length of Residence	3 years	12 years
Marriage Place	Trinity Presbyterian Church, Timaru
Folio	4526
Consent
Date of Certificate	2 April 1914
Officiating Minister	Rev. Thomas Stinson, Presbyterian Minister

3 April 1914

Robert William Sapwell
Florence Minnie Hood

Robert William Sapwell
Florence Minnie Hood
💍 1914/28

Bachelor
Spinster

Farm Labourer
Domestic servant

29 years
23 years

Timaru
Timaru

10 days
3 days

St Mary's English Church, Timaru

3359

3 April 1914

Archdeacon Jacob, Church of England Clergyman

No	39
Date of Notice	3 April 1914
	Groom	Bride
Names of Parties	Robert William Sapwell	Florence Minnie Hood
	💍 1914/28
Condition	Bachelor	Spinster
Profession	Farm Labourer	Domestic servant
Age	29 years	23 years
Dwelling Place	Timaru	Timaru
Length of Residence	10 days	3 days
Marriage Place	St Mary's English Church, Timaru
Folio	3359
Consent
Date of Certificate	3 April 1914
Officiating Minister	Archdeacon Jacob, Church of England Clergyman

3 April 1914

James William Waldie
Elizabeth Ann Boyens

James William Waldie
Elizabeth Ann Boyens
💍 1914/2582

Bachelor
Spinster

Caretaker Fire Station
Domestic servant

32 years
30 years

Timaru
Timaru

10 years
2 1/2 years

Chalmers Presbyterian Church, Timaru

6326

3 April 1914

Rev. A. Macaulay Caldwell, Presbyterian Minister

No	40
Date of Notice	3 April 1914
	Groom	Bride
Names of Parties	James William Waldie	Elizabeth Ann Boyens
	💍 1914/2582
Condition	Bachelor	Spinster
Profession	Caretaker Fire Station	Domestic servant
Age	32 years	30 years
Dwelling Place	Timaru	Timaru
Length of Residence	10 years	2 1/2 years
Marriage Place	Chalmers Presbyterian Church, Timaru
Folio	6326
Consent
Date of Certificate	3 April 1914
Officiating Minister	Rev. A. Macaulay Caldwell, Presbyterian Minister

4 April 1914

James Garner Smith
Mary Ellen Harris

James Garner Smith
Mary Ellen Harris
💍 1914/5801

Bachelor
Spinster

Carpenter
Household duties

24 years
24 years

Timaru
Timaru

24 years
8 years

Burwood Villa, Dwellinghouse of Richard Harris, Timaru

3311

4 April 1914

Rev. J. Featherston, Methodist Minister

No	41
Date of Notice	4 April 1914
	Groom	Bride
Names of Parties	James Garner Smith	Mary Ellen Harris
	💍 1914/5801
Condition	Bachelor	Spinster
Profession	Carpenter	Household duties
Age	24 years	24 years
Dwelling Place	Timaru	Timaru
Length of Residence	24 years	8 years
Marriage Place	Burwood Villa, Dwellinghouse of Richard Harris, Timaru
Folio	3311
Consent
Date of Certificate	4 April 1914
Officiating Minister	Rev. J. Featherston, Methodist Minister

4 April 1914

Reginald Whitcliffe Benbow
Agnes Cain

Reginald Whitcliffe Benbow
Agnes Cain
💍 1914/5810

Bachelor
Spinster

Labourer
Dressmaker

24 years
30 years

Fairlie
Seadown

1 month
24 years

Dwellinghouse of Samuel Cain, Seadown

4 April 1914

Rev. C. McDonald, Presbyterian Minister

No	42
Date of Notice	4 April 1914
	Groom	Bride
Names of Parties	Reginald Whitcliffe Benbow	Agnes Cain
	💍 1914/5810
Condition	Bachelor	Spinster
Profession	Labourer	Dressmaker
Age	24 years	30 years
Dwelling Place	Fairlie	Seadown
Length of Residence	1 month	24 years
Marriage Place	Dwellinghouse of Samuel Cain, Seadown
Folio
Consent
Date of Certificate	4 April 1914
Officiating Minister	Rev. C. McDonald, Presbyterian Minister

4 April 1914

George Garick Watt
Mary Jane Smith

George Garrick Watt
Mary Jane Smith
💍 1914/855

Charles Ogilvie Davidson
Mary Jane Smith
💍 1914/2319

Bachelor
Spinster

Carrier
Domestic duties

24 years
24 years

Timaru
Timaru

11 years
12 years

Dwellinghouse of James Smith, Jackson St, Timaru

4527

4 April 1914

Rev. T. Stinson, Presbyterian Minister

No	43
Date of Notice	4 April 1914
	Groom	Bride
Names of Parties	George Garick Watt	Mary Jane Smith
BDM Match (97%)	George Garrick Watt	Mary Jane Smith
	💍 1914/855
BDM Match (60%)	Charles Ogilvie Davidson	Mary Jane Smith
	💍 1914/2319
Condition	Bachelor	Spinster
Profession	Carrier	Domestic duties
Age	24 years	24 years
Dwelling Place	Timaru	Timaru
Length of Residence	11 years	12 years
Marriage Place	Dwellinghouse of James Smith, Jackson St, Timaru
Folio	4527
Consent
Date of Certificate	4 April 1914
Officiating Minister	Rev. T. Stinson, Presbyterian Minister

4 April 1914

Colin Campbell
Clara Smith

Colin Campbell
Clara Smith
💍 1914/862

Bachelor
Spinster

Labourer
Housekeeper

24 years
30 years

Timaru
Timaru

5 years
12 years

Dwellinghouse of James Smith, Jackson St, Timaru

4528

4 April 1914

Rev. T. Stinson, Presbyterian Minister

No	44
Date of Notice	4 April 1914
	Groom	Bride
Names of Parties	Colin Campbell	Clara Smith
	💍 1914/862
Condition	Bachelor	Spinster
Profession	Labourer	Housekeeper
Age	24 years	30 years
Dwelling Place	Timaru	Timaru
Length of Residence	5 years	12 years
Marriage Place	Dwellinghouse of James Smith, Jackson St, Timaru
Folio	4528
Consent
Date of Certificate	4 April 1914
Officiating Minister	Rev. T. Stinson, Presbyterian Minister

6 April 1914

John Thomas Staples
Florence Ethel Maud Davis

John Thomas Staples
Florence Ethel Maud Davis
💍 1914/863

Widower
Spinster

Bricklayer
Domestic duties

34 years
23 years

Timaru
Timaru

3 days
3 days

Dwellinghouse of W. Staples, Kensington, Timaru

4529

6 April 1914

Rev. T. Stinson, Presbyterian Minister

No	45
Date of Notice	6 April 1914
	Groom	Bride
Names of Parties	John Thomas Staples	Florence Ethel Maud Davis
	💍 1914/863
Condition	Widower	Spinster
Profession	Bricklayer	Domestic duties
Age	34 years	23 years
Dwelling Place	Timaru	Timaru
Length of Residence	3 days	3 days
Marriage Place	Dwellinghouse of W. Staples, Kensington, Timaru
Folio	4529
Consent
Date of Certificate	6 April 1914
Officiating Minister	Rev. T. Stinson, Presbyterian Minister

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).