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 2403

District of Timaru Quarter ending 30 September 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

103

3 July 1914

John Earl
Mary Ellen Dunn

John Earl
Mary Ellen Quinn
💍 1914/966

Bachelor
Spinster

Farmer
Household duties

38 years
38 years

Otago
Temuka

12 years
38 years

Roman Catholic Church, Temuka

4609

3 July 1914

Rev. F. Kerley, Roman Catholic Priest

No	103
Date of Notice	3 July 1914
	Groom	Bride
Names of Parties	John Earl	Mary Ellen Dunn
BDM Match (94%)	John Earl	Mary Ellen Quinn
	💍 1914/966
Condition	Bachelor	Spinster
Profession	Farmer	Household duties
Age	38 years	38 years
Dwelling Place	Otago	Temuka
Length of Residence	12 years	38 years
Marriage Place	Roman Catholic Church, Temuka
Folio	4609
Consent
Date of Certificate	3 July 1914
Officiating Minister	Rev. F. Kerley, Roman Catholic Priest

104

6 July 1914

Harley Ebenezer Le Mare
Ellen O'Leary

Harley Ebenezer Le Mare
Ellen O'Leary
💍 1914/2597

Bachelor
Spinster

Porter
Domestic servant

49 years
24 years

Timaru
Timaru

8 years
24 years

Registrar's Office, Timaru

6348

6 July 1914

Alex Montgomery, Registrar

No	104
Date of Notice	6 July 1914
	Groom	Bride
Names of Parties	Harley Ebenezer Le Mare	Ellen O'Leary
	💍 1914/2597
Condition	Bachelor	Spinster
Profession	Porter	Domestic servant
Age	49 years	24 years
Dwelling Place	Timaru	Timaru
Length of Residence	8 years	24 years
Marriage Place	Registrar's Office, Timaru
Folio	6348
Consent
Date of Certificate	6 July 1914
Officiating Minister	Alex Montgomery, Registrar

105

7 July 1914

William Kenneth Middlemiss
Georgina Jane McElroy

William Kenneth Middlemiss
Georgina Jane McIlroy
💍 1914/2678

Widower
Spinster

Farmer
Domestic duties

28 years
19 years

Timaru
Timaru

1 month
19 years

Dwellinghouse of James McElroy, Flinders St., Timaru

6356

James McElroy, Father

7 July 1914

Rev. J. Stinson, Presbyterian Minister

No	105
Date of Notice	7 July 1914
	Groom	Bride
Names of Parties	William Kenneth Middlemiss	Georgina Jane McElroy
BDM Match (98%)	William Kenneth Middlemiss	Georgina Jane McIlroy
	💍 1914/2678
Condition	Widower	Spinster
Profession	Farmer	Domestic duties
Age	28 years	19 years
Dwelling Place	Timaru	Timaru
Length of Residence	1 month	19 years
Marriage Place	Dwellinghouse of James McElroy, Flinders St., Timaru
Folio	6356
Consent	James McElroy, Father
Date of Certificate	7 July 1914
Officiating Minister	Rev. J. Stinson, Presbyterian Minister

106

7 July 1914

Herbert Coe
Isabella Marion Thomson

Herbert Coe
Isabella Marion Thomson
💍 1914/2679

Bachelor
Spinster

Farmer
Domestic duties

34 years
24 years

Otago
Otago

34 years
24 years

Manse of Rev. J. Stinson, Timaru

6357

7 July 1914

Rev. J. Stinson, Presbyterian Minister

No	106
Date of Notice	7 July 1914
	Groom	Bride
Names of Parties	Herbert Coe	Isabella Marion Thomson
	💍 1914/2679
Condition	Bachelor	Spinster
Profession	Farmer	Domestic duties
Age	34 years	24 years
Dwelling Place	Otago	Otago
Length of Residence	34 years	24 years
Marriage Place	Manse of Rev. J. Stinson, Timaru
Folio	6357
Consent
Date of Certificate	7 July 1914
Officiating Minister	Rev. J. Stinson, Presbyterian Minister

107

8 July 1914

Samuel John Brown
Harriet Campbell

Samuel John Brown
Harriet Campbell
💍 1914/2677

Bachelor
Spinster

Farmer
Household duties

33 years
31 years

Timaru
St Andrews

3 days
10 years

Manse of Rev. J. Stinson, Timaru

6355

8 July 1914

Rev. J. Stinson, Presbyterian Minister

No	107
Date of Notice	8 July 1914
	Groom	Bride
Names of Parties	Samuel John Brown	Harriet Campbell
	💍 1914/2677
Condition	Bachelor	Spinster
Profession	Farmer	Household duties
Age	33 years	31 years
Dwelling Place	Timaru	St Andrews
Length of Residence	3 days	10 years
Marriage Place	Manse of Rev. J. Stinson, Timaru
Folio	6355
Consent
Date of Certificate	8 July 1914
Officiating Minister	Rev. J. Stinson, Presbyterian Minister

108

8 July 1914

John Hammond
Florence Ellen Hart

John Hammond
Florence Ellen Hart
💍 1914/2596

Bachelor
Spinster

Farmer
Domestic servant

22 years
19 years

Pareora
Pareora

22 years
3 years

Registrar's Office, Timaru

6347

George Wm Hart, Father

8 July 1914

Alex Montgomery, Registrar

No	108
Date of Notice	8 July 1914
	Groom	Bride
Names of Parties	John Hammond	Florence Ellen Hart
	💍 1914/2596
Condition	Bachelor	Spinster
Profession	Farmer	Domestic servant
Age	22 years	19 years
Dwelling Place	Pareora	Pareora
Length of Residence	22 years	3 years
Marriage Place	Registrar's Office, Timaru
Folio	6347
Consent	George Wm Hart, Father
Date of Certificate	8 July 1914
Officiating Minister	Alex Montgomery, Registrar

109

10 July 1914

William Ewart Shirt
Jessie Cooke

William Ewart Sturt
Jessie Cooke
💍 1914/2595

Bachelor
Spinster

Butcher
Dressmaker

24 years
21 years

Timaru
Timaru

4 months
3 months

Registrar's Office, Timaru

6346

10 July 1914

Alex Montgomery, Registrar

No	109
Date of Notice	10 July 1914
	Groom	Bride
Names of Parties	William Ewart Shirt	Jessie Cooke
BDM Match (95%)	William Ewart Sturt	Jessie Cooke
	💍 1914/2595
Condition	Bachelor	Spinster
Profession	Butcher	Dressmaker
Age	24 years	21 years
Dwelling Place	Timaru	Timaru
Length of Residence	4 months	3 months
Marriage Place	Registrar's Office, Timaru
Folio	6346
Consent
Date of Certificate	10 July 1914
Officiating Minister	Alex Montgomery, Registrar

110

10 July 1914

Ernest Bertram Hook
Ellen Marie Brewer

Ernest Bertram Hook
Ellen Marie Brewer
💍 1914/2590

Bachelor
Spinster

Butcher
Nil

31 years
24 years

Timaru
Timaru

7 weeks
4 days

English Church, Waimataitai

6342

10 July 1914

Archdeacon Jacob, Church of England Clergyman

No	110
Date of Notice	10 July 1914
	Groom	Bride
Names of Parties	Ernest Bertram Hook	Ellen Marie Brewer
	💍 1914/2590
Condition	Bachelor	Spinster
Profession	Butcher	Nil
Age	31 years	24 years
Dwelling Place	Timaru	Timaru
Length of Residence	7 weeks	4 days
Marriage Place	English Church, Waimataitai
Folio	6342
Consent
Date of Certificate	10 July 1914
Officiating Minister	Archdeacon Jacob, Church of England Clergyman

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).