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 2404

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

111

11 July 1914

Stephen C Dea
Margaret Dick

Stephen ODea
Margaret Dick
💍 1914/2585

Bachelor
Spinster

Surfaceman N.Z.R.
Domestic Servant

33 years
23 years

Timaru
Timaru

3 years
23 years

Roman Catholic Church Timaru

6337

11 July 1914

Dean Tubman Roman Catholic Priest

No	111
Date of Notice	11 July 1914
	Groom	Bride
Names of Parties	Stephen C Dea	Margaret Dick
BDM Match (92%)	Stephen ODea	Margaret Dick
	💍 1914/2585
Condition	Bachelor	Spinster
Profession	Surfaceman N.Z.R.	Domestic Servant
Age	33 years	23 years
Dwelling Place	Timaru	Timaru
Length of Residence	3 years	23 years
Marriage Place	Roman Catholic Church Timaru
Folio	6337
Consent
Date of Certificate	11 July 1914
Officiating Minister	Dean Tubman Roman Catholic Priest

112

11 July 1914

Francis James Carroll
Mata Rehu Lepa

Francis James Carroll
Mata Rehu Tepa
💍 1914/2572

Bachelor
Spinster

Slaughterman's Assistant
Household duties

21 years
18 years

Smithfield Timaru
Temuka

6 months
18 years

St Peters Church Temuka

6323

Ihaia Rehu Lepa Father

11 July 1914

Rev. A. H. Norris Church of England Clergyman

No	112
Date of Notice	11 July 1914
	Groom	Bride
Names of Parties	Francis James Carroll	Mata Rehu Lepa
BDM Match (96%)	Francis James Carroll	Mata Rehu Tepa
	💍 1914/2572
Condition	Bachelor	Spinster
Profession	Slaughterman's Assistant	Household duties
Age	21 years	18 years
Dwelling Place	Smithfield Timaru	Temuka
Length of Residence	6 months	18 years
Marriage Place	St Peters Church Temuka
Folio	6323
Consent	Ihaia Rehu Lepa Father
Date of Certificate	11 July 1914
Officiating Minister	Rev. A. H. Norris Church of England Clergyman

113

20 July 1914

James Ramsay
Jessie Margaret Cruickshank

James Ramsay
Jessie Margaret Cruickshank
💍 1914/2676

Bachelor
Spinster

Cheese Factory Manager
Domestic duties

30 years
24 years

Gleniti
Gleniti

2 weeks
3 years

Dwellinghouse of A Cruickshank Gleniti

6354

20 July 1914

Rev. J. Stinson Presbyterian Minister

No	113
Date of Notice	20 July 1914
	Groom	Bride
Names of Parties	James Ramsay	Jessie Margaret Cruickshank
	💍 1914/2676
Condition	Bachelor	Spinster
Profession	Cheese Factory Manager	Domestic duties
Age	30 years	24 years
Dwelling Place	Gleniti	Gleniti
Length of Residence	2 weeks	3 years
Marriage Place	Dwellinghouse of A Cruickshank Gleniti
Folio	6354
Consent
Date of Certificate	20 July 1914
Officiating Minister	Rev. J. Stinson Presbyterian Minister

114

20 July 1914

John James Hall
Gertrude Grace Bowden Paterson

John James Hall
Gertrude Grace Bowden Paterson
💍 1914/5221

Bachelor
Spinster

Farmer
Household duties

34 years
22 years

Otaio
Otaio

6 weeks
22 years

Otaio Presbyterian Church

9196

20 July 1914

Rev. A. Morrison Presbyterian Minister

No	114
Date of Notice	20 July 1914
	Groom	Bride
Names of Parties	John James Hall	Gertrude Grace Bowden Paterson
	💍 1914/5221
Condition	Bachelor	Spinster
Profession	Farmer	Household duties
Age	34 years	22 years
Dwelling Place	Otaio	Otaio
Length of Residence	6 weeks	22 years
Marriage Place	Otaio Presbyterian Church
Folio	9196
Consent
Date of Certificate	20 July 1914
Officiating Minister	Rev. A. Morrison Presbyterian Minister

115

22 July 1914

John Knot
Isabella Gliddon

John Knox
Isabella Gliddon
💍 1914/2586

Bachelor
Spinster

Farmer
Domestic duties

33 years
25 years

Timaru
Timaru

3 days
6 months

Dwellinghouse of James Gliddon Harper St Timaru

6338

22 July 1914

Rev. R. J. Liddell Methodist Minister

No	115
Date of Notice	22 July 1914
	Groom	Bride
Names of Parties	John Knot	Isabella Gliddon
BDM Match (94%)	John Knox	Isabella Gliddon
	💍 1914/2586
Condition	Bachelor	Spinster
Profession	Farmer	Domestic duties
Age	33 years	25 years
Dwelling Place	Timaru	Timaru
Length of Residence	3 days	6 months
Marriage Place	Dwellinghouse of James Gliddon Harper St Timaru
Folio	6338
Consent
Date of Certificate	22 July 1914
Officiating Minister	Rev. R. J. Liddell Methodist Minister

116

7 August 1914

William Thomas Denis Revell
Helen Ada Malfroy

William Thomas Denis Revell
Helen Ada Malfroy
💍 1914/2421

Bachelor
Spinster

Accountant
Living with parents

36 years
34 years

Timaru
Hokitika

14 years
34 years

All Saints Church Hokitika

6020

7 August 1914

Rev. A. Hore Church of England Clergyman

No	116
Date of Notice	7 August 1914
	Groom	Bride
Names of Parties	William Thomas Denis Revell	Helen Ada Malfroy
	💍 1914/2421
Condition	Bachelor	Spinster
Profession	Accountant	Living with parents
Age	36 years	34 years
Dwelling Place	Timaru	Hokitika
Length of Residence	14 years	34 years
Marriage Place	All Saints Church Hokitika
Folio	6020
Consent
Date of Certificate	7 August 1914
Officiating Minister	Rev. A. Hore Church of England Clergyman

117

8 August 1914

Leonard George Ich Checkley
Evelyn Adelaide Fergusson

Leonard George Ick Checkley
Evelyn Adelaide Fergusson
💍 1914/2675

Bachelor
Spinster

Advertising Agent
Dentist's Nurse

28 years
23 years

Timaru
Timaru

9 days
1 month

Chalmers Church Timaru

6353

8 August 1914

Rev. J. Stinson Presbyterian Minister

No	117
Date of Notice	8 August 1914
	Groom	Bride
Names of Parties	Leonard George Ich Checkley	Evelyn Adelaide Fergusson
BDM Match (98%)	Leonard George Ick Checkley	Evelyn Adelaide Fergusson
	💍 1914/2675
Condition	Bachelor	Spinster
Profession	Advertising Agent	Dentist's Nurse
Age	28 years	23 years
Dwelling Place	Timaru	Timaru
Length of Residence	9 days	1 month
Marriage Place	Chalmers Church Timaru
Folio	6353
Consent
Date of Certificate	8 August 1914
Officiating Minister	Rev. J. Stinson Presbyterian Minister

118

17 August 1914

Denis James Pearce
Mary Wallace

Denis James Pearce
Mary Wallace
💍 1914/2584

Bachelor
Spinster

Gardener
Household duties

24 years
24 years

Gleniti
Timaru

24 years
18 months

Roman Catholic Church Timaru

6336

17 August 1914

Dean Tubman Roman Catholic Priest

No	118
Date of Notice	17 August 1914
	Groom	Bride
Names of Parties	Denis James Pearce	Mary Wallace
	💍 1914/2584
Condition	Bachelor	Spinster
Profession	Gardener	Household duties
Age	24 years	24 years
Dwelling Place	Gleniti	Timaru
Length of Residence	24 years	18 months
Marriage Place	Roman Catholic Church Timaru
Folio	6336
Consent
Date of Certificate	17 August 1914
Officiating Minister	Dean Tubman Roman Catholic Priest

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).