Intentions to Marry, 1915 Aria to Masterton

Reference: Registrar-General of Births, Deaths and Marriages, Notices of intention to marry, Series 8937, R2840459, Archives New Zealand Te Rua Mahara o te Kāwanatanga, Wellington

1915 is bound in six volumes (a to f) with continuous page numbers. Each volume contains a different set of districts, going from north to south.

1915c contains pages 1021-1500, covering districts from Aria to Masterton

Page 1437

District of Foxton Quarter ending 31 December 1915 Registrar A. Hawke

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

1 October 1915

Norman Nicholas Pennyfather Green
Constance Nancy Hartgill

Norman Nicholas Pennefather Green
Constance Nancy Hartgill
💍 1915/6567

Bachelor
Spinster

Soldier
Domestic Duties

30
24

Rangiotu Military Camp
Dannevirke

2 months
14 years

Anglican Church Dannevirke

8968

1 October 1915

Rev E. Robertshaw Dannevirke

No	18
Date of Notice	1 October 1915
	Groom	Bride
Names of Parties	Norman Nicholas Pennyfather Green	Constance Nancy Hartgill
BDM Match (99%)	Norman Nicholas Pennefather Green	Constance Nancy Hartgill
	💍 1915/6567
Condition	Bachelor	Spinster
Profession	Soldier	Domestic Duties
Age	30	24
Dwelling Place	Rangiotu Military Camp	Dannevirke
Length of Residence	2 months	14 years
Marriage Place	Anglican Church Dannevirke
Folio	8968
Consent
Date of Certificate	1 October 1915
Officiating Minister	Rev E. Robertshaw Dannevirke

4 October 1915

William Matheson
Mary Anne Smith

William Matheson
Mary Anne Smith
💍 1915/6879

Bachelor
Spinster

Farmer
Domestic Duties

29
33

Foxton
Foxton

3 days
23 years

Roman Catholic Church Foxton

9289

4 October 1915

Father Cronin Foxton

No	19
Date of Notice	4 October 1915
	Groom	Bride
Names of Parties	William Matheson	Mary Anne Smith
	💍 1915/6879
Condition	Bachelor	Spinster
Profession	Farmer	Domestic Duties
Age	29	33
Dwelling Place	Foxton	Foxton
Length of Residence	3 days	23 years
Marriage Place	Roman Catholic Church Foxton
Folio	9289
Consent
Date of Certificate	4 October 1915
Officiating Minister	Father Cronin Foxton

6 October 1915

Percival Charles Read
Elsie May Gifford

Percival Charles Read
Elsie May Gifford
💍 1915/6729

Bachelor
Spinster

Painter
Domestic Duties

33
28

Foxton
Foxton

4 days
4 weeks

All Saints Anglican Church Foxton

9139

6 October 1915

Rev W. Raine Foxton

No	20
Date of Notice	6 October 1915
	Groom	Bride
Names of Parties	Percival Charles Read	Elsie May Gifford
	💍 1915/6729
Condition	Bachelor	Spinster
Profession	Painter	Domestic Duties
Age	33	28
Dwelling Place	Foxton	Foxton
Length of Residence	4 days	4 weeks
Marriage Place	All Saints Anglican Church Foxton
Folio	9139
Consent
Date of Certificate	6 October 1915
Officiating Minister	Rev W. Raine Foxton

6 October 1915

Charles Dunham
Dorothy Evelyn Ada Nixon

Charles Dunham
Dorothy Evelyn Ada Nixon
💍 1915/6745

Bachelor
Spinster

Poultry Farmer
Domestic Duties

26
21

Rangiotu
Palmerston North

2 months
3 days

Registrar's Office Foxton

9131

6 October 1915

Registrar of Marriages Foxton

No	21
Date of Notice	6 October 1915
	Groom	Bride
Names of Parties	Charles Dunham	Dorothy Evelyn Ada Nixon
	💍 1915/6745
Condition	Bachelor	Spinster
Profession	Poultry Farmer	Domestic Duties
Age	26	21
Dwelling Place	Rangiotu	Palmerston North
Length of Residence	2 months	3 days
Marriage Place	Registrar's Office Foxton
Folio	9131
Consent
Date of Certificate	6 October 1915
Officiating Minister	Registrar of Marriages Foxton

7 October 1915

Ralph Fowler
Doris Amelia Westwood

Ralph Fowler
Doris Amelia Westwood
💍 1915/6730

Bachelor
Spinster

Trooper Earl of Liverpool's Own
Domestic Duties

22
19

Rangiotu Military Camp
Palmerston North

2 months
3 years

Methodist Church Foxton

Yes. (License issued in accordance with application on telephone 7/10/15 Registrar General see attached)

7 October 1915

Rev W. Walker Rangiotu Military Camp

No	22
Date of Notice	7 October 1915
	Groom	Bride
Names of Parties	Ralph Fowler	Doris Amelia Westwood
	💍 1915/6730
Condition	Bachelor	Spinster
Profession	Trooper Earl of Liverpool's Own	Domestic Duties
Age	22	19
Dwelling Place	Rangiotu Military Camp	Palmerston North
Length of Residence	2 months	3 years
Marriage Place	Methodist Church Foxton
Folio
Consent	Yes. (License issued in accordance with application on telephone 7/10/15 Registrar General see attached)
Date of Certificate	7 October 1915
Officiating Minister	Rev W. Walker Rangiotu Military Camp

4 November 1915

Edwin Alfred Howe
Rosetta Johnson

Edwin Alfred Howe
Rosetta Johnson
💍 1915/6746

Widower
Spinster

Engine driver
Housekeeper

48
35

Foxton
Foxton

48 years
7 months

Registrar's Office Foxton

9132

5 November 1915

Registrar of Marriages Foxton

No	23
Date of Notice	4 November 1915
	Groom	Bride
Names of Parties	Edwin Alfred Howe	Rosetta Johnson
	💍 1915/6746
Condition	Widower	Spinster
Profession	Engine driver	Housekeeper
Age	48	35
Dwelling Place	Foxton	Foxton
Length of Residence	48 years	7 months
Marriage Place	Registrar's Office Foxton
Folio	9132
Consent
Date of Certificate	5 November 1915
Officiating Minister	Registrar of Marriages Foxton

5 November 1915

George Henry King
Alice Kate Gathurly

George Henry King
Alice Kate Satherley
💍 1915/6728

Bachelor
Spinster

Laborer
Domestic Duties

36
28

Foxton
Foxton

30 years
28 years

Methodist Church Foxton

9138

5 November 1915

Rev W. Rowe Foxton

No	24
Date of Notice	5 November 1915
	Groom	Bride
Names of Parties	George Henry King	Alice Kate Gathurly
BDM Match (93%)	George Henry King	Alice Kate Satherley
	💍 1915/6728
Condition	Bachelor	Spinster
Profession	Laborer	Domestic Duties
Age	36	28
Dwelling Place	Foxton	Foxton
Length of Residence	30 years	28 years
Marriage Place	Methodist Church Foxton
Folio	9138
Consent
Date of Certificate	5 November 1915
Officiating Minister	Rev W. Rowe Foxton

12 November 1915

Arthur Huff
Isabella Mary Panting

Arthur Huff
Isabella Mary Panting
💍 1915/6747

Widower
Widow

Laborer
Domestic Duties

38
28

Foxton
Foxton

3 years
34 months

Registrar's Office Foxton

9133

13 November 1915

Registrar of Marriages Foxton

No	25
Date of Notice	12 November 1915
	Groom	Bride
Names of Parties	Arthur Huff	Isabella Mary Panting
	💍 1915/6747
Condition	Widower	Widow
Profession	Laborer	Domestic Duties
Age	38	28
Dwelling Place	Foxton	Foxton
Length of Residence	3 years	34 months
Marriage Place	Registrar's Office Foxton
Folio	9133
Consent
Date of Certificate	13 November 1915
Officiating Minister	Registrar of Marriages Foxton

13 November 1915

John Woods
Effie Emily Hewth

John Woods
Effie Emily Newth
💍 1915/6751

Bachelor
Spinster

Laborer
Domestic Duties

25
21

Foxton
Foxton

3 years
11 years

All Saints Anglican Church Foxton

9137

13 November 1915

Rev W. Raine Foxton

No	26
Date of Notice	13 November 1915
	Groom	Bride
Names of Parties	John Woods	Effie Emily Hewth
BDM Match (97%)	John Woods	Effie Emily Newth
	💍 1915/6751
Condition	Bachelor	Spinster
Profession	Laborer	Domestic Duties
Age	25	21
Dwelling Place	Foxton	Foxton
Length of Residence	3 years	11 years
Marriage Place	All Saints Anglican Church Foxton
Folio	9137
Consent
Date of Certificate	13 November 1915
Officiating Minister	Rev W. Raine Foxton

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).