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 1497

District of Masterton Quarter ending 31 December 1915 Registrar Wm. M. Easthope

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

5 October 1915

Thomas Bain
Lily Pauling

Thomas Cain
Lily Pauling
💍 1915/6826

Bachelor
Spinster

Labourer
Domestic duties

23
19

Masterton
Masterton

6 months
14 years

The house of Mary Anne Pauling Lincoln Road Masterton

9187

Mary Anne Pauling, mother

5 October 1915

Rev. G. T. Brown Presbyterian

No	63
Date of Notice	5 October 1915
	Groom	Bride
Names of Parties	Thomas Bain	Lily Pauling
BDM Match (95%)	Thomas Cain	Lily Pauling
	💍 1915/6826
Condition	Bachelor	Spinster
Profession	Labourer	Domestic duties
Age	23	19
Dwelling Place	Masterton	Masterton
Length of Residence	6 months	14 years
Marriage Place	The house of Mary Anne Pauling Lincoln Road Masterton
Folio	9187
Consent	Mary Anne Pauling, mother
Date of Certificate	5 October 1915
Officiating Minister	Rev. G. T. Brown Presbyterian

6 October 1915

James Joseph Floyd
Violet Hill

James Joseph Floyd
Violet Hill
💍 1915/6823

Bachelor
Spinster

Trooper N. Z. Rifles
Domestic duties

39
22

Masterton
Masterton

3 days
19 years

The house of H. Hill Johnstone Street Masterton

9184

6 October 1915

Rev. S. Guinan Roman Catholic

No	64
Date of Notice	6 October 1915
	Groom	Bride
Names of Parties	James Joseph Floyd	Violet Hill
	💍 1915/6823
Condition	Bachelor	Spinster
Profession	Trooper N. Z. Rifles	Domestic duties
Age	39	22
Dwelling Place	Masterton	Masterton
Length of Residence	3 days	19 years
Marriage Place	The house of H. Hill Johnstone Street Masterton
Folio	9184
Consent
Date of Certificate	6 October 1915
Officiating Minister	Rev. S. Guinan Roman Catholic

20 October 1915

William Innes
Lucy Isabell Cobb

William Innes
Lucy Isabell Cobb
💍 1915/6825

Bachelor
Spinster

Cab-driver
Domestic duties

37
28

Masterton
Masterton

11 years
2 years

The Presbyterian Church, Lansdowne

9186

20 October 1915

Rev. J. Halliday Presbyterian

No	65
Date of Notice	20 October 1915
	Groom	Bride
Names of Parties	William Innes	Lucy Isabell Cobb
	💍 1915/6825
Condition	Bachelor	Spinster
Profession	Cab-driver	Domestic duties
Age	37	28
Dwelling Place	Masterton	Masterton
Length of Residence	11 years	2 years
Marriage Place	The Presbyterian Church, Lansdowne
Folio	9186
Consent
Date of Certificate	20 October 1915
Officiating Minister	Rev. J. Halliday Presbyterian

23 October 1915

Augustus Porter
Lilian Isabella Geary

Augustus Porter
Lilian Isabella Geary
💍 1915/6813

Bachelor
Spinster

Shearer
Domestic duties

38
21

Masterton
Masterton

6 months
6 months

The Registrar's Office Masterton

9180

23 October 1915

Wm. M. Easthope Registrar

No	66
Date of Notice	23 October 1915
	Groom	Bride
Names of Parties	Augustus Porter	Lilian Isabella Geary
	💍 1915/6813
Condition	Bachelor	Spinster
Profession	Shearer	Domestic duties
Age	38	21
Dwelling Place	Masterton	Masterton
Length of Residence	6 months	6 months
Marriage Place	The Registrar's Office Masterton
Folio	9180
Consent
Date of Certificate	23 October 1915
Officiating Minister	Wm. M. Easthope Registrar

1 November 1915

Bernard Joseph O'Neill
Rita Hood

Bernard Joseph O'Neill
Rita Hood
💍 1915/6802

Bachelor
Spinster

Labourer
Domestic duties

22
19

Masterton
Masterton

3 years
3 days

The Registrar's Office, Masterton

9179

Alexander William Hood, Father

1 November 1915

Wm. M. Easthope Registrar

No	67
Date of Notice	1 November 1915
	Groom	Bride
Names of Parties	Bernard Joseph O'Neill	Rita Hood
	💍 1915/6802
Condition	Bachelor	Spinster
Profession	Labourer	Domestic duties
Age	22	19
Dwelling Place	Masterton	Masterton
Length of Residence	3 years	3 days
Marriage Place	The Registrar's Office, Masterton
Folio	9179
Consent	Alexander William Hood, Father
Date of Certificate	1 November 1915
Officiating Minister	Wm. M. Easthope Registrar

2 November 1915

William John Grose
Emma Grace Greathead

William John Goose
Emma Grace Grathead
💍 1915/6819

William John Parnell
Emma Jane Dalley
💍 1915/3933

Bachelor
Spinster

Dental mechanic
Dressmaker

24
22

Masterton
Masterton

4 months
22 years

St. Matthews Church Masterton

9189

2 November 1915

Rev. John Walker Anglican

No	68
Date of Notice	2 November 1915
	Groom	Bride
Names of Parties	William John Grose	Emma Grace Greathead
BDM Match (95%)	William John Goose	Emma Grace Grathead
	💍 1915/6819
BDM Match (60%)	William John Parnell	Emma Jane Dalley
	💍 1915/3933
Condition	Bachelor	Spinster
Profession	Dental mechanic	Dressmaker
Age	24	22
Dwelling Place	Masterton	Masterton
Length of Residence	4 months	22 years
Marriage Place	St. Matthews Church Masterton
Folio	9189
Consent
Date of Certificate	2 November 1915
Officiating Minister	Rev. John Walker Anglican

8 November 1915

George Pain Hutchinson Harris
Ethel Louisa Elers

George Pain Hutchinson Harris
Ethel Louisa Elers
💍 1915/6803

Bachelor
Spinster

Motor Agent
Domestic duties

23
26

Masterton
Masterton

12 years
26 years

the house of G. P. H. Harris Rogers Lane Masterton

9188

8 November 1915

Rev. John Walker Anglican

No	69
Date of Notice	8 November 1915
	Groom	Bride
Names of Parties	George Pain Hutchinson Harris	Ethel Louisa Elers
	💍 1915/6803
Condition	Bachelor	Spinster
Profession	Motor Agent	Domestic duties
Age	23	26
Dwelling Place	Masterton	Masterton
Length of Residence	12 years	26 years
Marriage Place	the house of G. P. H. Harris Rogers Lane Masterton
Folio	9188
Consent
Date of Certificate	8 November 1915
Officiating Minister	Rev. John Walker Anglican

9 November 1915

William Joseph Tobin
Emily Maud Kempton

William Joseph Tobin
Emily Maud Kempton
💍 1915/6710

Bachelor
Spinster

Labourer
Domestic duties

22
20

Masterton
Masterton

4 days
6 months

St. Matthews Church Masterton

9177

Henry William Kempton, Father

9 November 1915

Rev. J. Walker Anglican

No	70
Date of Notice	9 November 1915
	Groom	Bride
Names of Parties	William Joseph Tobin	Emily Maud Kempton
	💍 1915/6710
Condition	Bachelor	Spinster
Profession	Labourer	Domestic duties
Age	22	20
Dwelling Place	Masterton	Masterton
Length of Residence	4 days	6 months
Marriage Place	St. Matthews Church Masterton
Folio	9177
Consent	Henry William Kempton, Father
Date of Certificate	9 November 1915
Officiating Minister	Rev. J. Walker Anglican

16 November 1915

Hugh Rowland Biss
Constance Florence McLachlan

Hugh Roland Biss
Constance Florence McLachlan
💍 1915/6824

Bachelor
Spinster

Army Lieutenant
Domestic duties

23
26

Tauherenikau
Masterton

1 day
4 days

Knox Church Masterton

9185

16 November 1915

Rev. G. T. Brown Presbyterian

No	71
Date of Notice	16 November 1915
	Groom	Bride
Names of Parties	Hugh Rowland Biss	Constance Florence McLachlan
BDM Match (97%)	Hugh Roland Biss	Constance Florence McLachlan
	💍 1915/6824
Condition	Bachelor	Spinster
Profession	Army Lieutenant	Domestic duties
Age	23	26
Dwelling Place	Tauherenikau	Masterton
Length of Residence	1 day	4 days
Marriage Place	Knox Church Masterton
Folio	9185
Consent
Date of Certificate	16 November 1915
Officiating Minister	Rev. G. T. Brown Presbyterian

20 November 1915

Harold Lloyd Parse
Eva Gawith

Harold Lloyd Pearse
Eva Gawith
💍 1915/6822

Bachelor
Spinster

Carpenter
Shop assistant

31
31

Masterton
Masterton

8 years
7 years

Knox Church Masterton

9183

20 November 1915

Rev. G. T. Brown Presbyterian

No	72
Date of Notice	20 November 1915
	Groom	Bride
Names of Parties	Harold Lloyd Parse	Eva Gawith
BDM Match (97%)	Harold Lloyd Pearse	Eva Gawith
	💍 1915/6822
Condition	Bachelor	Spinster
Profession	Carpenter	Shop assistant
Age	31	31
Dwelling Place	Masterton	Masterton
Length of Residence	8 years	7 years
Marriage Place	Knox Church Masterton
Folio	9183
Consent
Date of Certificate	20 November 1915
Officiating Minister	Rev. G. T. Brown Presbyterian

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).