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 1488

District of Masterton Quarter ending 31 March 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

22 February 1915

Sydney Arthur Parkes
Ethel Muriel Carley

Sydney Arthur Parkes
Ethel Muriel Carley
💍 1915/7733

Bachelor
Spinster

Dentist
Domestic duties

29
29

Fielding
Masterton

12 years
9 years

St Matthews Church, Masterton

981

22 February 1915

Rev H. Watson, Anglican

No	11
Date of Notice	22 February 1915
	Groom	Bride
Names of Parties	Sydney Arthur Parkes	Ethel Muriel Carley
	💍 1915/7733
Condition	Bachelor	Spinster
Profession	Dentist	Domestic duties
Age	29	29
Dwelling Place	Fielding	Masterton
Length of Residence	12 years	9 years
Marriage Place	St Matthews Church, Masterton
Folio	981
Consent
Date of Certificate	22 February 1915
Officiating Minister	Rev H. Watson, Anglican

23 February 1915

George Royal Scarfe
Kate Rossiter

George Royal Scarfe
Kate Nossiter
💍 1915/7963

Bachelor
Spinster

Engineer
Cashier

19
16

Masterton
Masterton

7 days
7 days

St Patricks Church, Masterton

1801

Edward Albert Scarfe, father; Vernon Rossiter, father

23 February 1915

Rev Dean McKenna, Roman Catholic

No	12
Date of Notice	23 February 1915
	Groom	Bride
Names of Parties	George Royal Scarfe	Kate Rossiter
BDM Match (96%)	George Royal Scarfe	Kate Nossiter
	💍 1915/7963
Condition	Bachelor	Spinster
Profession	Engineer	Cashier
Age	19	16
Dwelling Place	Masterton	Masterton
Length of Residence	7 days	7 days
Marriage Place	St Patricks Church, Masterton
Folio	1801
Consent	Edward Albert Scarfe, father; Vernon Rossiter, father
Date of Certificate	23 February 1915
Officiating Minister	Rev Dean McKenna, Roman Catholic

5 March 1915

John McIntosh
Constance Lilian Cecil Savage

John McIntosh
Constance Lilian Cecil Savage
💍 1915/8684

Bachelor
Spinster

Police constable
Domestic duties

31
24

Masterton
Masterton

3 days
3 days

The Presbyterian Church, Lansdowne, Masterton

777

5 March 1915

Rev J. Halliday, Presbyterian

No	13
Date of Notice	5 March 1915
	Groom	Bride
Names of Parties	John McIntosh	Constance Lilian Cecil Savage
	💍 1915/8684
Condition	Bachelor	Spinster
Profession	Police constable	Domestic duties
Age	31	24
Dwelling Place	Masterton	Masterton
Length of Residence	3 days	3 days
Marriage Place	The Presbyterian Church, Lansdowne, Masterton
Folio	777
Consent
Date of Certificate	5 March 1915
Officiating Minister	Rev J. Halliday, Presbyterian

6 March 1915

Francis Edward Roys
Anne Johnstone Shanks

Francis Edward Roys
Anne Johnstone Shanks
💍 1915/8671

Bachelor
Spinster

Drain-layer
Domestic duties

47
22

Masterton
Masterton

40 years
1 month

The house of F. Roys, 6 Cornwall Street Masterton

774

6 March 1915

Rev A. T. Thompson, Presbyterian

No	14
Date of Notice	6 March 1915
	Groom	Bride
Names of Parties	Francis Edward Roys	Anne Johnstone Shanks
	💍 1915/8671
Condition	Bachelor	Spinster
Profession	Drain-layer	Domestic duties
Age	47	22
Dwelling Place	Masterton	Masterton
Length of Residence	40 years	1 month
Marriage Place	The house of F. Roys, 6 Cornwall Street Masterton
Folio	774
Consent
Date of Certificate	6 March 1915
Officiating Minister	Rev A. T. Thompson, Presbyterian

8 March 1915

Leslie Barber
Ann Brown

Leslie Barber
Ann Brown
💍 1915/8669

Bachelor
Spinster

Butcher
Domestic duties

30
29

Masterton
Masterton

10 years
7 years

The house of Mrs Pauling, 70 Lincoln Road Masterton

773

8 March 1915

Rev A. T. Thompson, Presbyterian

No	15
Date of Notice	8 March 1915
	Groom	Bride
Names of Parties	Leslie Barber	Ann Brown
	💍 1915/8669
Condition	Bachelor	Spinster
Profession	Butcher	Domestic duties
Age	30	29
Dwelling Place	Masterton	Masterton
Length of Residence	10 years	7 years
Marriage Place	The house of Mrs Pauling, 70 Lincoln Road Masterton
Folio	773
Consent
Date of Certificate	8 March 1915
Officiating Minister	Rev A. T. Thompson, Presbyterian

9 March 1915

Henry Alfred Rossiter
Emily Budd

Henry Alfred Rossiter
Emily Budd
💍 1915/8673

Bachelor
Spinster

Farmer
Dressmaker

28
21

Masterton
Masterton

23 years
21 years

The Presbyterian Manse, Lansdowne, Masterton

776

9 March 1915

Rev J. Halliday, Presbyterian

No	16
Date of Notice	9 March 1915
	Groom	Bride
Names of Parties	Henry Alfred Rossiter	Emily Budd
	💍 1915/8673
Condition	Bachelor	Spinster
Profession	Farmer	Dressmaker
Age	28	21
Dwelling Place	Masterton	Masterton
Length of Residence	23 years	21 years
Marriage Place	The Presbyterian Manse, Lansdowne, Masterton
Folio	776
Consent
Date of Certificate	9 March 1915
Officiating Minister	Rev J. Halliday, Presbyterian

13 March 1915

Albert Edward Dobson
Gladys Williams

Albert Edward Dobson
Gladys Williams
💍 1915/8672

Bachelor
Spinster

Clerk
Domestic duties

22
26

Masterton
Masterton

7 years
2 years

The house of W. G. Dobson, Lansdowne Masterton

775

13 March 1915

Rev J. Halliday, Presbyterian

No	17
Date of Notice	13 March 1915
	Groom	Bride
Names of Parties	Albert Edward Dobson	Gladys Williams
	💍 1915/8672
Condition	Bachelor	Spinster
Profession	Clerk	Domestic duties
Age	22	26
Dwelling Place	Masterton	Masterton
Length of Residence	7 years	2 years
Marriage Place	The house of W. G. Dobson, Lansdowne Masterton
Folio	775
Consent
Date of Certificate	13 March 1915
Officiating Minister	Rev J. Halliday, Presbyterian

13 March 1915

William Henry Deadman
Mabel Elizabeth Shute

William Henry Deadman
Mabel Elizabeth Shute
💍 1915/8705

Bachelor
Spinster

Labourer
Domestic duties

19
24

Masterton
Masterton

19 years
24 years

The house of G. A. Deadman, 22 Cole Street Masterton

782

Charles Alfred Deadman, father

13 March 1915

Rev S. J. Serpell, Wesleyan

No	18
Date of Notice	13 March 1915
	Groom	Bride
Names of Parties	William Henry Deadman	Mabel Elizabeth Shute
	💍 1915/8705
Condition	Bachelor	Spinster
Profession	Labourer	Domestic duties
Age	19	24
Dwelling Place	Masterton	Masterton
Length of Residence	19 years	24 years
Marriage Place	The house of G. A. Deadman, 22 Cole Street Masterton
Folio	782
Consent	Charles Alfred Deadman, father
Date of Certificate	13 March 1915
Officiating Minister	Rev S. J. Serpell, Wesleyan

15 March 1915

Samuel Roy Gawith
Florence Mildred Edwards

Samuel Roy Gawith
Florence Mildred Edwards
💍 1915/2027

Bachelor
Spinster

Solicitor

33
36

Masterton
Nelson

8 years
36 years

All Saints Church, Nelson

Nelson 822

15 March 1915

Rev W. S. Lucas, Anglican

No	19
Date of Notice	15 March 1915
	Groom	Bride
Names of Parties	Samuel Roy Gawith	Florence Mildred Edwards
	💍 1915/2027
Condition	Bachelor	Spinster
Profession	Solicitor
Age	33	36
Dwelling Place	Masterton	Nelson
Length of Residence	8 years	36 years
Marriage Place	All Saints Church, Nelson
Folio	Nelson 822
Consent
Date of Certificate	15 March 1915
Officiating Minister	Rev W. S. Lucas, Anglican

15 March 1915

Harold Bryce Clapham
Heather Elizabeth Ann McKenzie

Harold Bryce Clapham
Heather Elizabeth Ann McKenzie
💍 1915/1765

Bachelor
Spinster

Motor Engineer
Tailoress

25
19

Masterton
Masterton

8 years
4 years

St Matthews Church, Masterton

3637

James McKenzie, father

15 March 1915

Rev H. Watson, Anglican

No	20
Date of Notice	15 March 1915
	Groom	Bride
Names of Parties	Harold Bryce Clapham	Heather Elizabeth Ann McKenzie
	💍 1915/1765
Condition	Bachelor	Spinster
Profession	Motor Engineer	Tailoress
Age	25	19
Dwelling Place	Masterton	Masterton
Length of Residence	8 years	4 years
Marriage Place	St Matthews Church, Masterton
Folio	3637
Consent	James McKenzie, father
Date of Certificate	15 March 1915
Officiating Minister	Rev H. Watson, Anglican

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).