Intentions to Marry, 1918 Levin to Wellington

Reference: Registrar-General of Births, Deaths and Marriages, Notices of intention to marry, Series 8937, R2840478, Archives New Zealand Te Rua Mahara o te Kāwanatanga, Wellington

1918 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.

1918d contains pages 1249-1646, covering districts from Levin to Wellington

Page 1274

District of Masterton Quarter ending 31 March 1918 Registrar C. 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

9 February 1918

George Garfield Smith
Rita May McKenzie

George Garfield Smith
Rita May McKenzie
💍 1918/1890

Bachelor
Spinster

Watchmaker

34
24

Masterton
Masterton

1 year
2 years

St. Matthews Church Masterton

1175

9 February 1918

Rev. J. Walker Anglican

No	11
Date of Notice	9 February 1918
	Groom	Bride
Names of Parties	George Garfield Smith	Rita May McKenzie
	💍 1918/1890
Condition	Bachelor	Spinster
Profession	Watchmaker
Age	34	24
Dwelling Place	Masterton	Masterton
Length of Residence	1 year	2 years
Marriage Place	St. Matthews Church Masterton
Folio	1175
Consent
Date of Certificate	9 February 1918
Officiating Minister	Rev. J. Walker Anglican

16 February 1918

Alexander Charles Danemark Lancelot Miller
Florence Edith Jane Holdaway

Alexander Charles Danemark Lanclot Miller
Florence Edith Jane Holdaway
💍 1918/648

Bachelor
Spinster

Machinist
Tailoress

22
22

Masterton
Masterton

7 weeks
7 weeks

Methodist Church Masterton

1176

16 February 1918

Rev. J. A. Hosking Wesleyan

No	12
Date of Notice	16 February 1918
	Groom	Bride
Names of Parties	Alexander Charles Danemark Lancelot Miller	Florence Edith Jane Holdaway
BDM Match (99%)	Alexander Charles Danemark Lanclot Miller	Florence Edith Jane Holdaway
	💍 1918/648
Condition	Bachelor	Spinster
Profession	Machinist	Tailoress
Age	22	22
Dwelling Place	Masterton	Masterton
Length of Residence	7 weeks	7 weeks
Marriage Place	Methodist Church Masterton
Folio	1176
Consent
Date of Certificate	16 February 1918
Officiating Minister	Rev. J. A. Hosking Wesleyan

4 March 1918

Te Urikore Rautahi
Papauma Tuhoirangi Te Huki

Te Urikore Rautahi
Papauma Tuhokairangi Te Huki
💍 1918/659

Bachelor
Spinster

Farmer
Domestic Duties

26
17

Masterton
Masterton

4 years
17 years

Church of the Seven Rules of Jehovah, Kauere Masterton

1177

Papauma Tuhoirangi Te Huki Father

14 March 1918

Rev. Anaru Tuhoirangi Church of the Seven Rules of Jehovah

No	13
Date of Notice	4 March 1918
	Groom	Bride
Names of Parties	Te Urikore Rautahi	Papauma Tuhoirangi Te Huki
BDM Match (96%)	Te Urikore Rautahi	Papauma Tuhokairangi Te Huki
	💍 1918/659
Condition	Bachelor	Spinster
Profession	Farmer	Domestic Duties
Age	26	17
Dwelling Place	Masterton	Masterton
Length of Residence	4 years	17 years
Marriage Place	Church of the Seven Rules of Jehovah, Kauere Masterton
Folio	1177
Consent	Papauma Tuhoirangi Te Huki Father
Date of Certificate	14 March 1918
Officiating Minister	Rev. Anaru Tuhoirangi Church of the Seven Rules of Jehovah

13 March 1918

Percival Douglas Cameron
Nancy Isabel Lewis

Percival Douglas Cameron
Nancy Isabel Lewis
💍 1918/665

Bachelor
Spinster

Physician
Domestic Duties

35
18

Masterton
Masterton

4 days
18 years

Knox Church Masterton

1178

Phillis Margaret Lewis Mother

13 March 1918

Rev. R Inglis Presbyterian

No	14
Date of Notice	13 March 1918
	Groom	Bride
Names of Parties	Percival Douglas Cameron	Nancy Isabel Lewis
	💍 1918/665
Condition	Bachelor	Spinster
Profession	Physician	Domestic Duties
Age	35	18
Dwelling Place	Masterton	Masterton
Length of Residence	4 days	18 years
Marriage Place	Knox Church Masterton
Folio	1178
Consent	Phillis Margaret Lewis Mother
Date of Certificate	13 March 1918
Officiating Minister	Rev. R Inglis Presbyterian

22 March 1918

Albert Richard Block
Gwendolyn Mary Houlbrooke

Albert Richard Elcock
Gwendolyn Mary Houlbrooke
💍 1918/666

Bachelor
Spinster

Solicitor
Domestic Duties

22
20

Masterton
Masterton

3 years
3 days

St Matthews Church Masterton

1179

Leonard Houlbrooke Father

22 March 1918

Rev. J. Walker Anglican

No	15
Date of Notice	22 March 1918
	Groom	Bride
Names of Parties	Albert Richard Block	Gwendolyn Mary Houlbrooke
BDM Match (95%)	Albert Richard Elcock	Gwendolyn Mary Houlbrooke
	💍 1918/666
Condition	Bachelor	Spinster
Profession	Solicitor	Domestic Duties
Age	22	20
Dwelling Place	Masterton	Masterton
Length of Residence	3 years	3 days
Marriage Place	St Matthews Church Masterton
Folio	1179
Consent	Leonard Houlbrooke Father
Date of Certificate	22 March 1918
Officiating Minister	Rev. J. Walker Anglican

26 March 1918

Herbert Adam Cunningham
Doris Emma Beckingsale

Herbert Adam Cunningham
Doris Emma Peckingsale
💍 1918/425

Bachelor
Spinster

Solicitor
Domestic Duties

25
22

Masterton
Palmerston North

16 Months
10 years

Baptist Church Hanover Street Dunedin

783

26 March 1918

Rev. R. S. Gray Baptist

No	16
Date of Notice	26 March 1918
	Groom	Bride
Names of Parties	Herbert Adam Cunningham	Doris Emma Beckingsale
BDM Match (98%)	Herbert Adam Cunningham	Doris Emma Peckingsale
	💍 1918/425
Condition	Bachelor	Spinster
Profession	Solicitor	Domestic Duties
Age	25	22
Dwelling Place	Masterton	Palmerston North
Length of Residence	16 Months	10 years
Marriage Place	Baptist Church Hanover Street Dunedin
Folio	783
Consent
Date of Certificate	26 March 1918
Officiating Minister	Rev. R. S. Gray Baptist

27 March 1918

Clinton Henry Williams
Emily Elizabeth Clemens

Clinton Henry Williams
Emily Elizabeth Clemens
💍 1918/667

Bachelor
Spinster

Farmer
Domestic Duties

25
20

Masterton
Masterton

3 days
3 days

St Patrick's Presbytery Masterton

[illegible]

Edward William Clemens Father

27 March 1918

Rev. J. McKenna Roman Catholic

No	17
Date of Notice	27 March 1918
	Groom	Bride
Names of Parties	Clinton Henry Williams	Emily Elizabeth Clemens
	💍 1918/667
Condition	Bachelor	Spinster
Profession	Farmer	Domestic Duties
Age	25	20
Dwelling Place	Masterton	Masterton
Length of Residence	3 days	3 days
Marriage Place	St Patrick's Presbytery Masterton
Folio	[illegible]
Consent	Edward William Clemens Father
Date of Certificate	27 March 1918
Officiating Minister	Rev. J. McKenna Roman Catholic

28 March 1918

William Hugh O'Hara
Caroline Dorothy Butcher

William Hugh O'Hara
Caroline Dorothy Butcher
💍 1918/3984

Bachelor
Spinster

Drover
Domestic Duties

20
19

Masterton
Masterton

9 years
19 years

Methodist Church Kuripuni Masterton

3221

D. O'Hara Father W. G. Butcher Father

28 March 1918

Rev. J. A. Hosking Methodist

No	18
Date of Notice	28 March 1918
	Groom	Bride
Names of Parties	William Hugh O'Hara	Caroline Dorothy Butcher
	💍 1918/3984
Condition	Bachelor	Spinster
Profession	Drover	Domestic Duties
Age	20	19
Dwelling Place	Masterton	Masterton
Length of Residence	9 years	19 years
Marriage Place	Methodist Church Kuripuni Masterton
Folio	3221
Consent	D. O'Hara Father W. G. Butcher Father
Date of Certificate	28 March 1918
Officiating Minister	Rev. J. A. Hosking Methodist

30 March 1918

Stanley Thomas Kirby
Madeline Mary Agnes Gaskin

Stanley Thomas Kirby
Madeline Mary Agness Gastein
💍 1918/668

Bachelor
Spinster

Soldier

35
22

Masterton
Masterton

3 days
1 month

St Patricks Church Masterton

1184

30 March 1918

Rev. M. J. Lewis Roman Catholic

No	19
Date of Notice	30 March 1918
	Groom	Bride
Names of Parties	Stanley Thomas Kirby	Madeline Mary Agnes Gaskin
BDM Match (95%)	Stanley Thomas Kirby	Madeline Mary Agness Gastein
	💍 1918/668
Condition	Bachelor	Spinster
Profession	Soldier
Age	35	22
Dwelling Place	Masterton	Masterton
Length of Residence	3 days	1 month
Marriage Place	St Patricks Church Masterton
Folio	1184
Consent
Date of Certificate	30 March 1918
Officiating Minister	Rev. M. J. Lewis Roman Catholic

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).