A brick wall with Mary and John

[spades]

Hi again,

If your family were based at or around Port Chalmers I would also suggest contacting the Port Chalmers Museum. Request a search of their database Port Chalmers Early People. It's an excellent resource!

If they don't appear in this database I strongly suggest that you submit an entry, and if they do it is possible to add information to an existing one.  I wish more towns had such a reference available.

Spades

[familysleuth]

Thanks, Spades, I can request a look up from the NZGS, as they hold a copy of the 'Early People' archive, so I will do that straight away. I was able to connect with one other researcher of this family, who encountered the same brick wall as myself and has been unable to go further. However with 9 living children of John WHITE and Mary NELLEN, at least 8 of whom married and had families there must be some information out there..... it is a matter of when something comes to light!! Thanks a lot for your replies!

[Lucy2]

Thanks everyone - I did request the ITM's for Mary and John, and also these records for a couple of other ancestors  I needed to check. What I DID find was that the 'Residence' column was interpreted differently by various offices/officials - another person assisting me confirmed that apparently  no guidelines were given out with the forms so local officials made their own interpretation of what was meant … ie, whether this meant time in NZ or time in that place.... specifically that Parish.

Hi familysleuth

Mmm ... that's not a "story" I've ever heard.    

The rules pertaining to "Notice of Intended Marriage" are clearly spelled out in The Marriage Act 1854 and one would expect that Government-appointed Registrars and Ministers of the various faiths, would therefore be well acquainted with the requirements of same.

That's not to say though that there weren't instances of errors made by those either volunteering or recording such information.

   ~  Lu

[familysleuth]

Lucy, you are quite correct: the Marriage Act says

Notice of intended Marriage. In every case of intended Marriage, it will be requisite that one of the persons intending Marriage give notice, under his or her hand (in the form specified in Schedule A. annexed to the Act), to the Registrar of the district in which one of the persons shall have dwelt for not less than three days; and if they dwell in different districts, notice must be given to the Registrar of each district. The notice must state the age, name, and surname, calling or profession, condition, (whether bachelor or widower, spinster or widow), and dwelling-place of each of the persons: — also, the time that each of them has dwelt in the district, and the Church, Building, or Place in which the Marriage is intended to be solemnized.

..... that being said, errors..... answers to the question 'how long have you lived here?'...... could well have been interpreted by the people themselves in different ways. I'll be cautious with the  ITM but its really useful for firming up ages where the marriage reg only says 'full age'... and if there was a relative to give an underage person away. thanks a lot for your post which has given me the correct answer!

cheers,
Louise

[MJINNES]

I have a copy of the 20 page family history  you are trying to find. I am A descendant  of Prudence. I live in Dunedin NZ. You can email me directly  ^(*)


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