What do you think of when you think of Valentine’s Day? To most people, they think of flowers and candy and cuddly stuffed animals. There are those that not only give flowers and candy and stuffed animals to their loved ones, but they also surprise the loved ones with a proposal of marriage.
We then as genealogists get to get our adrenaline running as we play detective in the search for marriage records for our ancestors. So how does one go about looking for marriage records? Where do we look? To whom do we speak? Are there other types of records that we would not have thought about otherwise before that pertain to marriages? Here are some helpful tips to make your search more productive and successful, as the search tips will include other countries. 1) Approximating Marriage Year and Place a. Year i. For those that were living between 1900 -1940 in the U.S, look for U.S. Census records. They will provide either the number of years married, or marriage year or the age at first marriage. ii. Another way to go about it is to find who the oldest child was and their birth year. Once you find the birth year of the oldest child add 1 to 3 years for possible date of marriage. iii. Between the years of 1650 – 1940 females tended to get married between the ages of 14 – 21 on average, depending on where they were living and the customs of that area. iv. Between 1650 – 1940 males tended to get married between the ages of 15 – 25 on average, depending on where they were living and the customs of that area. b. Place i. Weddings would take place where the bride and her family lived. So, look in Census records for the bride and her family. Look at the Census record closest to the date you believe they were married. This may help in finding the state and county of the marriage. ii. If unsuccessful in finding the marriage location on the bride’s side of the family, look for census records locating county and state of the groom and his family. iii. Marriages also could take place in the same county and state where the first child was born. iv. Check out these other sources to where the marriage took place: 1. Census records. Remember prior to 1850 women were not listed. So, after 1850 the census may have listed the spouse. 2. Family Bibles. Archives, libraries and historical centers are great places to search for marriage records, if the family members that you are in contact with do not have family Bibles. 3. Newspaper announcements. They may contain information regarding the marriage, anniversaries, or family reunions. 4. Church Marriage records. Church records may contain the spouse’s maiden name, parent’s names of the bride and groom as well as the date and place. 5. Children’s Baptismal Records. In some countries, other than the U.S., a child’s baptismal record will often provide not only the names of the parents and Godparents, but they will provide the names of the grandparents. 6. Death Records. This record may provide a spouse’s name and whether the deceased was single, married, widowed or divorced. 7. Obituaries. They can provide parent’s names, siblings, children and their spouse’s names. And on rare occasions they may provide the date and place of their marriage. 8. Military Records. Remember with pensions a widow would sometimes have to prove that they were married to the deceased spouse. Thus, there may be a date and place listed in the pension file. Also, look on draft registration forms for a name of spouse. 9. Naturalization paperwork. Another great source to find information regarding name of spouse, date of marriage and place of marriage. 2) Where do you find a copy? a. County Court Houses b. States Archives c. Church Records d. Libraries in the county in which the couple married. e. Government Agencies such as Vital Statistics for the state in which the couple married. f. Online – indexes and digital copies of the marriage records g. Extended family. Always share with extended family they may have treasures you may not have. 3) Types of Marriage Records. I found a wonderful blog that discusses the types of marriage records during the 19th Century in America. There are 6 types that Diana Gale Matthiesen elaborates on within her blog. 4) Loose Marriage Records. Finally let’s talk about something you don’t hear about as readily. Loose Marriage Records. These documents are a rich source that can provide extensive information. Melisa Baker in Houston County, TN does a superb job of informing us more about the Loose Marriage Records.
1 Comment
Hilde
2/3/2017 03:57:53 pm
Penny you have been a great help in digging up my ancestors. Can't believe how many you have found, some that I had no idea I was related to. Thank you and keep up the good work. Hilde
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Penny Alvarez-KellerGraduated from Arkansas Tech University with a degree in Management / Marketing and a degree in Economics / Finance Archives
February 2023
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