My OperaUsing Marriage Licenses in a Genealogy Search
Thursday, July 23, 2009 4:38:33 AM
When beginning a genealogy search of your family some records are invaluable. Birth certificates, marriage licenses and death certificates are among these documents. Many families keep such records in a family bible, writing down these important dates and creating the beginnings of a family tree. Still, the written record placed in a bible is only the start; it doesn’t usually include maiden names or extended family. A marriage license is perhaps the best place to make those extended connections.
Any tree you wish to trace should begin with you. On your birth certificate you can find your parent’s names. That will allow you to trace their marriage license, assuming they married in the States. Foreign countries also keep these records, but each country has different rules, so you will need to contact the appropriate government offices. It is likely that you know the names of at least one generation back, that of your grandparents, and if your parents are alive you can probably get anniversary dates for your grandparents that way. Knowing the actual year of marriage is critical in any marriage license search.
Online services require less specific information when digging up records. For a reasonable fee they will provide you with documents that match the information you have. You may end up with several documents that appear to match and then need to narrow down your options by doing some more detective work. The advantage here is that you can still initiate a search even without knowing exact details, something that isn’t possible when contacting a state’s vital statistics office.
It is important to note that not all marriages licenses can be found. Fires, wars and careless itinerant preachers have caused licenses to be lost. Some couples never filed licenses to begin with, posting banns or bonds instead. Nonetheless, using an online search to find marriage licenses may be the most efficient course of action. [/ALIGN]
Any tree you wish to trace should begin with you. On your birth certificate you can find your parent’s names. That will allow you to trace their marriage license, assuming they married in the States. Foreign countries also keep these records, but each country has different rules, so you will need to contact the appropriate government offices. It is likely that you know the names of at least one generation back, that of your grandparents, and if your parents are alive you can probably get anniversary dates for your grandparents that way. Knowing the actual year of marriage is critical in any marriage license search.
Online services require less specific information when digging up records. For a reasonable fee they will provide you with documents that match the information you have. You may end up with several documents that appear to match and then need to narrow down your options by doing some more detective work. The advantage here is that you can still initiate a search even without knowing exact details, something that isn’t possible when contacting a state’s vital statistics office.
It is important to note that not all marriages licenses can be found. Fires, wars and careless itinerant preachers have caused licenses to be lost. Some couples never filed licenses to begin with, posting banns or bonds instead. Nonetheless, using an online search to find marriage licenses may be the most efficient course of action. [/ALIGN]
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