Marriages can be cause for great joy and celebration within families because the binding of two families together provides the opportunity for closer familial ties and, in some cases, the combining of family fortunes. From a genealogist's perspective, a marriage is another life event at which documents are created. However, few researchers really examine the marriage documents and use them as clues to locate other records. In "Along Those Lines . . ." this week, let's look at the clues waiting to be found in marriage records.
Types of Marriage Documents
There are several types of documents that may have been generated by the announcement and consecration of a marriage. These may include an engagement announcement published in a newspaper, a pronouncement of marriage banns, the issuance of a marriage license, the recording of the bride and groom in a county marriage ledger, a marriage certificate, the recording of the event in the records of a religious institution, and a newspaper marriage announcement. All of these provide opportunities for vital information to be recorded for posterity. Let's look at the types of information each of these records might include...
There are several types of documents that may have been generated by the announcement and consecration of a marriage. These may include an engagement announcement published in a newspaper, a pronouncement of marriage banns, the issuance of a marriage license, the recording of the bride and groom in a county marriage ledger, a marriage certificate, the recording of the event in the records of a religious institution, and a newspaper marriage announcement. All of these provide opportunities for vital information to be recorded for posterity. Let's look at the types of information each of these records might include...