Marriage Certificates - The Secret to Finding Your Birth Parents

Most people trying to find their genealogical history turn to marriage certificates as a source of information. If you are looking for your birth parents, then you may also want to find marriage certificates.

Marriage certificates may actually serve dual purposes. First, marriage certificates may be the document indicating that the state has granted permission for the marriage to take place. Second, marriage certificates point to the fact that the actual wedding ceremony has taken place under legal jurisdiction. A third case actually documents both instances and marriage certificates prove that the two criteria are alright.

There are oftentimes two copies of marriage certificates provided. The first one is given to the couple for their recordkeeping purposes. The second copy may be kept in the registrar's office. Information in marriage certificates includes the names of the spouses, the ages and the place where the wedding took place. Ages are crucial in marriage certificates since this may prove that the spouses were of rightful legal age when the union occurred. If they were underage, a parent or legal guardian has to provide consent first before the marriage can happen, all of which can also be found in marriage certificates.

Marriage Certificates- How To Find Birth Parents

The first step in trying to find your birth parents is getting a copy of the identifying information sheet that is provided at the time of your adoption. This will contain the names of your birth parents and the parents who adopted you. You can also request for a copy of your original birth certificate, which is usually cancelled at the time that you are adopted.

However, the recourse to take if the first two options do not work for you is turning to marriage certificates. When this happens, you may have to search through the records in different states in case the person moved form one place to another. When you request for marriage certificates, then you will be able to see the maiden name of the mother and names of the parents of the spouses. Even their residence, occupation and other contact and identifying information may be found in the marriage certificates.

If this is not the first marriage of one or both of your birth parents, then this will be indicated in the marriage certificates. The divorced spouse will have to be cleared first, to ensure that the previous marriage has been completely dissolved or terminated. Marriage certificates can indeed be a useful guide for finding birth parents, but it is by no means that only source of data. You can also approach one of the many adoption agencies throughout the country for further assistance.

Whatever vital records you come up with in finding your birth parents, you need to be prepared mentally and emotionally if you plan on meeting them. They may not welcome your presence in their lives and even after you find out who they are, you need to ask yourself about the kind of relationship that you would like to have with them.

To know more information on how you can use marriage certificates to find certain people, feel free to browse around the People Search section of RecordsSiteReviews.