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Marriage Records: Types and Where to Look
The two kinds of marriage records mandated by US civil laws are
the marriage license and the marriage register.
Marriage
Records: Marriage License
The marriage license is
basically a permit the state issues to its citizens, which allows them to be
married. Before the marriage ceremony, the couple must apply with the
appropriate civil authority. This public official is normally a Clerk of the
county, town or district where the marriage will take place.
The data in a marriage license
usually includes the following:
- Names of
couple
- Ages /
birthdays
- Home addresses
- Races
- Professions
- Info on
parents (names, sometimes birthplaces)
The marriage license should be
presented to the person who will officiate the marriage.
In the US, it doesn't take very
long to get a marriage license (waiting period ranges from 0 to six days). Some
countries, like Brazil, have a waiting period of two months!
Although blood tests are no
longer required in most US states, some areas may still require it. Expiration
dates for marriage licenses also vary.
Marriage Records: Marriage
Register
The marriage register is a
record book kept by the Clerk. After the marriage ceremony is completed, the
marriage license should be fully signed by the couple, witnesses, and
official/s.
Then, the marriage license
should be given back to the Clerk who issued the license form. The Clerk then
records the info in the marriage register.
The data in a marriage license
usually includes the following:
- Names of
Couple
- Marriage place
and date
- Name of person
who officiated
The marriage register is the
surest proof that a marriage did take place. By itself, the marriage license is
not sufficient evidence, as couples sometimes applied for it but never pushed
through with the actual ceremony.
What happens after an entry is
made in the register is that the couple or the official files for a Certified
Copy of Marriage License, as proof that a marriage indeed took place.
Marriage records also include
marriage certificates, which are the documents that are usually framed.
Marriage Records: Difficulties
With Access
Marriage records are available
for inspection to the general public. Any difficulty with access will probably
come from the fact that Internet access may be restricted in some areas.
Although some statewide indexes
are searchable online, some may require you to write the Clerk in the county or
district where the marriage took place.
Also, older marriage records
may not be kept at any state-level archive.
Most US states didn't start
keeping vital records until the close of the 19th century. The first
state to implement statewide record keeping was New Hampshire in 1640. The last
was Colorado, which started its state vital records only in 1968.
The kind of information
contained in older marriage records may vary widely, with older ones tending to
be less descriptive.
Aside from town or county
registries, possible places to look for older marriage records are:
- Church or
clergyman's books
- Baptismal
records (to which marriage records were sometimes attached as baptisms were
occasionally regarded as more important)
- Historical
societies or archives
- Town or
county libraries
Further information
about the marriage certificate can be found at
RecordsSiteReviews’
Marriage Records page. |
