Marriage records are a great way to learn more about your ancestors. They provide important information such as marriage dates and marriage locations, names of spouses, marriage ages at the time of marriage, occupations, or children’s names in some cases. Marriage certificates may also include other relatives like parents or grandparents if they were present when the marriage took place (more details below). I have found that these documents can be very helpful in learning new things about people and their families who lived generations ago!
Importance of Marriage Records
Marriage records can be an important part of your family history research because they date back to the early settlement of North America. Most marriage records in Canada and the United States were kept by churches or town halls until after 1850 when civil registration became a legal requirement for marriage licenses.
If you have marriage certificates that are being used as proof of citizenship (such as naturalization) it’s important to know that marriage certificates issued before 1906 may not contain all required information such as names of both spouses parents, if divorced what year was divorce granted and city where married unless one spouse is deceased at time application made with no remarriage between dates listed on divorce papers. You should check online sources like Ancestry dot com, Folders World Wide web, Family Search Center, and Genealogy Bank online to see if marriage certificates you want are available. If not make sure your birth certificate is on file with the state where the marriage certificate was recorded so they can search for marriage records by using information from the birth certificate.
Way to find Marriage Records and Marriage Certificates
If you are looking for marriage records, there are a few ways to find them. You can go directly to the marriage certificate office in your state of residence or if you know where they were married look through the marriage license records at that county courthouse. However, many marriages were never recorded, and sometimes even when they were it may be difficult to find them. If you are lucky enough to find the marriage record, it will contain all of the pertinent information about the marriage such as when and where it took place, who performed the ceremony, and the addresses of both bride and groom on their marriage day. The marriage certificate may also list the witnesses present at the wedding. For more information on marriage records
If you need a copy of your marriage certificate for legal reasons such as changing your name or getting a divorce, most states have a central office that issues certified copies of marriage certificates. You can contact this office directly or search online for their website. Be prepared to pay a fee for each copy that you order. Fees vary from state to state, but typically the marriage record fee is $25.00 and higher if you order from a central office instead of directly through your county courthouse.
