If you are searching your family tree, you will realize that not only is this both enjoyable and interesting but also extremely frustrating when you come to a dead end. Many of the fact-finding exercises involve plowing through certificates and vital records, and this is where you will come across details of weddings and marriages. While searching through this paper trail can be exciting, it can also provide conflicting information to the researcher, and this is where marriage records can play an important role.
There is sometimes a long time between an individual's birth and death, and marriage records can shine more light on any gaps of an individual's life, confirming facts you already knew existed or maybe providing you with new information.
Not only do marriage details provide the researcher with a recording of a wedding that has taken place, but they can also assist with producing new ideas not already thought of. With information on two individuals, these documents can lead to a host of further research opportunities.
Marriage records will include full details of an individual's name, age, and also an address, occupation, and parents' names and address too. Looking closer, you will also see the names of the witnesses who were present on the big day, and you may be able to work out what relationship they had to the happy couple. The locality of the wedding can also provide you with clues on other avenues to explore, such as where the couple originated from or lived.
Marriage certificates were a compulsory part of civil registration. However, there are some other marriage records available as well. If you know where the couple lived, then you could approach the church or local parish to see if they have any further details held on record. Most states and counties have separate archives as well, and historical societies can also be of assistance.
Apart from taking a trip to the local, or even national, office of records, there are a host of different online sites and databases available that will have copies of information derived from an original certificate, ready in a matter of minutes.
Although there are some free sites available with enough information to find key details held on record, namely county or local projects, most of the larger and more detailed databases have a subscription fee attached. There are various ways to pay these subscriptions and access the relevant records, so you should get a good look at the many different sites to determine which one offers the most and for the best price. Some sites can provide the researcher with fully comprehensible details, whereas others, while free to search, require payment to see any details on record.
With this information right at your fingertips -- and before banging your head against the brick wall you encounter -- take a look at marriage records to see if they include any further information to fill in the gaps.
There is sometimes a long time between an individual's birth and death, and marriage records can shine more light on any gaps of an individual's life, confirming facts you already knew existed or maybe providing you with new information.
Not only do marriage details provide the researcher with a recording of a wedding that has taken place, but they can also assist with producing new ideas not already thought of. With information on two individuals, these documents can lead to a host of further research opportunities.
Marriage records will include full details of an individual's name, age, and also an address, occupation, and parents' names and address too. Looking closer, you will also see the names of the witnesses who were present on the big day, and you may be able to work out what relationship they had to the happy couple. The locality of the wedding can also provide you with clues on other avenues to explore, such as where the couple originated from or lived.
Marriage certificates were a compulsory part of civil registration. However, there are some other marriage records available as well. If you know where the couple lived, then you could approach the church or local parish to see if they have any further details held on record. Most states and counties have separate archives as well, and historical societies can also be of assistance.
Apart from taking a trip to the local, or even national, office of records, there are a host of different online sites and databases available that will have copies of information derived from an original certificate, ready in a matter of minutes.
Although there are some free sites available with enough information to find key details held on record, namely county or local projects, most of the larger and more detailed databases have a subscription fee attached. There are various ways to pay these subscriptions and access the relevant records, so you should get a good look at the many different sites to determine which one offers the most and for the best price. Some sites can provide the researcher with fully comprehensible details, whereas others, while free to search, require payment to see any details on record.
With this information right at your fingertips -- and before banging your head against the brick wall you encounter -- take a look at marriage records to see if they include any further information to fill in the gaps.
About the Author:
Want to find out more about tracing your own family tree using marriages records, then visit Sarah Brookhaven's genealogy site at www.Find-My-Family-Tree.com for a free genealogy mini-course. Her newest genealogy book, The Ultimate Genealogy Guide, provides indepth information for finding your family's roots.
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