Ancestry/Genealogy

OnDoutside

(20,656 posts) Tue Feb 16, 2021, 03:16 AM Feb 2021

US Marriage registration records, how to find what they contain ?

I've been doing some amateur sleuthing for people over the years, and the biggest issue I find is finding what these marriage records actually contain. Most cases on places like Ancestry, I only see that a couple were married on such a date, but nothing else about the marriage license. Is there a site where I could see this information. In Ireland, they have scanned most of the marriage registration records, so it's a bit easier to piece things together like this

https://civilrecords.irishgenealogy.ie/churchrecords/images/marriage_returns/marriages_1874/11233/8118382.pdf

5 replies

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US Marriage registration records, how to find what they contain ? (Original Post) OnDoutside Feb 2021 OP

Not on point to your inquiry, but marriage records gave me invaluable information. no_hypocrisy Feb 2021 #1

That IS a cool story ! Every family needs (and probably has) some story like that :) Actually re OP OnDoutside Feb 2021 #2

Yeah, after considerable searching wnylib Feb 2021 #3

I wonder would be that there were so many people flooding into an area, that a couple could just say OnDoutside Feb 2021 #4

They had a small farm in northwestern PA. wnylib Feb 2021 #5

no_hypocrisy

(48,778 posts)

1. Not on point to your inquiry, but marriage records gave me invaluable information.

Reply to OnDoutside (Original post)

Tue Feb 16, 2021, 05:58 AM

Feb 2021

I found my paternal grandfather registered twice within three years to marry two different women. At first, I guessed he was a bigamist. But he broke off the engagement to marry my grandmother. Since was 1904, the jilted bride sued him for Broken Promise, to the tune of $264,000+ in today's dollars. (It was 1904, and it created a scandal, making the jilted bride unmarriageable.) The registrations got me so far, and newspapers.com took me the rest of the way.

OnDoutside

(20,656 posts)

2. That IS a cool story ! Every family needs (and probably has) some story like that :) Actually re OP

Reply to no_hypocrisy (Reply #1)

Tue Feb 16, 2021, 09:12 AM

Feb 2021

I did find something through familysearch.org and it gives everything I could hope for.

https://www.familysearch.org/wiki/en/How_to_Find_Massachusetts_Marriage_Records

eg https://www.familysearch.org/ark:/61903/1:1:N4F6-CK2

wnylib

(24,373 posts)

3. Yeah, after considerable searching

Reply to OnDoutside (Reply #2)

Sun Feb 28, 2021, 10:00 AM

Feb 2021

in every possible location, my aunt and I concluded that one set of my great-great grandparents never did marry. They had 3 children, then split up (no divorce record), and each went on to a different partner (again, no marriage record).

Explains why my great-grandfather had his mother's maiden name.

Shacking-up in the 19th century! Wonder why they never made it legal.

OnDoutside

(20,656 posts)

4. I wonder would be that there were so many people flooding into an area, that a couple could just say

Reply to wnylib (Reply #3)

Sun Feb 28, 2021, 05:50 PM

Feb 2021

they were married and people wouldn't know not to believe them ?

wnylib

(24,373 posts)

5. They had a small farm in northwestern PA.

Reply to OnDoutside (Reply #4)

Sun Feb 28, 2021, 11:43 PM

Feb 2021

My great grandfather was their first child, born in 1877.

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