#Marriage dissolution records how to#
#Marriage dissolution records license#

This information may have been reported in writing or verbally or, more frequently, the official recorded the event on the license or bond and returned this document to the clerk. If the marriage was performed by someone else, such as a minister or justice of the peace, that person was required to report, or “return”, the marriage information to the town or county clerk. Town and county clerks generally recorded the marriages they performed in a register or book. This may be in the possession of the family. The individual who performed the ceremony or the civil office where it was recorded may have given the couple a certificate of marriage. The following records document the actual marriage: A minister, justice of the peace, military officer, ship officer, or state official could legally marry a couple. In most cases it can be assumed that the couple married a short time after announcing their intent, even though proof of the actual marriage has not been found. These are occasionally a part of a marriage application, especially in regions that were colonized by France or Spain. The consent may have been verbal or written on the license or bond.Ĭontracts or Settlements Ĭontracts or settlements are documents created for the protection of legal rights and property. These often contain more detailed information than the license.Ĭonsent papers may be available if the consent of a parent or guardian was required, often when the bride or groom was underage. Applications for a license are primarily a twentieth-century record. The license was presented to the person who performed the marriage and was later returned to the town or county clerk. Later records also provide their race, birth dates, occupations, and usually the names of the parents. These records have the most information of genealogical value, including the couple's names, ages, and residence. A bride and groom obtained a license to be married by applying to the proper civil authorities, usually a town or county clerk. These gradually replaced the use of banns, intentions, and bonds. These documents were frequently used in the southern and middle-Atlantic states up to the mid-1800's.Īpplications and Licenses Īpplications and licenses are the most common types of records showing intent to marry. The bond was then returned to the town or county clerk. The bond was presented to the minister or official who would perform the ceremony.

The person who posted the bond was known as the surety or bondsman. Marriage bonds are written guarantees or promises of payment made by the groom or another person (often a relative of the bride) to ensure that a forthcoming marriage would be legal. The minister or town clerk recorded these announcements in a register, or interfiled with other town or church records. Intentions were written notices presented to the local civil authority and posted in a public place for a given period of time. They may have also posted a written notice at the church. Traditionally the announcement of an impending wedding would be announced in the church for three weeks prior to the event.īanns were a religious custom in which the couple announced to their local congregation that they planned to marry. This was a rather common custom in the southern and New England states through the mid-1800's. The couple may have been required to announce their intentions in order to give other community members the opportunity to raise any objections to the marriage. Banns and intentions were made a few weeks before a couple planned to marry. Marriage banns are the public announcement of an intended marriage. Various records may have been created that show a couple's intent to marry. Some records may show a couple's intent to marry in addition to the records of the actual marriageįor more information about using marriage records effectively, click here. These records are usually stored with the clerk of the town or county where the bride resided, but some particularly early ones may be housed in the state’s archives and more recent ones may be found in the state’s Division of Vital Records. Marriage has always been a very public covenant, recorded in a variety of ways. Whether a civil or church authority performed the ceremony, local laws usually required that the marriage be recorded in civil records. Churches and governments often kept marriage records before they documented other life events.

#Marriage dissolution records how to#

To find a marriage record, choose the state where the marriage occurred:ĭon't know the state? - Go to How to Estimate Marriage InformationĪ valuable source for genealogists is the Marriage Record. How to Find United States Marriage Records Using Guided Research 6 How Information from Marriage Records can Help Research.4.3 Personal Records of the Individual Who Performed the Ceremony.1 How to Find United States Marriage Records Using Guided Research.