Marriage Records

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What are Marriage Records?

Making a family tree that shows your parents and other family members is a great way to learn about your parents and their relatives. One way you can get some great information about your parents and their parents, as well as your older relatives, is through marriage records. When a couple exchange vows, both individuals must do so in a legal ceremony. They will need to have witnesses present to watch them exchange vows. Both people must also sign a document that shows they agreed to marry the other person.

Access to marriage records can be helpful for finding loved ones and building your family history. Finding these documents can provide insight and evidence into discovering an individual’s identity. The content of these documents can become very helpful in endeavors such as finally meeting a long-lost loved one. However, obtaining these documents can be tough, depending on the circumstances of the marriage.

What Information Can You Get from Marriage Records?

You can get quite a bit of information from marriage records. Depending on the state, you can see birthplaces, birthdates, and genders of the individuals. All this information can help you put together a thorough people search report to potentially find a loved one or lost friend. Information that will help to find the marriage records you’re looking for includes:

  • A bride’s maiden name
  • Public records from governments or religious institutions
  • Addresses and birth dates
  • The names of any witnesses present

Most areas require that the couple exchange vows in front of at least two witnesses. If the couple had a large church or outdoor ceremony, they can pick two people who were there to sign and date the certificate to show that they were present. When a couple elopes, they can have other types of witnesses sign their marriage certificates.

Who Can View Marriage Records?

Just because a couple says their vows in front of other people, that doesn’t mean that they are actually married. They cannot get the benefits that married couples do until they file the certificate with the courthouse. Couples will also need to present copies of their certificates when they want to add each other to an insurance policy or if one of the two wants to change his or her last name.

Marriage records and certificates are generally available to anyone who wants to view them. As long as you know the county where the two married, you can view copies of the marriage certificate. You usually need to know the full name of at least one of the two, though some public records let you search for certificates based on the date of the marriage ceremony.

How Can You Access Marriage Records?

Before searching the web or calling county departments to look for marriage records, you should sit down and talk to your parents. Couples will often have their original marriage certificates in a safe place such as a locked box. Your parents may have their parents’ original marriage certificates or copies of those certificates too.

The best place to find marriage records is through the county where the couple exchanged vows. Some counties offer free online records searches, but most counties do not offer this option because they have so many records. You can visit the office in person and ask for a copy of the record. This will usually require that you pay a small fee for the office to make you a copy. County record offices may also let you make a request over the phone or through the mail. Once you pay the associated fee, the office will send the copy to your listed address. You can also search for marriage records online, but you should be careful. There are scam websites that charge high fees but do not offer access to all county records.

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