It is truly exciting to discover interesting facts about your ancestors which to share with your children and grandchildren. One of the best ways to get genuine information is to search the marriage records. Now you can do this directly over the internet without leaving the comfort of your home. You are certainly curious to know what sort of information you can dig from these documents. Let’s find out.
Basic Information
Each certificate of marriage, which is the main type of document found in marriage records, contains the names of the bride and groom. The woman’s maiden name can be of huge help for any ancestry research. If you are searching for your great grandmother, for instance, you can get to her parents and then further down the family tree. This is truly invaluable for any genealogist and especially for those who are venturing into this field for the first time.
In the same way, you can use the name of the groom to find more details about his family. His surname can be particularly valuable if you the family name has been changed more recently for one reason or the other. Generally, a single name can help you to expand your research immensely.
The marriage certificate should also contain the dates of birth of the bride and groom. Alternatively, their ages at the time of the marriage must be stated. These can also be important clues for any genealogical research. The place where the document has been signed must be mentioned as well.
Additional Details
One interesting thing to note is that older marriage records may actually contain more information than more recent ones. In the past, in many places the names of the parents of the bride and groom were also included in the official document certifying the marriage. This is truly invaluable information for the genealogist as it saves a great deal of time and effort. It can also save you money too. It is superb to be able to get information on two generations from a single document.
The addresses of the bride and groom before the marriage may be present in the records as well. This information can give you more clues for your research. It can also help you to get a better idea of the lifestyle which your ancestors had. If their houses are still standing, you may consider paying a visit and meeting the people who live there. They may turn out to be your relatives.
You will certainly find plenty of valuable information in the marriage records.