Wedding Bell Clues

Everyone has wedding certificates in their possession.  Working on genealogy, I probably have more than my share.  I have some as current as my own to ones back to the 19th century.  But there are more to wedding records than just wedding certificates.

Marriage bonds--as in money, not the bonds of holy matrimony--were common in some states, particularly in the South, into the 18th century.  They were posted in the county courthouse to help offset any costs of legal action in case the marriage was nullified.  The groom and usually the father or brother of the bride posted a bond; if a woman posted bond, it may have been the bride's mother because the father was deceased.

Licenses eventually replaced bonds in the 19th century.  In some states, however, a license wasn't required for a couple to be married, or the license might be recorded in a different jurisdiction from the marriage.  For those states requiring licenses, sometimes couples took out a license or application but never made it to the altar.

Marriage licenses and certificates from 1896 had little genealogical information.

Marriage license applications today have a wealth of information.

Most of today's licenses give addresses, birthplaces,  occupations, and parents names.  All very helpful with clues to further documentation.  The address directs you to a city directory.  The birthplace directs you to where a birth certificate can be found.  Occupation can lead you to archived business records or directories.  Parents names give you another generation back.

If anyone has marriage records in your possession, I would love to have a copy to document the marriage in our family.