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© 2016 - U.S. Legal Forms, Inc USLegal Pamphlet on Locating Marriage Certificates INTRODUCTION A marriage record contains information about a marriage between two individuals. On a marriage record, you can at least find the bride's and groom's full names, the date of the marriage, and county where the marriage took place. Many marriage records include other information, such as the names and birthplaces of the bride's and groom's parents, the addresses of the bride and groom, information about previous marriages, and the names of the witnesses to the marriage. A marriage certificate is legal proof of a marriage, and may be requested to be provided in a number of situations, such as an application for a name change or application for benefits. The certificate is typically filed in the Department of Vital Records, and/or court where the marriage license application was made. Some areas have special registries for birth certificates. It may be helpful to know how the records are indexed. For example, some records are indexed by groom’s last name, bride’s last name, date of marriage, or other. It may assist you to locate the record by inquiring of the records custodian about indexing rules. When making a marriage certificate copy request, you should provide as much of the following information as possible to assist in locating the marriage certificate: date of request -full name of husband (last name in caps) -full name of wife (maiden name in caps) -date of marriage -place of marriage (city or town, county, state) -relationship to parties -the purpose for which the record is needed -requestor's name & address -requestor's driver's license number & state (some counties require it) -requestor's signature Include all names that may have been used, including nicknames, alternate spellings, etc. List dates and type of event as completely and accurately as possible. If you don't know the exact date, specify the span of years you wish searched and be prepared to pay for searches that span several years. If the information you furnish is incomplete or inaccurate, it may be impossible to locate the record. A fee may be required. W HO MAY OBTAIN A COPY OF A MARRIAGE CERTIFICATE State laws vary, but typically a person must qualify fall one of the following categories in order to obtain a copy of a marriage certificate: -The registrant (person listed on the certificate) or a parent or legal guardian of the registrant (legal guardians should provide documentation). -A party entitled to receive the record as a result of a court order (please include a copy of the court order). -A member of a law enforcement agency or a representative of another governmental agency, as provided by law, who is conducting official business. (Companies representing a government agency must provide authorization from the government agency.) -A child, grandparent, grandchild, brother or sister, spouse, or domestic partner of the registrant. -An attorney representing the registrant or the registrant’s estate, or any person or agency empowered by statute or appointed by a court to act on behalf of the registrant or the registrant’s estate. (If you are requesting a Certified Copy under a power of attorney, include a copy of the power of attorney with the application form.) For links to Vital Records Departments in your area, please see the information at the following link: http://www.cdc.gov/nch s/w2w.htm OTHER SOURCES Marriage dates may be found in a many places besides actual marriage records including: Court Records, Legislative Records, Newspapers, Home Sources, Place of Worship Records, and Private Collections of Family Papers. The International Genealogical Index®, commonly known as the IGI, is part of the FamilySearchTM computer database of the Family History Library. It is the largest single database of marriage records. It covers an enormous collection of Great Britain, Germanic, and Hispanic data as well. There are other ways to find the marriage date. For example: -The application for a marriage license. -Consent affidavits deal with transcripts of permissions slips given to the licensing authority at the time the couple intended to be married, or when bonds were posted, banns published or licenses issued. They are a valuable source for identifying parents, proving whether the parents are deceased or living, determining relationships of guardians to marriage partners, and the age of the couple, among other things. -A declaration of intent to marry was often required before a marriage ceremony could be performed. It could only be waived by obtaining a special license from the state or colonial governor, the county court, or another designated authority. -An ecclesiastical custom during the 17th and 18th centuries which occurred in almost every state was a posted bann. This posting would give the people in the area an opportunity to step forward and submit any reason why the marriage should not take place. -Bonds were usually paid by the father, brother, or some relative of the bride and had to be posted before a license would be issued. -Intentions to marry were written, filed, and recorded with the county or town clerks. -To protect her own property if she were to remarry, a widow could use a marriage contract. This was often done between well-to-do individuals in order to protect their individual interests in the property which each possessed at the time of the marriage. Many marriages have been proven using these records together with probate records since the marriage contract often does not provide the proof that the marriage actually took place.