Unk Hiram's
Beginning Genealogy Lessons
Lesson #4

Lesson 4: Marriage Licenses
Now we are at the courthouse, trying to figure out where to start. Let me suggest you start with marriage licenses. The reason I start there is because this section is "usually" the best organized and almost always open to the public.

Pull out the list of names you are looking for and check your dates. Normally the registers have the male's name listed first, then a reverse index listing the ladies' names. The marriage registers are indexes of all the marriage licenses issued, indexed in year order, listing the volume number and page number of the big books. The big books contain copies of every marriage license issued in the county. I cannot stress enough how important a genealogy tool this is.

Let's take a look at what info you can get from a marriage license.



1. Name of the Groom - Keep in mind that the name listed might not always be the full legal name. Nicknames and shortened versions have been known to show up. For this reason marriage licenses should not be considered a "primary" source for a person's full legal name.
   
   
2. Name of the Bride - With the same reservations as the ones I listed for the groom.
   
   
3. Date of Marriage - The license is THE primary source for this information. Consider it genealogical gold.
   
   
4. Place of Marriage - Again THE primary source for this information
   
   
5. Name of the Preacher or Justice of the Peace that performed the ceremony. This item will also give you a clue to the religious affiliation --- but don't consider it a fact.
   
   
6. In some cases -- not all, they list the witnesses. This can be a valuable tool for finding brothers and sisters.
   
   
7. In some cases -- not all, they list the age of the groom. This can help you in chasing down a birth date but don't consider it a primary source.
   

After you find the marriage licenses you need ---- COPY THEM. Not only will they provide valuable documentation for your research but there is something very special about owning a copy of your ancestors' marriage license.

After you systematically search all the appropriate books for your ancestor, I suggest you look through the other registers. just in case.

Q & A Section:

1. Marriage licenses are considered primary sources for the groom's full legal name?
   
   1. True
      
   2. False
      
   3. Only in Maine
      
   
   
2. The marriage register will give you what information?
   
   1. Volume # and page # for the marriage license
      
   2. Volume # and page # and whether or not the marriage was performed.
      
   3. Preacher's name
      
   4. The capital of Maine.
      
   
   
3. A marriage license is considered a primary source for what?
   
   1. Date and place of marriage
      
   2. Date, place of marriage and the groom's full legal name.
      
   3. Place of marriage only.
      
   4. Date of marriage only.
      

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