Using Marriage Records to Find Someone

The marriage records are public records which provide necessary details about a marriage. Marriage records can also include marriage certificates and related credentials. Using marriage records to find someone is an excellent idea as the information contained in it is authentic. These are also referred to as primary source records as they are created and closed according to the tenure of the marriage. This assures that these records remain fairly accurate. Marriage records can be found in county clerk offices, civil court, state court and the local marriage registration offices.

Contents of a Marriage Record

The marriage records commonly include the following information:

• Name of the bride
• Name of the groom
• Date of marriage
• Location of marriage

Other optional details contained in marriage records are-

• Birth date of the bride and age
• Birth date of the groom and age
• Residences of both bride and groom
• Names and addresses of the parents/legal guardians of the bride and the groom
• Previous relationship status (single, divorced or widowed)
• The number of marriages prior to the present (applicable for both bride and groom)
• Professions of the bride and the groom
• Officials and witnesses attending the marriage

Using Marriage Records to Find Someone

There are mainly three types of marriage records-

1. Marriage license
2. Marriage certificate
3. Marriage registers

Take note that a marriage license may not always prove the occurrence of the marriage. This is because a lot of couples register for marriage but later on do not turn up for the legal proceedings. The marriage certificate is in fact the best legal proof about a marriage. This certificate is issued from the civil office.

The most important data that are required for tracing a marriage records are the names of the bride and the groom and date and location of the marriage. With the help of these data you can easily get a marriage record. To trace marriage records select the state and enter the required fields from the following page: http://www.cdc.gov/nchs/w2w.htm.

Once you are supplied with the information listed above, you can select the required data and input them in various public records. Note down the addresses of the bride or the groom and run a Reverse Address Search. There are several potent websites specially created for locating people with the help of the address.

The birth dates of the bride and the groom are given in the marriage certificates. Use these dates to locate the person from birth records. These vital records are available in the medical institutions and in government offices of the county or the state. A lot of online official as well as commercial search sites also provide the service for searching birth records.

Some marriage records contain the relationship status of the bride or the groom prior to that marriage. Since these include information about divorces too, you can input the details in divorce records and find out the necessary information. The divorce records not only includes the basic information about the couples but also details like names of children, birth dates of children, properties owned by the husband and the wife and current residential address. These factoids can be further used to hunt property records and other such people’s records.

Since the occupations of both the bride and the groom are mentioned in the marriage records, you can collect the details and check with the respective organizations to trace the individual. The names of the witnesses and other officials present in the marriage can be used in various search databases to locate the whereabouts of the person. You can directly come in terms with the marriage registrar and request him for a copy of the marriage records.