However, few researchers really examine the marriage documents and use them as clues to locate other records. Types of Marriage Documents There are several types of documents that may have been generated by the announcement and consecration of a marriage. These may include an engagement announcement published in a newspaper, a pronouncement of marriage banns, the issuance of a marriage license, the recording of the bride and groom in a county marriage ledger, a marriage certificate, the recording of the event in the records of a religious institution, and a newspaper marriage announcement. All of these provide opportunities for vital information to be recorded for posterity. Let's look at the types of information each of these records might include.
Newspapers still publish a limited number of engagement announcements.
In earlier times, though, when newspaper space was at less of a premium and less expensive, a couple or their families might have published a notice of engagement. This is an announcement of a forthcoming marriage, proclaimed in the church of the engaged couple on three successive Sundays. There is usually a record of the banns in the church minutes, and sometimes you will find them listed in church bulletins. Marriage licenses are typically issued by a clerk in the county or parish in which the marriage is to take place. It always includes the names of the bride and groom and the signature of the issuing clerk or ordinary.