2. Marriage records fall under the realm of vital
records, along with birth records and death
records. They are a public record, and therefore,
are available and free to the public. However,
marriage records, which are under the state’s
jurisdiction, are kept in large depositories that are
generally maintained by the county clerk or county
office.
3. Because these depositories are
maintained, you generally must pay a
small fee to access marriage records.
This fee, which generally is no more than
$25, covers the administrative costs of
researching and locating marriage
records.
5. Other Marriage Records Resources
However, if you are merely searching for
information about an individual’s marriage, and
not the actual marriage certificate, you may be
able to locate information through other sources,
such as church records and newspaper
announcements. Many individuals are also able
to find important marriage information through
an individual’s obituary.
6. Taking Your Search to the Internet
If you don’t know where to begin your search or if you are
lacking key information that is generally necessary to request a
marriage record, then you may want to take your search to the
Internet. There are a great number of resources on the Web –
some of them are free, and some of them require a small fee or
subscription. If you head directly to the free marriage record
websites, you may be quite disappointed with the quality of the
information they provide. Many of these websites are also quite
misleading, as they advertise free searches that, in reality, turn
into quite expensive searches.
7. For example, many of the free
marriage records websites perform a small
general search that yields very little
information; then, if you want to go any
further, they request costly fees.
8. Where to Turn for Reputable Records
On the other hand, there are a number of reputable
websites that are designed to help individuals locate marriage
records. These websites, such as www.archives.com, take the
proper channels to produce results and therefore charge a fee
to do so. Many times, this fee is to cover the cost of their
searches, and it may also cover the cost of obtaining marriage
records through the proper channels, such as the county
clerk. And, of course, as mentioned before, even obtaining
marriage records through your local courthouse will cost you
a nominal fee.
9. If you are interested in obtaining accurate,
detailed information, consider using a reputable,
trustworthy website, such as
www.archives.com. Reputable websites often
have easy-to-use search tools that eliminate the
hassle of coming up empty handed; instead, they
offer full records access and easy retrieval of
marriage records.
10. If you are searching for marriage records
and need the most up-to-date and accurate
information, then start with a free trial to
www.archives.com. Reputable online
resources can provide you with all the
important information you seek – right from
the comfort of your home.