When indexing Banns which date do you pick for a marriage date
When indexing Banns do you pick the last date as a marriage date?
Answers
-
The Field Helps may have an additional instruction to answer your question. To read those, click on the purple question mark that appears when you click on the fields.
(usually the instruction says to use the most recent date).
If that isn't helpful, share your batch code for a better answer. The batch code is the series of letters and numbers in brackets after the project title at the top of the screen. [XXXX-XXX]
0 -
Strictly speaking the reading of banns is not proof that the marriage took place. If no impediment is found then the marriage should go ahead as planned. Typically banns are read on three successive Sundays prior to the wedding but there may be some local or denominational variation to the process.
If you can't find the actual marriage record then I would suggest adding a month to the banns date for the actual wedding and make a note that the date is approximate.
0 -
If this is indeed a batch that relates to banns records, the only date that should be indexed should be the date the banns were called, as given in the register. Having said that, I have occasionally seen banns records (usually showing three dates) combined with the record of the actual marriage event, which does somewhat confuse matters.
So, as is usually suggested in responses to specific queries here, you really need (as Melissa suggests) to quote the batch reference, in order that others can see the precise example of what you are talking about and provide a tailored response, rather than a general one.
Hopefully, the batch in question will not end-up with a title suggesting the records relate to marriage (ceremony) events, if this is just a collection relating to banns. This has happened too often in the past, giving researchers a totally wrong date (and sometimes place) for when the ceremony eventually (or if ever) took place.
2