Church record of marriage & marriage application vs. license
Hello! I am searching for unofficial documents related to my grandmother's marriage in order to support my application for dual citizenship to the Republic of Ireland. Due to numerous name inconsistencies (spelling, nicknames vs. birth names), I am being asked to search for unofficial documents in the hope that one or more used a nickname or derivative.
First request: how does one find record of a church marriage if the congregation has now turned over? In this case, the Trinity United Methodist Church in Highland Park, MI is now a Baptist Church. Do the records stay with the physical church or do they move with the governing body (e.g., Methodists)? I have asked the new church this question and have not received a response.
Second request: how does one find the actual marriage license application vs. that of the official marriage license? I have the original, certified marriage license and am having difficulty finding the application they may have filled out. I have asked the Wayne County Clerk for this information and have not received a response.
For reference, the year of their marriage is 1924 in Highland Park, MI (Wayne County, USA).
Thank you so much for any light you are able to shed.
Jean
Best Answers
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http://gcah.org/directories/annual-conference-commissions-on-archives-and-history has links and email adresses that may help you regarding your church.
https://www.waynecounty.com/elected/clerk/marriage-licenses.aspx
Certified copies of marriage licenses may be obtained online, in person, or by writing to the Wayne County Clerk, Marriage Certification Dept., 201 Coleman A. Young Municipal Center, Detroit, MI 48226. In addition, individuals can obtain "Rushed Delivery" certified copies of marriage licenses via VitalChek.
Our main office in Downtown Detroit, located on 2 Woodward Ave., has same day certificate service for all years of Marriage Licenses issued by Wayne County.
One certified copy of a marriage license is $24.00 and $7.00 for each additional copy purchased at the same time. A Marriage License search for an uncertified copy is $11.50 for years 1937 to present, whether found or not, and $11.50 for before 1937 and for each 3 year interval, whether found or not. Personal checks are not accepted. Please click here for the Marriage Certificate Order Form.
Hope this helps.
Ruby
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Thank you so much for even taking a look, I really appreciate it! The United Methodist Church responded to me and provided a link to an archivist. Crossing my fingers they have something in their records. :)
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Answers
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It would help to have the names of your grandparents and the date of their marriage. There may be newspaper announcements regarding the marriage.
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Maurine, Thank you very much for asking. I didn't include that since I was looking for direction. However, here is the information on their marriage certificate: Jean M Heggarty (birth name Margaret Jane Heggarty with various iterations of "Heggarty" {Higgarty, Hegarty, etc...}; and she often went by Jennie; Raymond E Davies (surname at birth = Stonesifer; he changed his name). Date of wedding 1/24/1924 in Highland Park, MI, Wayne County USA.
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Ruby, I have the actual marriage license/certificate. I'm looking for a record of their application for that license to see if they perhaps used different or more familiar names. Thank you for providing the church link!
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Jean, I took a quick look to see if I could find a newspaper notice of the marriage, but had no success. You might want to investigate what local newspapers may have been operating in the area at the time of the marriage.
Good luck with your search! Sorry we couldn't be of more help.
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