❤️ Love & Marriage in Family History

February is a perfect time to look at love and marriage through a genealogical lens. Marriage records are some of the most valuable documents we can uncover, often revealing dates, places, parents’ names, witnesses, religious affiliations, occupations, and clues to previous marriages.

Beyond certificates and licenses, consider exploring church marriage registers, newspaper announcements, engagement notices, family Bibles, wedding photos, and even divorce records. These sources can help us better understand the lives our ancestors shared. These records often tell us how people married, not just when—whether the ceremony was grand or simple, hurried or long-planned, joyful or practical.

And then there are the stories—the handwritten notes on the back of a photo, the pressed flower from a bouquet, the gold watch engraved for a 25th anniversary. These small keepsakes often preserve emotions and memories that no official record can capture.

Watch ancestry.com YouTube videos below on where to find marriage records.