Ways To Get Public Marriage Records
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Just like any other public record, even marriage license records can be accessed. In fact, these records can be very useful for certain people. For example, if people want to conduct a research on their family tree or if they want to file for divorce, then they need access to public marriage records.
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Before technology made the researching process easy, people had to look up hardcopies at the archives. And, not everyone had access to the records because it involved a lot of effort and skill to find the desired record. In the past, such records were solely given to government authorities or those conducting a professional investigation. However, with the advent of the Internet and advancement of technology, now we can access this information in just a few clicks of the mouse.
Marriage records, technically, are deemed as public information. Most states have archives or statistics department where these records are kept, and laws have been passed by states to make these records available to the public. Basically anyone can get access to marriage license records as long as the person follows procedures and rules.
A marriage record will contain information of the couple, the couple's parents, witnesses and the official who performed the ceremony. What you can access is the license and certificate.
When a couple gets married, three copies of the marriage license are prepared. One is given to the official who performs the ceremony, one to the couple and the last to the local government department responsible for maintaining these records. In order to use the information that you get on a marriage, you would need to get certified documents. You can get a certified copy either personally from the government department that maintains these records, or you can get in touch with professionals, who charge you a certain amount, but ensure that you do not have to go through all the red tape and waiting period.
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