Cook County has not been able to locate a marriage record for my great aunt Kathryn Martin and her husband John A. Raab around 1923. I paid for a search from 1920 to 1930. Her first husband never showed up for divorce proceedings in Pittsburgh, so she was not legally divorced. John was divorced from his first wife in Chicago in 1921. Thus, theirs must have been a common law marriage, and it lasted over 30 years in Chicago. Does anyone know how to "document" a common law marriage? Joseph Martin Romeoville, Illinois -- "No two countries that have McDonald's have ever gone to war with one another." Thomas Friedman

Look for articles in the paper calling them Mr and Mrs, find them in the City Directories together. Common law means holding ones self to be a married couple. It doesn't work if one has a living spouse <G> If they registered a child as Mr and Mrs and not just her name but under his will be a help. A good death certificate saying married and naming the other party should do it <G> Also an obituary <G> Eliz On Fri, Jul 30, 2010 at 2:28 PM, Joseph Martin <[email protected]> wrote: > Cook County has not been able to locate a marriage record for my great aunt > Kathryn Martin and her husband John A. Raab around 1923. I paid for a search > from 1920 to 1930. > > Her first husband never showed up for divorce proceedings in Pittsburgh, so > she was not legally divorced. John was divorced from his first wife in > Chicago in 1921. > > Thus, theirs must have been a common law marriage, and it lasted over 30 > years in Chicago. > > Does anyone know how to "document" a common law marriage? > > > Joseph Martin > Romeoville, Illinois > >  -- > "No two countries that have McDonald's have ever gone to war with one > another."  Thomas Friedman > > ------------------------------- > To unsubscribe from the list, please send an email to [email protected] with the word 'unsubscribe' without the quotes in the subject and the body of the message >

Thank you, Eliz. This is exactly what I was looking for - something to use as a "document" to verify that they were a married couple. Joseph On Fri, Jul 30, 2010 at 7:40 PM, Eliz Hanebury <[email protected]> wrote: > Look for articles in the paper calling them Mr and Mrs, find them in > the City Directories together. Common law means holding ones self to > be a married couple. It doesn't work if one has a living spouse <G> > > If they registered a child as Mr and Mrs and not just her name but > under his will be a help. A good death certificate saying married and > naming the other party should do it <G> Also an obituary <G> > > > > > Eliz > > On Fri, Jul 30, 2010 at 2:28 PM, Joseph Martin <[email protected]> > wrote: > > Cook County has not been able to locate a marriage record for my great > aunt > > Kathryn Martin and her husband John A. Raab around 1923. I paid for a > search > > from 1920 to 1930. > > > > Her first husband never showed up for divorce proceedings in Pittsburgh, > so > > she was not legally divorced. John was divorced from his first wife in > > Chicago in 1921. > > > > Thus, theirs must have been a common law marriage, and it lasted over 30 > > years in Chicago. > > > > Does anyone know how to "document" a common law marriage? > > > > > > Joseph Martin > > Romeoville, Illinois > > > > -- > > "No two countries that have McDonald's have ever gone to war with one > > another." Thomas Friedman > > > > ------------------------------- > > To unsubscribe from the list, please send an email to > [email protected] with the word 'unsubscribe' without the > quotes in the subject and the body of the message > > > -- "No two countries that have McDonald's have ever gone to war with one another." Thomas Friedman