On Sunday, January 19, 2014 9:06:47 AM UTC+11, marg o'leary wrote: > Hi all > > > > A marriage transcript of a church record C of E, has nothing more than > > names and occupation and marital status on it. > > The transcript says the church may have more information. > > > > I wonder if anyone can help re how to get that information from C of E and > > RC churches for docs of that era. > > > > > > > > regards > > > > Marg OLeary > > Port Stephens > > NSW Regarding what you should find in a Church of England Marriage Register. We can only reply as to the records of St. Peters, Cooks River. Our records date from 1839 until the present day. We have a data base of all marriages in the 19th century, compiled from the original registers. From 1839 until the beginning of 1856, we have the date of the marriage, the Parish of the groom, the groom's status, that is whether he is a bachelor or a widower. The grooms christian names, his surname, the brides surname, the brides christian names,the brides status, either spinster or widow, the parish of the bride, and then the method of marriage, that is whether it is by Banns, or special licence, if the marriage was by permission of the Governor,then one of the parties is a convict, also by consent of a parent, in which case one of he parties is under twenty one years of age. Finally we have the names of the witnesses and where they lived. Also included are those who signed with a cross, or made their mark, in short the illiterate. In 1856 the style of the form changes and uses the phrase, "Marriages solemnised in theDistrict of ..... in theColony of New South Wales," rather than previously "solemnised in the Parish of Petersham in the County of Cumberland.'" Our data base, from the marriage register of 1856-1899, has twenty columns. 1. date of the Marriage 2. Groom's parents, including father's occupation. 3. Groom's birthplace. This being either, country, state or town. 4.Groom's address. Usually a town or suburb. If one of the surounding suburbs, e.g. St. Peters or Newtown, there may be a street name. 5. Groom's age. Sometimes simply of age, that is to marry without the consent of a parent. 6. Groom's Occupation. 7. Groom's membership of a Church. The church of England pedominates, with The United Church of England and Ireland, Lutheran, Church of Scotland, Primitive Methodist Society, the Wesleyan Denomination and Free Kirk of Scotland making up the number. After 1863 this section was never filled in. 8. Groom's christian names. 9. Groom's surname. 10. Bride's surname. 11. Bride's christian names. 12. Bride's membership of a Church. 13.Bride's Occupation. This is dominated by, in the early years, no calling, and latterly the phrase 'living with parents.' Dressmakers, tailoresses and servants, are a decided minority, with a governess, machinist and two school teachers included. 14.'Bride's age. Sometimes simply of age, that is to marry without the consent of a parent. 15.Bride's birthplace. This being either, country, state or town. 16Bride's address. Usually a town or suburb. If one of the surounding suburbs, e.g. St. Peters or Newtown, there may be a street name. 17.Bride's parents, including father's occupation.18. Witnesses to the wedding are normally two. No place of residence is given. We know that servants at the rectory and relatives of the minister have beenwitnesses. Witnesses, bride and groom are noted, when making their mark, as a signature. 19. The Minister who officiated at the wedding. 20. The place where the ceremony took place. Mostly at the Church of St. Peter's Cook's River. Renovations to the church may have made the 'Parsonage' or rectory at St. Peters the venue, but there are occasional weddings taking place in private homes even outside the parish boundaries of St. Peters. Our one regret is that during the time of the Rev. George King from 1863-72, he for the most part, chose not to record the names of the parents of bride and groom. Bob and Laurel Horton, St. Peters, Cooks River History Group. Our web site: www.stpeterscooksriverhistory.wordpress.com