Yes, I do send a donation. I have started calling first to make sure I send the correct amount. It is up to $25 at some places. They do not always cash the checks right away. Sometimes they forget to send a letter saying they did not find a marriage despite having a SASE with the check. The check clears and when called they say they thought they sent me a note. The letter then comes in a different envelope than the one I sent. Did they even check or just take the money and run? Most have been very cordial and helpful but a few have been very rude. One priest in particular comes to mind. I know they do not exist to serve our genealogical curiosity but hiring a professional will not make my request go away. He seems to think that I would rather pay him $25 for a chance that they were married at his parish and get minimal details when I could pay Muni Archives $15 and get much information on a civil record. I could also rent the film from the FHL for $5.50 or send a request for a copy through the FHL for 8 copies at $16. He did not believe me when I shared that many Catholic marriages do not have a civil record from before 1915. I challenged him to pull ten marriages from his records between 1866-1907 and see how many do not show up on the IGG index. Even Milton Hershey's 1898 wedding at St. Patrick's did not get turned into the Health Department. Marriage records unlike the baptismal records are public records. They were supposed to be turned in at the time of the wedding. The archdiocese should do the right thing and turn in copies of all these marriage records from before 1915. They would eliminate requests like ours and provide a huge amount of goodwill for themselves. On Dec 24, 2007, at 12:38 PM, Frank McCullough wrote: > When you send a request for lookup, do you also send along a donation? > > Frank > > > Michelle and Kevin Cassidy wrote: > >> I have had a devil of a time finding marriages of certain couples. >> One would assume that for a couple to marry they must live near each >> other at some point or marry someone that lived near a friend, job or >> relative. >> >> I have one couple that married in 1905 at Epiphany near the bride's >> home in the East 20s but the groom lived on East 88th Street. Since >> brides particularly do not show up in the city directory as a single >> woman how have you found more difficult couples? I write to the >> surrounding parishes and more often than not it is a bust. Also many >> of the parishes are not so eager to look stuff up. Any tried and true >> suggestions? >> >> The lack of full compliance by the priests in the civil recording of >> weddings with the Health Department before 1908 has complicated the >> matter in 2007. Unfortunately, the 5 marriages I am seeking took >> place c. 1881, c.1886, c. 1890, c.1898 and c. 1900. None of these >> five show up on the IGG site marriage index. I have church >> certificates for several marriages that do not appear on the IGG >> site; 1878, 1881, 1882, 1892 and 1903. >> >> ------------------------------- >> To unsubscribe from the list, please send an email to IRISH-NEW- >> YORK-CITY-request@rootsweb.com with the word 'unsubscribe' without >> the quotes in the subject and the body of the message >> >> >> >> > > > ------------------------------- > To unsubscribe from the list, please send an email to IRISH-NEW- > YORK-CITY-request@rootsweb.com with the word 'unsubscribe' without > the quotes in the subject and the body of the message