Libbie Griffin wrote: > ...So do you think if I find the church in New Haven > Connecticut where she married there will be a record of her parents' names? > Or of her baptism, so we can find her baptism record in Ulster? All this > is new territory for me. Any hints or tips are really welcome! Libbie, Each parish is different, and even within a parish it will vary over time what info is recorded in the registers. I've never done any research in New Haven churches, so I can't tell you anything about that. Just in case it helps, though...in all the different Philadelphia RC churches I've written to, no matter what I say in the letter re "please tell me ANYTHING else that's in your records," I invariably get a standard marriage certificate, which indicates the names of the bride and groom, the date of marriage, the name of the priest and the witnesses, with no info on the parents. For one Philadelphia RC church I'd written to and gotten the usual info from, a friend took it upon himself to go in person to the church and ask the same questions. According to him, the register indicated both sets of parents names and their counties of birth (Co. Donegal, Ireland and Lancashire, England); this particular parish would not allow him to look in the register himself, so he could make notes only of what he could read over the parish secretary's shoulder. I don't know if it's policy just to give the info on the immediate parties to the marriage, or if it's just that the standard form they fill out doesn't have spaces for other info. Bottom line, even if the church sends you the basic info, that doesn't mean that there might not be more info in the register that you could see only if you went in person (or send someone on your behalf). Once you find which parish it is, you'll need to call them to see if you can see the registers yourself. I deleted your first message, so I forget what date you're talking about. I can tell you, though, (again based on Philadelphia research), that you may be able to get info on the parents names, occupations, dates of birth, residences, etc. from the civil records, depending on date (the forms changed over time; more recent ones ask for much more info); the civil records may also indicate the name of the parish and/or the name of the priest who performed the ceremony. Also, in the Philadelphia Archdiocese, there is a Archdiocesan Research Center that has parish registers prior to 1900; they have a search service and will send you photocopies of the records, so if there's any info in the register or handwriting to decipher, you can see the original rather than someone else's guess in a transcription. (The downside, I understand, is that there's a 6-month delay). Maybe there's something similar in the Archdiocese of Hartford (which includes New Haven)?? In case it helps, here's their website: http://www.archdiocese-hartford.org/ -- glancing through, it looks like there are some interesting international links. Maybe you'll find something useful. Good luck! Claire