Hello fellow genealogists: Some subscribers of this list may be aware that I have been compiling the Daviess County marriages for almost 2 years. I have now completed those records with a little over 40,000 marriages through 1950. I wanted to include an early marriage bond(s) as an illustrated example in the 2 new books. While working in the 1815-1865 marriage bond "license boxes" in the Court House basement I came realized that there is a significant number of marriages that are not listed in any record anywhere. That includes the official marriage indexes in the Court House. There appears to be 175-200 total marriages that will be brand new to genealogists. I am searching through one "license box" per week and I am now halfway complete. (I am only searching in the bonds dated between 1815 and 1835.) A sampling indicates that most bonds after 1835 may already be included in the Court House index books. Most missed bonds or licenses are 4 inch by 6-inch parchments folded over twice. The few bonds before 1820 are in many sizes. All of these newfound bonds will be included in the forthcoming marriage record books. However, I am concerned about what I may be missing and the condition of these precious old records. I am hopeful that some genealogy group or some Daviess County residents will consider undertaking a salvaging and complete recording of these old marriages. (I worked with a volunteer group in Posey County Indiana that spent well more than a year to salvage more than 2000 probate boxes by unfolding, flattening and placing some of the old documents in sleeves.) I have not approached the County Clerk about this matter; I plan to do so after I have finished retrieving the missed marriage bonds. Here is one more mystery for you: The records through 1865 include about 3300 marriages. These are the records that Emma Dunn Mastin included in her 1935 "Marriage Records of Daviess County Kentucky". It appears that there are only some 1500 to 1700 total bonds in the 6 existing "license boxes" that I have found to search. That is only about half of what Ms Mastin had to work with and there are still 175-200 additional marriages that have never been listed. I am baffled by the limited records that are now available and how this situation has occurred. Your comments are welcome. Regards, Harold Bishop Morgan