Where Do I Find It? [http://shorl.com/holugabehiky for the entire article] - Michael John Neill The key to locating many genealogical records is location. The location where an event took place, the location where any events were recorded, and the current location of those records are all key factors in proving that an event took place. This week we discuss some ways to determine where records of vital events might have created. Marriage Records Civil records of marriages are usually a local responsibility, either at the county, town, or city level. The laws governing marriage are typically determined by the state. Consequently records within a specific state are relatively uniform, although there can be differences from one county or town to another. As a marriage is usually a contract between two individuals, records of marriages typically begin before records of births and deaths. A record of a marriage puts a man and a woman in the same place at the same time. The record may also provide additional information about the couple including their age, residence, and religious affiliation. Later materials may be even more detailed. Locating where a marriage took place can be difficult in some situations. There are several things to think about when trying to find where your ancestors got married: 1. Did they get married in the county in which they lived? 2. Did they marry in an adjacent state that might have had marriage laws that were more lax? 3. Where was their first child born? 4. Did they marry where the bride was from or where her parents were living? 5. Did they take the train and ride to an adjacent county (or a county a few counties over)? 6. Were they married by an itinerant minister who left no records? 7. Might they have gone to a nearby county to find the "right" church? 8. Did they elope in a county where no one would know them? 9. Were they ever "officially" married?