This is a Message Board Post that is gatewayed to this mailing list. Author: Shell_NJ Surnames: Classification: queries Message Board URL: http://boards.rootsweb.com/localities.northam.usa.states.newjersey.counties.middlesex/4106.1.1.1.2.1/mb.ashx Message Board Post: Bettye, Your research friend has a potential choice of two records for a marriage that took place in 1846. First would be the County Clerk's Register of Minister's Returns. Second would be the actual church record, if married by a minister in a church. For the time frame of 1795 through the late 1870s, the County Clerk's did have the responsibility to record the returns from minister's of the marriages they performed in the county. These are available on microfilm through a local FHC or by contacting the NJ State Archives via the Mail Reference services for County Marriage Records at: http://www.njarchives.org/links/reference.html Basically, civil marriage records vary depending on the time frame you're researching in NJ. Prior to 1795, early statehood and colonial, parties were required to obtain a marriage bond. The surviving colonial marriage bonds cover the time frame of 1680s through about 1800. In 1795, the state empowered the County Clerks to record the minister's marriage returns. This continued through the year 1878 or when the civil registration law was expanded (changed). The ending year varies with each county, but most are the 1870s. In May 1848, the state enacted its first state-wide civil registration law for births, marriages and deaths. This required local clerks to compile the vital events in their locality and forward the "return" to Trenton once a year (mainly in May and June). These Register Books are a bound collection of the annual returns for the municipality. This collection covers the years May 1848 through May 1878. In 1878, the state changed or expanded the vital registration legislation and changed from the register of returns to the use of individual certificates for each vital event. Hence, the creation of a birth/marriage/death certificate. The use of certificate began in June 1878, however some earlier events 1877/78 do have certificates "attached" to the Register of Returns pages of the municipality. Hope this helps! Michelle Important Note: The author of this message may not be subscribed to this list. If you would like to reply to them, please click on the Message Board URL link above and respond on the board.