More info on Ancestry.com free database > Just FYI > diane > > > > > > > >This is a free data base for 10 days on Ancestry. > >Check it out and see if you can find any new information!! > > > >NORTH CAROLINA > >http://www.ancestry.com/ancestry/search/northcarolina.htm > > > >This database contains an index to 29,000 marriage records available > >from > >North Carolina between the years 1850 and 1868, with some records as > >early > >as 1842, and as late as 1900. The following counties and dates are > >included > >in this collection: > > > >Ashe, (Marriage Bonds) > >Bertie, 1850-1868, (Marriage Certificates) > >Catawba, 1842-1900, 1850-1900 includes only A-K, (Marriages) > >Currituck, 1851-1867, Book A, (Marriage Bonds) > >Davidson, 1827-1867, (Marriage Bonds) > >Davie, 1851-1868 (Marriage Bonds and Certificates) > >McDowell, 1851-1881, (Marriage Bonds) > >Wayne, 1851-1856 (Bride's Index) > >Wilkes, 1851-1856 (Bride's Index) > >Yadkin, (Marriage Bonds and Certificates) > > > >Most North Carolina marriages were not recorded before 1868. At this > >time, > >most marriages were performed after banns had been posted three times to > >give local residents the opportunity to state any objections to the > >upcoming marriage. Many of the records in this database are from > >Marriage > >Bonds, which were common in the South. > > > >According to "The Source: A Guidebook of American Genealogy" revised, > >edited by Loretto D. Szucs and Sandra H. Luebking, Chapter 4, Research > >in > >Marriage and Divorce Records, by Johni Cerny and Sandra H. Luebking. > >(http://www.ancestry.com/home/source/src70.htm): > > > >"Marriage bonds were not required by all colonies or states but have > >been > >common in the South. Bonds were posted prior to the issuing of the > >required > >marriage license in some states and were the sole documents required in > >others. Bonds were posted by the groom alone, or with a second person, > >usually the father or the brother of the bride, to defray the costs of > >litigation in the event the marriage was nullified." > > > >"Bonds were posted in the jurisdiction where the marriage was to take > >place, often in the bride's home county. These bonds, the only marriage > >records maintained in some jurisdictions, were usually annotated with > >the > >marriage date after the ceremony. It was rare for a marriage not to take > >place within a few days of the posting of the bond, even though many > >bonds > >do not bear the annotation. Although the missing information could mean > >that the marriage did not take place, more often it reflects poor record > >keeping or failure of the justice or minister to report the marriage to > >local officials." > > > >After 1868 the register of deeds in each county was given the task of > >issuing marriage licenses. > > > > > > >