This is a joke....they didn't have a single marriage in my family....and, trust me, they were married....during that time bracket....in Indiana..... PH DePoy Message: 3 Date: Sun, 28 Oct 2012 10:33:45 -0700 (PDT) From: Eleanor Rayl <erayl36@att.net> Subject: Re: [Q-R] Quaker Marriage licenses in Indiana To: quaker-roots@rootsweb.com Message-ID: <1351445625.14538.YahooMailRC@web181703.mail.ne1.yahoo.com> Content-Type: text/plain; charset=us-ascii Dave, This site has all you probably need to know about early marriages in Indiana, including Quaker ones: http://recordsproject.com/marriage/indiana.asp There are two (legal) parts to the marriage process -- first, the application for a marriage license, which is paperwork submitted to the county clerk before the wedding ceremony. If approved, a license is issued by the county clerk in the county where marriage is to take place (or from 1838 to 1940, it had to be filed in the bride's county where she had been residing for at least the 30 days prior to the application). Secondly, all marriages required a marriage certificate (proof that the marriage ceremony took place) from 1818 toward, This record was then registered with the County Superior or Circuit court in the county where the license was filed, even if the ceremony took place in a different county. There may be a third record, a "return," usually a report of the marriages that the presiding clergy or judge/magistrate/clerk officer had performed. Both license and certificate were required in Indiana since 1818. ndiana became a state in 1816. The only exception is that Quaker marriages didn't require licenses or certificates from 1820 to 1940. They were part of a small group who were excepted (this included Amish marriages). Indiana still requires a marriage ceremony to be performed by clergy, a judge or justice of the peace, magistrate or a clerk of the country or circuit court. Eleanor