Missing Marriage Date (find, search, certificate, free)

[lovingville]

I would like to get a copy of my husband's parents marriage certificate. The only problem is his mother will not tell me anything about it (divorced ages ago). I have learned from a family member that they went to SC to elope but they never told anyone the date. Is the year enough for them to do a search on?

[ArkansasSlim]

I don't know about SC, but in some states the marriage license records are kept at the county level with no central location like there is with birth records. If you know the county and year, along with the full names of both people, they should be able to find it, if there is one.

[Cyanna]

Were they married before 1950? It could be difficult and expensive in any case if you do not know which county they were married in. In some counties, before 1950, the record might be found recorded with the Probate Judge. You might want to check this site to see if anything helps...

Free South Carolina Public Records | Search Criminal and Civil Court Records, Judgments

[ker8]

Originally Posted by ArkansasSlim

I don't know about SC, but in some states the marriage license records are kept at the county level with no central location like there is with birth records. If you know the county and year, along with the full names of both people, they should be able to find it, if there is one.

lol, that's what i was just thinking; odd she wouldn't tell anyone; does make you think there's something to hide. "Never told anyone the date" is really odd.

[bjh]

^
Some couples never married, but lived as husband and wife.

[wit-nit]

Originally Posted by bjh

^
Some couples never married, but lived as husband and wife.

Yes, generally known as a 'common-law marriage'.

Common-law marriage - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

[bjh]

^
Yes, many people don't associate that term with the past. Some people think everyone was once "well behaved."

[howard555]

Originally Posted by lovingville

I would like to get a copy of my husband's parents marriage certificate. The only problem is his mother will not tell me anything about it (divorced ages ago). I have learned from a family member that they went to SC to elope but they never told anyone the date. Is the year enough for them to do a search on?

You do mean South Carolina?
SC means different things to different people, such as Southern California.

What else do you have?

How much time do you have?
How old is his Mother?
If she is on death's bed and she is the only one who knows, then that could be information to know, in a search.

Is she the only person who knows the information you want?

Are you able to tell us why you can not ask your husband about his parents?

What is missing here?

I'm trying to think of all the reasons you would want the information and having trouble making a list.

I helped my relative find a lot of information about their ancestors.

If you refer to S.C. then yes, S.C. does honor "common law marriage" so there may be no records. BUT, there could be other people who know the information. Such as the minister who married them, or people who attended the formal, or informal, wedding.

If all you have is S.C. and no names, your chances are low.
The best genealogy dates, from what I was always told, are death dates. Death dates lead to obituaries, and they can give the birth date, the name of the funeral home, etc. The funeral home can give the name of the person who paid for the burial and so forth.

Do you know the county?
How long after marriage did they stay in S.C.?
Did they come here due to the marriage laws, and then leave weeks later for another state?

Your husband should be the one to give you the information.
There must be something between you and your Mother in Law that causes her to not want to tell you.

Maybe other siblings of your husband, knows who their father was, etc.