Marriage announcement - The Farmingdale Post, Farmingdale, New York 21 June 1929
Engagement and marriage notices serve as marriage records for genealogical research. Although these notices usually are not official records, they provide valuable information to document the marriage of two people.
Engagement notices: The most common form of an engagement notice is a newspaper article. However some churches will have a similar notice in a weekly bulletin and even use the Banns process of "posting" a notice at the church.
Marriage notices: Most marriage notices are posted after the marriage ceremony, and usually as newspaper articles.
Types of engagement and marriage noticesTypes of engagement and marriage notices
MyHeritage - France, Church Marriages and Civil Marriages Pierre Marie DUBOIS & Marie Antoinette GOUNARD 28 Jun 1903Banns: Marriage banns represent a tradition used in Christian denominations to announce a couple's intention to marry. The proposed marriage is announced publicly at the church for a prescribed period of time, depending upon the church and denomination. Some practices including publicly reading the banns aloud for several Sundays leading up to the wedding, or posting them on the church door or in the church entryway. Marriage banns are no longer a common practice.
Newspaper announcements: Newspapers serving large cities or metropolitan areas will often run a weekly list of engagement and marriage notices. Small town newspapers, usually published weekly, may carry separate announcements or include the announcement in a local news column.
Religious bulletins: Churches and synagogues often publish engagement notices in a weekly bulletin for congregants.
Information found in engagement and marriage noticesInformation found in engagement and marriage notices
Valuable information used to document a marriage can be found in engagement and marriage notices:
Names of individuals: Names of the spouses, with the birth surname of each spouse.
Dates and locations of events: Date and location of the wedding ceremony as well as location of honeymoon. In addition, engagement notices often list the hometown for each spouse.
Names of family members and witnesses: Names of parents as well as names of those in the bridal party, and the officiant of the wedding ceremony.
Occupations and residences: The occupations of the spouses as well as a location where the couple intend to "set up house" after the wedding.
Accessing engagement and marriage noticesAccessing engagement and marriage notices
Banns and religious bulletins: Records of banns and bulletins are most likely to be found in denominational archives. Occasionally banns are also published in the local newspaper.
Newspaper announcements: Historical newspaper databases and actual bound newspapers at archives, libraries, and repositories.
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