Marriage License Confusion

From a genealogist's point of view, a marriage license is considered an original source. It’s not a copy or secondhand information—it is filled out by the primary participants. Often, the details on the record are considered facts. These documents are incredibly valuable to family historians because they often list the bride and groom's parents, offering a window into one more generation back on both sides of the family tree. Awesome!

On December 1, 1943, my grandparents filled out their marriage license, no doubt a happy day for them! However, there was an unexpected snag for my Grandma Betty. When asked to list her parents on the document, she didn’t write down her biological mother and father. She didn’t even name the relatives who raised her. Instead, she listed her aunt and uncle—the ones who legally adopted her.

Harry and Alma Allen are not Betty's parents. They are her aunt and uncle. 

As a family member who recognized the names on the document (and that they weren't her parents!), I have the advantage of asking difficult questions. I can explore Betty’s complicated relationships and try to understand why she made this choice.

But what if I didn’t have this personal knowledge? What if a non-family genealogist was researching Betty’s family tree? Would they blindly accept the mother and father listed on her marriage license and move on, potentially exploring a completely different lineage?

I’ll admit, I’ve accepted the information on many marriage certificates of my ancestors as fact. I rarely stop to ask, “Were those REALLY their parents?” Most people know the names of their parents, right?

This example gets to the heart of genealogy. Records tell one story, but they don’t always tell the truth—even firsthand, original source records. 

My grandparents' marriage license is a reminder that family trees are complicated and that, at the end of the day, genealogists might never know the real story.

Regardless of the paperwork, my grandma and grandpa got married the next day and were happily married for almost 40 years.

Family member name: Betty Lee Sullivan (Adoptive name: Allen)

Years of life: 1922 - 2007

Places lived: Nebraska, Michigan, New York

Tree branch: Boyle
Relation: My grandma (my mom's mom)

Sources:

National Genealogical Society: Genealogical Proof Standard

Behind the scenes: Tracking down the Welsh clergyman

I have a super blurry picture of a picture of an ancestor. How could I fix it?  Here's what I did to track down the original! 

Family member name: William Jones
Years of life: 1854 - 1921

Places lived: Wales, UK

Tree branch: Hargreaves > Jones
Relation: My husband's 2x great-grandfather 

I realllllly want a photograph of as many of my direct ancestors as possible.  My family has an AMAZING collection of portraits.  And so many have identifying information written on the back.  Such a treasure.

Lately I've been doing research on my husband's side of the family.  His great-great grandfather was a clergyman in the Church of England, in Wales.  

Digital family photos included a VERY blurry picture of William Jones.  It was a picture of a picture. The blurry picture shows William's portrait in a frame along with at least two other men, all rectors of a church.   Here it is.

I wanted a better picture!!  How could I find it?  

The title at the top says "Rectors of the Parish of Pontfadog".  I wonder if this picture was hanging in a church in Pontfadog, Wales?  Is it still there? Which church?

Google to the rescue!  I Googled the different churches in Pontfadog.  The results included several pictures of churches.  Then I found some contact information for the parish of Pontfadog.  So, here we go! I emailed the first name on the list.

    1. I received a reply within a day!  The rector said that Pontfadog was not in her area, but she forwarded my email to the person who could help.

    2. Another quick reply from the current rector of Pontfadog.  She said she was familiar with the picture, as it is hanging in the church vestry.  She would take a picture on Sunday. YAY!

    3. Sunday passed with no email received.  After a few days, I pinged her and she immediately sent the picture.  She had taken it but just forgot to send.

Here it is!

 

I learned a couple things about genealogy research from this example.

#1 Pay attention to details.  Even though Grandpa Jones served at three different churches during his career, the picture was hanging in Pontfadog.  Follow the scent!

#2 Take a chance!  If you email someone out of the blue, the worst that can happen is no reply.

#3 People are usually nice and willing to help.  

Our Welsh-American family is very happy to have a clear picture of Grandpa Jones.

   

Source:

Church contacts in Pontfadog 

Other link:

Pictures of Pontfadog

3 Things They Don't Tell You About Family Tree Research

I'm here to give you the real deal. 

1. Sometimes the facts are just a bummer

I mean, hello, you're researching your ancestors.  SPOILER ALERT: They all died.  Life was tough.  I was heartbroken to learn that one of my great-grandmothers only had three out of her ten children live to adulthood.

Are family trees fascinating? Yes. Sometimes happy and inspiring? Yes.  But if you're expecting rainbows and unicorns every day, genealogy is not for you!

2. You will never be "done"

"Let me just whip up my family tree real quick," said no one ever.  You think you have a small family? So did I!  But guess what? You have no less than 4,096 10th great-grandparents.  That's not including aunts, uncles and cousins.  

But I guess it's the same with every hobby, right?  Musicians always have another song, artists need to create another painting.  

Don't worry, you'll always have another ancestor to find!

3. It's addictive  

In the 4th grade I signed a very official certificate to "Say NO to drugs."  They told me then that they could be addictive from day one.  

Thankfully, I honored my pledge.  But is it possible that genealogy has the same effect on you?  It did for me.

So if you don't want to risk it, just say no to genealogy!