Author Topic: Benjamin James marriage record complete  (Read 964 times)

Offline Trinityquiet

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Benjamin James marriage record complete
« on: Thursday 28 January 16 20:27 GMT (UK) »
Hello, I'm looking for help with the marriage record for Benjamin James and Margaret Evans in Merthyr Tydfil, 1864. I'm new to Welsh genealogy, so not sure if I'm looking for one or two documents here.

Here's what I know:
Benjamin James, Jan-Feb-Mar quarter, 1864 Merthyr Tydfil vol 11a pg 519 line 19

Thanks for reading!

Offline KGarrad

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Re: Benjamin James marriage record
« Reply #1 on: Thursday 28 January 16 21:05 GMT (UK) »
That reference is from the GRO Indexes.
If you use FreeBMD to find that marriage, and click on the page number, you can see all the names recorded on the same page.

Davies, David
Evans, Margaret
James, Benjamin
Smith, Miriam

You can use the reference to get the marriage certificate from the GRO.
Garrad (Suffolk, Essex, Somerset), Crocker (Somerset), Vanstone (Devon, Jersey), Sims (Wiltshire), Bridger (Kent)

Offline Trinityquiet

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Re: Benjamin James marriage record
« Reply #2 on: Thursday 28 January 16 21:39 GMT (UK) »
Is this something I can only order, or is a look up request okay?

Offline KGarrad

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Re: Benjamin James marriage record
« Reply #3 on: Thursday 28 January 16 22:12 GMT (UK) »
Unfortunately you have to buy!
The laws of England & Wales don't permit looking at the details ::)

See: https://www.gro.gov.uk/gro/content/certificates/
The cost is £9.25.

You could, of course, find the Parish Register entry, but you will need to know what church?
Garrad (Suffolk, Essex, Somerset), Crocker (Somerset), Vanstone (Devon, Jersey), Sims (Wiltshire), Bridger (Kent)


Offline Trinityquiet

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Re: Benjamin James marriage record
« Reply #4 on: Thursday 28 January 16 23:06 GMT (UK) »
Thanks! I'm guessing Merthyr Tydfil was too big in 1864 for me to be able to find out which church they were married in? Or is there some other angle I should look from that I don't know about?

Is there truly enough information in the marriage certificates to justify ordering? I've only started learning about this today, but it seems they only offer the names of those married, not their birth dates or parents' information. Is that correct? Or am I getting confused with banns?

And a last embarrassing question while I'm on a roll...just to make sure I'm not completely wrong... A parish is a church, right, subject to all the usual church definitions and uses? :)

Offline KGarrad

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Re: Benjamin James marriage record
« Reply #5 on: Friday 29 January 16 09:10 GMT (UK) »
A Marriage Certificate from England or Wales will contain:

Name, age (or "of full age"!), status, occupation, address (at the time of marriage) - of both bride & groom.
Names and occupations of both fathers.

Names of the witnesses.

From that information, you should be able to find father & son, or father and daughter, in the censuses.
Or be able to find a Birth Registration.

FreeBMD.org.uk is very helpful.
And your local library may have free-to-use versions of Ancestry or FindMyPast.
Garrad (Suffolk, Essex, Somerset), Crocker (Somerset), Vanstone (Devon, Jersey), Sims (Wiltshire), Bridger (Kent)

Offline KGarrad

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Re: Benjamin James marriage record
« Reply #6 on: Friday 29 January 16 09:29 GMT (UK) »
Merthyr Tydfil Registration District consisted of 9 parishes.

But that only accounts for Anglican (Church of England/Wales) parishes.
They may have married in a chapel?
And there are over 60 chapels & churches in Merthyr!
See: http://www.genuki.org.uk/big/wal/GLA/MerthyrTydfil/#Churches

They might also have married in a Register Office - in which case, there will be no parish record.

For a definition of parish, see:
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Parish_%28Church_of_England%29
Garrad (Suffolk, Essex, Somerset), Crocker (Somerset), Vanstone (Devon, Jersey), Sims (Wiltshire), Bridger (Kent)

Offline Trinityquiet

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Re: Benjamin James marriage record
« Reply #7 on: Friday 29 January 16 15:47 GMT (UK) »
Ooooh, a treasure trove! I can't wait to order  ;D Thanks for the explanations and definitions.

I've always avoided international genealogy. It truly is like being a beginner again. Everything is different. But maybe starting here won't be so bad  :) Thanks!

Offline Trinityquiet

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Re: Benjamin James marriage record
« Reply #8 on: Friday 29 January 16 15:52 GMT (UK) »
The local library does have ancestry, BTW. I just don't get there often. I only got internet again two weeks ago after a year without. The same day, a cemetery caretaker got back to me out of the blue from a very old query, offering proof that Benjamin James was my ancestor. Now I'm knee deep lol