Author Topic: Where to look for a marriage in Washington DC?  (Read 2198 times)

Online Forfarian

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Where to look for a marriage in Washington DC?
« on: Thursday 03 August 17 16:11 BST (UK) »
I am looking for the marriage of Allan Winfred Henderson to Barbara Louise Robertson. Allan was born in London on 24 May 1899, and served in the British Army. In 1943 he arrived at St Albans, Vermont, on his way to take up a post with the British Army Staff in Washington DC. There is another record of him arriving at the Port of New York on 28 December 1950, which gives his last residence as Washington DC, his address as 3925 Benton St NW, and his next of kin as his wife Barbara, at the same address. It also says he had previously been in the US from June 1943 until 26 December 1950, which is just 2 days before this immigration record. (I don't know what to make of this either!)

According to a stone in the Masonic Memorial Gardens, Reno, Nevada Allan died in 1990 and Barbara Louise was born 1908 and died 1997. Family lore says that Barbara's surname was Robertson.

I have not found any record of his marriage in England, Scotland or Wales, so I am wondering if perhaps Barbara was a US citizen and they were married in Washington DC. However I don't know which state to look in for a marriage in Washington DC.

The Nevada birth and death records on Family Search only go to 1992, and they don't include Washoe County, which is where I gather Reno is,  so I can't expect to find any information there about Barbara.
Never trust anything you find online (especially submitted trees and transcriptions on Ancestry, MyHeritage, FindMyPast and other commercial web sites) unless it's an image of an original document - and even then be wary because errors can and do occur.

Online Erato

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Re: Where to look for a marriage in Washington DC?
« Reply #1 on: Thursday 03 August 17 16:22 BST (UK) »
There are some District of Columbia marriages at FamilySearch but I don't see Henderson/Robertson.  It is also possible that they were married in one of the nearby Virginia or Maryland suburbs of DC.

https://familysearch.org/search/collection/1803979?collectionNameFilter=false
Wiltshire:  Banks, Taylor
Somerset:  Duddridge, Richards, Barnard, Pillinger
Gloucestershire:  Barnard, Marsh, Crossman
Bristol:  Banks, Duddridge, Barnard
Down:  Ennis, McGee
Wicklow:  Chapman, Pepper
Wigtownshire:  Logan, Conning
Wisconsin:  Ennis, Chapman, Logan, Ware
Maine:  Ware, Mitchell, Tarr, Davis

Online shellyesq

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Re: Where to look for a marriage in Washington DC?
« Reply #2 on: Thursday 03 August 17 16:30 BST (UK) »
Allan Winfred Henderson, age 48, married Barbara Louisa Jones, age 39, on 5 Jul. 1947 in Washington, DC.

Online Erato

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Re: Where to look for a marriage in Washington DC?
« Reply #3 on: Thursday 03 August 17 16:34 BST (UK) »
How did I miss that?  I get nothing for Allan Henderson.
Wiltshire:  Banks, Taylor
Somerset:  Duddridge, Richards, Barnard, Pillinger
Gloucestershire:  Barnard, Marsh, Crossman
Bristol:  Banks, Duddridge, Barnard
Down:  Ennis, McGee
Wicklow:  Chapman, Pepper
Wigtownshire:  Logan, Conning
Wisconsin:  Ennis, Chapman, Logan, Ware
Maine:  Ware, Mitchell, Tarr, Davis


Offline Christine53

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Re: Where to look for a marriage in Washington DC?
« Reply #4 on: Thursday 03 August 17 16:35 BST (UK) »
Here is the reference from British Armed Forces Marriages :

Henderson Allan W and Jones Washington 47 3662 line  23

You should be able to order from GRO if you wish.

Census information  Crown Copyright
www.nationalarchives.gov.uk

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Re: Where to look for a marriage in Washington DC?
« Reply #5 on: Thursday 03 August 17 16:40 BST (UK) »
How did I miss that?  I get nothing for Allan Henderson.
I'm asking myself the same question!

Thanks to all for a swift response.
Never trust anything you find online (especially submitted trees and transcriptions on Ancestry, MyHeritage, FindMyPast and other commercial web sites) unless it's an image of an original document - and even then be wary because errors can and do occur.

Offline barryd

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Re: Where to look for a marriage in Washington DC?
« Reply #6 on: Thursday 03 August 17 17:12 BST (UK) »
I have not declared defeat...... but not far off.

Firstly I checked Winfred. Yes that was his middle name. Registered Camberwell London/Surrey.

I found the site with his memorial in Reno. Informative but would have helped with exact dates.

I will keep on truckin. (American vernacular)

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Re: Where to look for a marriage in Washington DC?
« Reply #7 on: Thursday 03 August 17 17:25 BST (UK) »
Nevada death index says Barbara Henderson, born 5 Jan. 1908 in California, died 10 Oct. 1997 in Reno.

Offline RJ137

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Re: Where to look for a marriage in Washington DC?
« Reply #8 on: Thursday 03 August 17 17:35 BST (UK) »
Reno Gazette-Journal
Reno, Nevada
Wednesday, July 11, 1990 - Page 14