Newspapers.com® Marriage Records Index | The Barefoot Genealogist | Ancestry

The Newspapers.com Marriage Index collection adds to the world's largest, searchable digital archive of newspaper published historical wedding announcements. Since the early 1800s, newspapers across the country have been publishing rich information about engagements, marriage license applications, wedding announcements, and more. Join Crista Cowan to learn more about how this index was created, tips and tricks for searching, and how to view the images.
Build your family tree today: www.ancestry.com/s113691/t4484...
Newspapers.com Marriage Index, 1800s-1999
www.ancestry.com/search/colle...
0:00-4:20 Welcome & Marriage Records History
4:20-7:17 Introduction to Marriage Records
7:17-9:54 Behind the Scenes of Index Creation
9:54-25:04 Search Tips and Tricks
25:04-30:48 Required Subscription Levels
30:48-31:54 Thank you & Final Words

[@evecottom9966]

It’s been too long since you uploaded. Good to see you back

[@CristaCowan]

Thanks, Eve!

[@davidstricklandblackman8137]

Anne was 70 years old

[@RobinTweets]

So good to see you !!! I have missed your videos :D

[@CristaCowan]

Thank you, Robin.

[@christym7806]

So happy you are back! I found you at the beginning of the pandemic and have been binge watching and learning so much. Thank you for all of these great videos.

[@CristaCowan]

Thanks, Christy.

[@dorothycordova1678]

Crista, I'm new to your classes. I scrolled down the comments and see how beloved you are. I think I'll pull up a seat.

[@cherylboyer1737]

So glad to see you back!

[@madelynsechler2349]

Welcome back! You have been missed. Thank you for the information. It is so hard to stay focused in newspaper searches, indexes should help.

[@CristaCowan]

Thank you, Madelyn. I have missed you all as well.

[@NY2SB1973]

This is very exciting! Welcome back Crista!

[@CristaCowan]

Thank you!

[@skanoot]

Yay! So happy to see you back!

[@CristaCowan]

Thanks, Annette.

[@moniquerivera1099]

Crista, you look amazing and happy! Thanks always for your wonderful wisdom! :-)

[@hustledude]

Good information as always, you to me are the genealogy queen!

[@georgeanacook2037]

Great to have you back!

[@CristaCowan]

Thanks, Georgeana.

[@lisaarcher2749]

All is not lost! She's back!!!

[@CristaCowan]

I am. ;-)

[@Helen-gw5fk]

Missed you so much. Glad to see you back.

[@AncestryUS]

Hi Helen! We're glad you were able to watch Crista. Best wishes on your own research.

[@CristaCowan]

Thanks, Helen. Glad to be back.

[@joeburns7832]

Well done Christa. Thanks to you and Ancestry.

[@AncestryUS]

Thanks for stopping by to watch, Joe!

[@CristaCowan]

Thanks, Joe.

[@karendeck1343]

Thank you. I am thoroughly enjoying ancestry. It is my new hobby! I just subscribed and look forward to learning more.

[@AncestryUS]

Hi, Karen. Thanks for getting in touch. We're so happy to hear that you're starting a new hobby on Ancestry. We hope you enjoy your journey of discovery!

[@michellebarlondsmith6243]

yay .... love it .... you got to love the stories ...

[@AncestryUS]

👍

[@kdv5282]

Thanks Crista...great information.

[@AncestryUS]

Glad you enjoyed the video! We hope it helps you in your research.

[@auntyeat1746]

oh my word i feel like i've been lost and now your here! hooray!!! so happy your back!

[@deborahtanner354]

Yes! Ditto!

[@JohnBrantleyRev]

Just found your work on KZbin and it's very helpful. Thanks for sharing!! I'm hoping for features and tools I can't find in Ancestry. 1) love to plot geography on a map. 2) love you view geography in the family tree to see migration paths. 3) would like to be able to view end-to-end lines. 4) Automatic age calculator, in the decision phase of data review it would be great if a record calculated the person's age, and age at an event, ie) married at age. or baptized at age, to more thoroughly review data. 5) We have several lines that intersect 14 and 15 generations, and it would be great to have a flag if someone had a close relation in an existing tree. ie) my wife 14g back GF was adopted by Cheif Powhatan, my ex-wife goes back 14g to Pochantus's sister, and father line goes back 14g to Pochantus. If there were not 'known' figures in history, we would have likely missed the close connection. 6) In an advanced level it would be great to have searched in waiting, so for example I know a person's data but don't have many significant sources to cite, I could have a search in waiting that when databases are added or updated it would automatically run to see if the new data matched. 7) In helping new users, is there a starting point to check for potential leads. I know that pops up occasionally, but it seems with a dozen entries if there are 'potentials' they would all flag at the same time? Is that not a feature because people wouldn't do the research and just click away? Finally, for now, 8) It would be good to have some feature that extracts the ggf, ggm, gg14, etc. that folks put in the name lines. I know on the top of each profile page it populates the relation to the owner, but if Ancestry had a view relation in a given line it would be great. I don't know the best way to reach you with these ideas and questions and hope you find this here.

[@theebrookester]

I love your smile! It’s contagious ♥️

[@AncestryUS]

Awww. Thanks, Brooke. 😁 (~Crista)

[@leonaolson1176]

I found you yesterday. Great information.

[@CristaCowan]

So glad you found us, Leona.

[@vincentformisano1785]

She has returned!

[@CristaCowan]

I have. ;-)

[@susangorsett7534]

Great information, thank you!

[@AncestryUS]

We're glad you found this video from our archives of use to your own search, Susan! You might also like to check out the Ancestry Academy for more tips, tricks and expert advice : www.ancestryacademy.com/browse . Pop by and see us again anytime and best of luck wherever your research leads you! 🌳

[@fastsetinthewest]

Thank you Crista. Your delivery of information is a grift. Be blessed. Eaglegards...

[@mygenealogyroots]

AI, OCR and Machine Learning are the best! I am excited to check this out.

[@beatricecontreras9649]

I notice my great grandmother married in different names, first one was her bio name but lied about her age, 2nd she changed he name to Spanish and used her mother’s last name and last she married under her bio name once again but added a middle initial.

[@carolesylviahiscock4728]

Do they cover UK newspapers?

[@claricegirouard1317]

Curious if anyone would want some of the old newspapers we find in the attic / scrapbook boxes of our parents/grandparents? I’m not sure if I’m going to keep the entire paper or just clip or photocopy the pertinent article.

[@andreajohnston9009]

Great video my friend 😻🌸

[@AncestryUS]

👍

[@CristaCowan]

Thanks, Andrea.

[@kathrynspicer3787]

You are looking great! Always learn something new from you. Have a few questions: 1)There doesn't seem to be a way to find those people who have 'undecided' hints, so the hint can be lost unless you happen to go into that person and see it. Bar making a physical note each time, how can I find them? 2)Due to financial reasons, I have to take breaks being 'live' on Ancestry. I understand that anything new, like hints, or access to items I search for, or access to other trees will not be available until I re-subscribe. Why can't I access items that I have already paid for, so to speak, like a census record previously attached to a person? 3)There are several fields, like Cause of Death, that I have filled in every time I get that information. But there is no way to do a simple sort, like family name and Cause of Death, and print or download it, without having to spend even more with another subscription to another company. Are there any plans to provide this? I asked the question on Ancestry's Expo Hall site at RootsTech, but haven't heard back. Thanks for your help. Kathryn in New Zealand

[@CristaCowan]

Kathryn - First of all - Thank you! As to your questions: 1. That's a great callout. I hadn't really thought about that before. I will definitely pass along to the product managers the need to be able to identify those people in your tree. In the meantime, you might consider using MyTreeTags™ using the "Research Status" tag of "Actively Researching" or "Unverified" when you mark a hint undecided so you can get back to that person quickly. Are you familiar with MyTreeTags™ and how to use them to filter your tree? 2. When you have an active Ancestry® subscription you have access to the historical records and family trees behind the paywall. When you cancel your subscription, all of that information that you viewed previously and saved remains linked to your family tree. However, as you mentioned, you can not view the images once your subscription lapses. Much like a Netflix (or other type of) subscription service - you are able to view the movies and television shows while you have the subscription and they are not available to you when you don't, even though you may have previously viewed them. The major difference is that Ancestry® allows you to download the records while you have a subscription. This allows you to keep a copy on your computer for access at any time - even after you cancel your subscription. I would HIGHLY recommend that you look into a genealogy software program that syncs with Ancestry. The two options are Family Tree Maker and Roots Magic. (I use FTM.) This will automatically download all images you have saved each time you sync your tree and maintain them with a link to the people in your tree. When you do not have an active subscription, you can still use FTM to view images by person. 3. Similar to your last question, the solution to this is to purchase (one time cost) a genealogy software program. I use FTM daily. It allows me to search, sort, and filter the data in my family tree by any criteria. It also has a plethora of report and printing options. Hope that helps!

[@kathrynspicer3787]

@@CristaCowan Thanks for your prompt reply. Yes, I use Tree Tabs for all sorts not just the standard ones, but my own - like died in combat, centenarian, Mayflower, murdered, etc. Yes there are some sad stories and some rotten apples. Never thought to use it for Undecided, but will add that to the list. The ones you mention are used on occasion. I use the sort on Tree Tabs especially when I subscribe to Newspapers.com to try to find more info on that person. Will look into FTM and budget for it. Again, thanks - from one of your downunder (NZ) fans

[@RichKosack]

Family bibles are a good source of this information.

[@elizabethjorgensen2084]

Missed you!

[@CristaCowan]

Thanks, Elizabeth.

[@wmorrisontillotson1994]

Love ur makeup and new do シ

[@CristaCowan]

Thank you so much! {blush}

[@TheEncourager366]

Hi, Crista! 👋🏼😊

[@CristaCowan]

Hi, Elizabeth!

[@Jess-xy5nv]

So this doesnt really have to do with this video but i know in other videos ive watched of yours it says you monitor the comments pretty well so i just clicked on a random one im wondering if you can offer me advice. Im just wondering if theres a way to figure out when or even why someone changed the spelling of their last name. Ive been doing my and my husbands tree his generation to his great grandfather edward all had the wolske last name but while looking for edwards father it listed him as a man named simon wolski. Just looking for any and all clues you can give me on why this might have been

[@CristaCowan]

Hi Jessica - Prior to the standardization of spelling (motivated in part, in the U.S., by the introduction of Social Security), people did not use standard spellings of their own names. I have a great-grandfather who signed his own name on two sides of the same piece of paper and spelled it two different ways. So, there isn't always documentation (or even a reason) for a name spelling change. It's just how people started spelling it and continued spelling it once spelling standardization happened. Does that make sense?

[@Jess-xy5nv]

@@CristaCowan that does thank you that also explains why some documents were wolske some were wolski and some were even wolska. I also know sometimes the letters just were hard to read for instance on my side ive hit a wall my 3rd great grandfathers name was private Andrew John Stanley ive been trying to find his parents. I thought i had even came acrossed a census when he was 17 where they thought middle initial was d but upon looking at it it was actually a j. Was pretty sure i had found him and his parents then researched further and found out nope just someone with the same name and stuff as him so now im back to square 1 which is sad as his side was the side i was most wanting to find

[@cynthiagamez1040]

Do we need a special subscription.? I don’t see it.

[@suz0000]

I must have some incorrect info on my great grandparents as I have tried every way to search for their marriage and find nothing. How common is it that they would not have marriage listed anywhere? I have heard they were very poor. Could that be why?

[@itrthho]

Could be a common law marriage? No official marriage license or ceremony.

[@patriciaross7272]

Hello, I found my marriage and my husband's parents marriage but if I can't find my parents or grandparents, maybe nothing was put in the paper?

[@AncestryUS]

Hi Patricia. It is possible that perhaps there was nothing published. Have tried broadening your search to see if perhaps it was announced in a larger paper than just the city they were living or vice versa?

[@katrinaassoumou6400]

I have been searching for my parents marriage license since 2008 to date without success. I do not know where they married because I was not born yet. So what do I do? thank you so much for your teaching on genealogy. Amen

[@mygenealogyroots]

What are their names and do you know where they might have been married?

[@katrinaassoumou6400]

@@mygenealogyroots my dad is John Albert Sanders and my mom is Mary Elizabeth Dublin the year of marriage had to be around 1942 dad was in the Army to 1944 my sister was born1946 because my sister was born in Smithfield, Durham, Garner, Raleigh, NC. I wished I had more info for you. Thank you so much. Amen

[@karentucker2161]

There should be a local vital statistics health department that's where my cousin got her marriage license because she lost hers and her moms death certificate. And my grandma got her birth certificate through there.

[@sl5311]

Ok we are related to the Allreds in Utah. I could not remember where I saw your name on my DNA Ancestry list.

[@CristaCowan]

I am related to the Allreds in Utah. But, it is through their ancestor (and mine), Samuel Mulliner.

[@Ratchet4647]

Are the Allreds famous or something?

[@patriciamcconnell9283]

My version of Ancestry doesn't look like yours. It doesn't have the hot links (view in tree, merge duplicate, etc.) below the person's info. It also doesn't have a "card catalogue" option. :( Otherwise, I enjoy your videos!

[@CristaCowan]

Hi Patricia - Let's start with the easy one first. You can find the Card Catalog by clicking on SEARCH (in the top Ancestry menu) and then scroll down towards the bottom. The hot links are found this way: When you are in the profile page of a person in your tree, click on TOOLS (in the top right corner). Then scroll down and click on "Show Research Tools." As long as that has a checkmark next to it, those hot links will show up on the profile page of every person in that tree. Hope that helps!

[@karentucker2161]

I have them

[@tobybarker6808]

Not unreasonably you do a lot of US-based info. Do you have equivalent info for UK users? We have an even longer history and its easy to get stuck! Thanks

[@AncestryUS]

Hi Toby! No worries. We have UK-focused playlists as well: kzbin.info/aero/PL0xuz8BBkD4hmLjqj9gNuvM07zHifUFIa We are always adding new content, so if there's anything in particular you'd like to see, just let us know!

[@tobybarker6808]

@@AncestryUS thank you so much

[@aaqifdf]

If my family tree is private and unsearchable, are my pics that I put in my family tree will be shown to the other members as a hint?

[@AncestryUS]

Hi! Great question. Privacy and it's protection are integral to our service and we're always pleased to help out. There is absolutely no obligation for a member to share or publicly display any information related to their Tree or research project. A member may choose to make their tree entirely private (even so far as to be excluded from our tree index) and this would also exclude such information from appearing in hints to other members of our community. Click here to learn more about choosing the right settings to suit your preferences support.ancestry.com/s/article/Family-Tree-Privacy . Have a great day ! 😀

[@aaqifdf]

@@AncestryUS Thank you very much 😊

[@AncestryUS]

Happy to help! 🌳

[@cavalynstowers6377]

What happens if you cannot find it and I have contacted the state was told not found how do you find proof 🤔 thank you

[@CristaCowan]

Hi Cavalyn - Are you looking for a marriage record? If so, have you contacted the county courthouse in the county where the marriage took place?

[@cavalynstowers6377]

I have contacted them. They stated no documentation prior to 1910. I even contacted county still same response

[@cavalynstowers6377]

I was planning on visiting the state but due the pandemic I had to cancel hopefully next year

[@cassandramcknight2416]

Suggestion: when you do these videos please highlight the area where your cursor is so that I can follow you better. I am old, you move fast, and sometimes I am looking via my cell phone.

[@CristaCowan]

Shortly after I recorded this video, I started using a new recording software that does just that. Thanks for the suggestion. 😉

[@truthhurts5158]

Where can I find on line marriage indexes for Lithuania or any on line Lithuanian records

[@AncestryUS]

Thanks for reaching out to us! Ancestry has several record collections for Lithuania. Our Card Catalog is the best location to see what records we have available. Here is a link to our Card Catalog filtered to the records for Lithuania and a link to an article that has instructions for using the Card Catalog. www.ancestry.com/search/collections/catalog/?location=5136_1652381 support.ancestry.com/s/article/Using-the-Card-Catalog

[@stevenanderson7461]

The problem with most of the ancestry KZbin channel is mostly for the USA. I from the UK and non of my ancestors went to America

[@valeriearvidson1745]

Yes that’s my thoughts too. US information not applicable to me, but very keen for help with UK 🇬🇧 information.

[@roberthopgood1894]

No canadian record???

[@uptoncriddington6939]

Toward the end, the presentation mentions that these indexes will be expanded to cover countries beyond the U.S. over the next year or so.

[@AncestryUS]

Hi Robert. We're glad to hear you're interested in our recent marriage record release. This recent release is just for US marriages between 1800-1999. However, as Upton mentioned above, we are working to expand the collection which will include other countries. Newspapers.c​om™ has over 600 million searchable newspaper page images rich in family history details, including obituaries, birth and marriage announcements, social page mentions of family events, news articles, and photos. With an Ancestry All Access membership or one of the Newspapers.com memberships you can search and view newspapers and clippings directly on Newspapers.com. If you have a membership on Ancestry you can check out our instructional videos for assistance in navigating Newspapers.com. Just scroll down to the Newspapers.com section. www.ancestryacademy.com/browse

[@tinabrinkman4291]

This is such a freaking joke every time I find information and you click on it it wants you to either shut up for a one week free trial or you have to pay for the information it’s ridiculous or it just gives you the basic information like names and dates but no other information

[@karentucker2161]

It takes time for some and you might be doing something wrong. Been there and done that.