Thursday, October 16, 2008

State Marriage Records

By BenDave

There are various reasons why people would want to obtain copies of public marriage records. For some people, it is so that they can learn about their family history. For others, it is because they need a copy of their marriage records as they are going to be filing for divorce. Yet for most, it is a matter of precautionary measure before advancing a romantic relationship especially when tying the knot is on the horizon.

In the old days, when it came to getting hold of a copy of your marriage records, you would need to visit your local public office where such information was retained. However, such searches can be carried out online over the internet these days. It will end up saving you time and money. We look at a few ways and practices of retrieving records of marriage by commercial information providers and lay them out to determine which one may well best serve your needs.

The standard format used by most online record providers requires you to enter the name and age of the person whose public marriage records you need into the search box. Once entered, you click on the search button and after processing, a list of names along with where they are located will appear on the screen. All you do is just select the person you are interested in getting the information of based on its location and the associated state marriage records will be produced. It must be noted that marriage records come under state jurisdiction and are segregated accordingly by states. For you to actually get a copy of people's marriage records a background check on the party will be carried out first and that will entail a fee. But with this service, you don't just get the marriage details, you also get where they currently live, details of any criminal records and/or legal judgments made against them in small claims courts, any property liens and their home value.

There is another style of providing online records which is also popular. This type of providers operates databases that gather data feeds from hundreds of government agencies across the United States. Upon placing an order with them, the request is sent through to the appropriate agency for it to then process. Once the processing is completed, a hard copy of the information required is then sent through to you by the agency in question. The standard method of delivery is through the regular mail but for an additional fee, you can arrange for the package to be delivered within two days by courier. As well as getting the information more quickly, using a courier means that it will reach you safely and you can track it at all times.

Although they may seem quite old-fashioned, there are those who offer a completely different service from the other two we have mentioned above. When an order is made with such providers, one of their researchers will be dispatched to the appropriate marriage records office to obtain the document that you need. Depending on what office the researcher has to visit, the fee will be charged accordingly.

When it comes to getting hold of free marriage records, there are quite a few sites online that offer such a service. But generally, the information that they provide will be very limited. Typically, it will show the person's name, age, place of birth and place of work and residence. Also, it will show the time and place of the marriage and also who witnessed the ceremony and who conducted it. Plus these marriage records will show the couple's parents' details but nothing more. - 15437

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