Marriage Records
Note: This blog post was originally written in 2019. Due to switching website providers, I am reposting and updating all of my blog posts.
Finding the correct marriage record for an ancestor can yield many insights into your family tree. But how can you tell which marriage record is the right one? Below are some tips that can help you find the missing pieces of this genealogy puzzle. In this blog post, I will take you through how I found the marriage record of my 6th great aunt, Janet Campbell (1726-1793).
1.Location, Location, Location:
In Janet’s day, marriages were usually between people who lived in neighbouring parishes or counties. For example, it would be unlikely that a Scotsman from the Shetland Islands would meet a girl from Glasgow. However, if that Scotsman was from Paisley (a parish just outside of Glasgow) the chances of them meeting is much higher. Most travel was either done on foot or by horse/horse and cart. I often use Google Maps to calculate a rough walking distance between locations (bearing in mind that landscapes and routes change over the centuries) and use the results to help narrow my search.
2. Timeline:
In the 18th century, the usual ages for men to marry was 20-45, and women 15-30. Marriages outside of 30 for women were of course possible, but since the ages of the couple were rarely recorded in 18th Century Scotland, I had to make a rough estimation, especially since Janet Campbell was such a common name. On most genealogy searches you can enter a timeline for the marriage.
I simply added fifteen years onto Janet’s birth year for the minimum (1726+15=1741) then thirty years for the maximum
(1726+30=1756) and entered these dates into the search bar.
Since Janet’s father was a minister, it is very likely that he might have performed her marriage ceremony, but he died when she was only 16, and it is likely that the family stayed in their hometown of the joint parishes of Kilmodan and Glendaruel.
After considering all these factors, I entered Janet’s information in the search bar and clicked the search button. Eight results appeared. I always check each record one by one, so I don’t get muddled or confused.
I use the Scotland's People website for my Scottish research because it is the offical collection of records run by the Scottish government
After carefully analysing each record, I settled on the 1748 marriage record for “Archibald Black” and “Janet Campbell”. Why?
Their marriage location is in her hometown. Even if her family had moved, Janet and Archibald likely knew each other since they were children.
2. The year fits within the standard ages of marriage in 18th century Scotland - in 1748 Janet was 22. It was also the earliest entry in the timeline and location I selected.
3. The marriage was dated two years after the Battle of Culloden. Since at least three of Janet’s siblings are recorded have taken part in the 1745 Jacobite Rising, a marriage to a man from her hometown whom guaranteed a safer home and a different surname.
Janet and Archibald's wedding certificate. "Archibald Black and Janet Campbell both in this parish gave up their names in order to marriage 2nd Janry 1748"
I hope this blog post will come in handy next time you are researching marriage records for your family tree.
Best wishes,
Liliana Van Heel. Genealogist and family historian.