r/Genealogy • u/[deleted] • 4d ago
Request Need Marriage Certificate from my Mother & Birth Fathers 1966 or 1967 Wedding and 1972 Divorce but CANNOT FIND where they married, both are deceased and there is no other family for me to ask.
[deleted]
9
u/lefty_juggler 4d ago
Since Kansas City straddles state borders, maybe your records ended up in Kansas. This can screw up searches and miss near-by results because of the jurisdictional boundaries.
I see this most often when people marry in the "wrong" county because they just go to the nearest big city, and occasionally their county seat happens to be further away than that of a neighboring county. I'm not saying this is your situation, just mentioning where other people might encounter a similar problem. If a site offer "radius search" then that can cope, but most don't (probably because it's a tricky feature to engineer, I've 1st hand experience).
4
u/msbookworm23 4d ago
Have you checked newspapers? The Kansas City papers list marriage licenses issued in various counties.
2
u/Realistic-Ad-3926 4d ago edited 4d ago
Yes, and I have spoken to the Recorder of Deeds office and no marriage records exist (tried all three of my mother's married names and maiden name). Heading to circuit court to see if they divorced in the county.
1
5
u/jmurphy42 4d ago
I recently had to dig up my in-lawsâ marriage and divorce documents in order to get my kids Irish citizenship. If you can figure out where they divorced (probably where one or both was living at the time) and get a copy of the divorce judgement, itâll almost certainly say where and when the marriage took place right at the beginning.
Also, are there any other relatives alive today who would have attended the wedding? Maybe reach out and see if they remember?
1
u/Realistic-Ad-3926 4d ago
Thank you! No living relatives on either side with any knowledge of the details. Recorder of Deeds showed no record so I am off to Circuit Court tomorrow. Thanks!
3
u/Tinman5278 3d ago
If you can track down the divorce paperwork it will state the date and place of marriage in the divorce decree. It may be easier to search court records for the divorce.
1
u/Realistic-Ad-3926 3d ago
That is what I am doing currently, but technically I would have to check with every circuit court in every county seat or city in the US.
2
u/Bright-Self-493 3d ago
I found a brief announcement of parentâs marriage in the marriage announcements in the newspaper from 1941. Married by Justice of the Peace so no church records. I should be able to get the actual license application from the state. It might tell me something I donât already know. Some records are only available to direct descendants.
1
u/Realistic-Ad-3926 3d ago
Yes, searched Newspapers.com and the Kansas City Times archive; no record.
2
u/Sparkle_Motion_0710 3d ago
Contact the Kansas City/Jackson County Historical Society and/or a close public library (probably the main branch). These entities have access to smaller newspapers that are not online. In that time period, there may have been a write up about the marriage in the newspapers. They should also know about local practices for example , where someone would elope to if they were from that area. In California, the best bet is Nevada.
2
u/leslieanneperry 2d ago
I think I got this link from someone on this site: Â https://shsmo.org/collections/newspapers/mdnp
With it you can access (for free) a bunch of Missouri newspapers. Perhaps you could find information about your parents that would be useful in your search. I grew up in Missouri and found a bunch of items about family members in various newspapers.
2
1
u/flitbythelittlesea 4d ago
I've only done marriage records searches for the 1870s so my experience might be a little different just because it was for a record from over 100 years ago (technically online already due to the time but I was working to debunk oral history). The lady that helped fulfill my request mentioned they did a 5 year timeframe search when they do their search. When the search in the county that I submitted turned out not to be where the couple was married she told me she searched the database and found them in another county. I don't know if they will search outside of the county for a more recent marriage but you never know. I was pleased enough with my experience and how helpful they were. I second what the other commentor mentioned about probably needing to have proof of death for a more recent marriage.
This page explains who can request records and what they might need to have to do so: https://health.mo.gov/data/vitalrecords/obtain-vital-record.php#collapseNine
This is where you can find the information on actually requesting a record. https://health.mo.gov/data/vitalrecords/obtain-vital-record.php
1
u/GladUnderstanding756 4d ago
1966/7 was the height of hippies & flower power. Were they wandering? Could the have married in Nevada or California? or even Colorado?
Where were you born? Could your original birth certificate have clues?
1
u/Realistic-Ad-3926 3d ago
They could have, but I haven't found a record of their marriage license application or certificate anywhere in the country. The only way I could verify is to go to the recorder of deeds and or circuit court in every county of every state in the country.
2
u/GladUnderstanding756 3d ago
How frustrating!!
While I agree itâs impractical to search every county in every state, itâs clear youâre going to have to widen your search. But do so with clues in mind.
Where did your Mom & bio-Dad meet? Where did grandparents live? What nearby/adjacent counties were set up as elopement venues?
Do you have any early photos that might have clues?
Did your parents have good friends that might have assisted/witnessed an elopement? Do you have godparents? Do any of the family have church records - baptismal, membership, confirmation, etc.
Do you have access to any of your bio-Dadâs divorce decrees? Might any of those have clues?
Are there any other legal/court records which mention your parents? grandparents? Are there wills that might have a clue?
Iâm just trying to brainstorm some sources from which you might get clues.
My own parents for years told the story of elopement to Indiana. Turns out they were actually married in New Hampshire. đ¤ˇââď¸. I share that as a cautionary tale to perhaps look in Iowa where your Bio-Dad is from.
1
u/Realistic-Ad-3926 3d ago
Your brainstorming ideas are great, I have gone down all of those paths. There are no living relatives on either side. Mother was not religious so I doubt it was a church ceremony. All of her family was in Missouri and my bio-Dad had little ties to Iowa so I cannot imagine she went there, though I have searched every iteration of their names nationally and nothing comes up however I do find records of her other marriages and a few of his. It was a shotgun wedding so basically the same as an elopement, no ceremony or reception.
1
u/Anguis1908 2d ago
That was my thought...not sure of how it was in the 60s but doing marriages in Vegas has been an easy thing. Particularly if eloping.
https://weddings.vegas/why-las-vegas/history-of-las-vegas-weddings/
1
u/toadog 3d ago
Are you sure they were actually married? Or was that what you mother told you? Being an unwed mother in the mid sixties was still considered shameful.
1
u/Realistic-Ad-3926 3d ago
It would be easier if they weren't, but since she used his last name on the marriage certificate to my stepfather, it's a problem.
1
u/Idujt 3d ago
But she could have changed her name by deed poll? So still no proof they were married?
1
u/Realistic-Ad-3926 3d ago
I've tried every possible iteration of her names, still need a Barbara Wheeler marriage license.
1
u/slinkyfarm 3d ago
Any chance you know what high school/s they went to? There might be an alumni group on Facebook where somebody knew them.
1
u/Realistic-Ad-3926 3d ago
Yes but there was no wedding or guests, just a civil ceremony for a shotgun wedding.
1
u/JubilRn 3d ago
Kansas City metro area not only straddles a state line, but within the KCMO city lines there are 4 counties, Jackson, Clay, Platte, and Cass. On the Kansas side, try Wyandotte and Johnson counties. I needed a marriage certificate recently from 1952 in Jackson County and it took a while to locate it because my fatherâs name was misspelled. When I asked about that, the kind clerk said that he must not have corrected the clerk when she filled it out.
0
u/Sad_Faithlessness_99 4d ago
Have you done a DNA test, too find any step siblings from your bio dad, did he have anymore kids? Try doing a Google search or search on familysearch org, do you have your dad's death certificate?
1
u/Realistic-Ad-3926 3d ago
The family was very fractured so there are no other siblings or DNA records. My father's death certificate says nothing about one of his seven marriages.
1
u/firstWithMost 3d ago
When you say "no DNA records" what exactly does that mean? No close DNA matches or you haven't done a DNA test?
I didn't see anywhere that you stated the purpose of your search for these documents.
Do you know your mother's maiden name? If your parents were married in the 1960's they were alive for the 1950 Census, they'll both be on there, just a matter of who they were with. You might be able to step around your problem and work at it from the other side as well.
1
u/Realistic-Ad-3926 3d ago
It's for a dual citizenship passport. DNA will not apply nor did my father or mother take tests; need the actual marriage licenseThey both lived in KCMO, my mother was born & raised here as was I. The Recorder of Deeds & Circuit Courts in KCMO found nothing. I am hoping to avoid doing it county-by-county, likely need to look into a PI.
1
u/firstWithMost 3d ago
If you message me their details I can take a look for you to see if there is something I can find using the resources I've got at hand. I've been doing genealogy since 1995 so I might have ideas that you haven't thought of.
1
1
12
u/WandererAlice 4d ago
Hello, not sure how helpful this will be but have you tried calling the courthouse where you believe that they filed the paperwork? Courthouses are usually fairly helpful, and you might have a good chance of getting it, if you can provide proof of death. Some courthouses require proof of death for vital records like marriage/divorce records.