Marriage Records

Marriage records are the backbone of a family line, because they join two surnames on a specific date with witnesses present. County registers usually give both names, the date of the license or bond, and the person who performed the ceremony. A date is often the firmest fact a researcher gets from this period.

Most of these are grouped by surname range rather than by year, so open the letter block that fits the name you want. Bonds sometimes name a bondsman who was a father or a brother, a relationship the register itself never states.