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Question:I want to search marriage records in another state but I get so far in my search and than it seems to get any real information, I need to subscribe to a service.


Best Answer - Chosen by Asker: I want to search marriage records in another state but I get so far in my search and than it seems to get any real information, I need to subscribe to a service.

Most places (counties, states, etc.) don't have such records online. Even though they are public domain. A very few do, but not many.

The online records you find are done by people PAID to transcribe and/or photograph such records. It is a business set up to provide a useful service to researchers. But it is a business and they expect to be paid for their work just as you expect to be paid for your work. The alternative is to go to the county/state records repositories yourself....though time, travel and other expenses will probably be much greater than any fee you would pay for the service. You could try calling the records office for the county you're interested in. They might provide you a copy (though most charge a fee for that as well) through the mail. Usually the only way to get it free is to go there yourself.

You will have better success if you can identify the county, then check what that county does or does not offer. Historical marriages are far more likely to have been posted, since genealogists volunteer time to do this.
Remember.. public does not automatically translate into online. Many government offices see no purpose in the cost involved to put things on the internet. Genealogy is very low on the priority list.

It depends on the location. West Virginia and Ilinois have free on-line sites for marriages that took place before a certain date, for instance. Write if you want links.

Ancestry.com and HeritageQuest are really selling convenience. not data. They have records you could see for free if you wanted to put on a clean shirt, fly to a county courthouse, put up with a snippy clerk who had better things to do and, when she DID give you the reel you needed, get seasick reading microfilm. Or, sit back at home with three fingers of sipping whiskey in a mason jar, kick off your shoes and surf gazillions of records from the comfort of your chair, while your cat sits in your lap and purrs.

Some US Gen Web sites in some counties have some records. Texans, in my experience, are awfully gracious about sharing data. The US Gen Web archives are full of birth records from lots and lots of counties in Texas.

Poke around. You may find a site. There isn't one huge magic one.

http://www.crimcheck.com

They have a free puclic records section on the site. It's pretty complete.