Geneology ancestry.com?

Question: Geneology ancestry!.com!?

Anyone out there know why some marriages are listed on ancestry !.com and others are not looking for particular marriages !.Are marriages and licenses public records !?Www@QuestionHome@Com

Best Answer - Chosen by Asker:

All "public records" belong to the county that owns them!. Ancestry!.com actually pays A LOT of money for the right to index and publish records!. But they do have a budget and go for the most bang for their buck!. They negotiate 5 year contracts for the right to tap into state and county databases!. Some counties and states are stricter about their privacy laws, so they won't publish the records regardless!. Some states allow access to indices that they already publish (like Illinois), but not to records more recent than 72 years!. Other states are fine with releasing anything more than 25 years old!. It's a matter of local law and how much they want to charge Ancestry to republish their records!.Www@QuestionHome@Com

While the records are public if you contact the county or state agency directly, may locations have laws that restrict the sale of those records or their indexes to a third party (such as Ancestry!.com)!. Laws may limit the years available (such as marriages over 100 years)!. Or the agency may have their own web site that they prefer you to use (such as Illinois)!.Www@QuestionHome@Com