Be Sure to Visit my new 1900 Galveston Storm Website at: http://freepages.genealogy.rootseb.com/~barnette 

(Note: This Column actually Ran June 10, 2000)

TEXAS MARRIAGE INDEXES ON INTERNET

 In recent weeks Texas birth and death records and online indexes to them have been discussed. This week that line of thought continues with a discussion of marriage records and online marriage application indexes.

 Marriages have been one of the vital records recorded by churches since a papal decree in Fifteenth Century. During the period when Texas was a part of Spain and Mexico the Catholic Church was the State Church. Other religions were not allowed to function. Since there was no religious freedom, marriages, to be legal, were performed by a Catholic Priest. Records of the marriage were usually recorded in the sacramental records of the Catholic Church where the priest reported.

 Upon gaining her independence in 1836, the Republic of Texas required couples to obtain a marriage license from the clerk of the county in which one of them, usually the bride, resided. The consenting parties could choose who they wished to perform the marriage ceremony. They could be married by a Minister of the Gospel, a county judge or certain other officials.  If a preacher married a couple the marriage might be recorded in the minister's diary, a church record or wherever the minister wished. The only legal registration of the marriage, however, was that of the county clerk when the certificate was returned to the county clerk by the performing official.

 Since 1836 marriages have been recorded in Texas at the county level in the office of the County Clerk. Since 1966 Texas county clerks have been required to send copies of marriage applications to the State of Texas Bureau of Vital Statistics. A database of those post 1966 marriage applications reported to the State of Texas has been created and is now available online on the Internet.

 Recently the Texas Bureau of Vital Statistics placed their database of marriage applications  on their website on the Internet at http://www.tdh.state.tx.us/bvs/registra/INDEX.H TM. The indexes are not designed to be easily searched. The researcher must download a whole year to locate one marriage record. If the year of the marriage is unknown a search of several years has to be conducted in a like manner. The online database is not user-friendly and appears to facilitate the sale of microfiche and CD-ROMs by the State.

 20th Century Texas researchers can now rejoice. Volunteers at Rootsweb have come to the rescue. These volunteers have taken the State's database and placed a search engine on it. The ease of completing a search is quick, easy and very rewarding. One may search for either a bride or groom or both. They may search for only a surname, only a given name or only a date or county. The results are displayed in nanoseconds.

 The index of Texas marriage applications for 1966 through 1995 may be searched online on Rootsweb at http://userdb.rootsweb.com/tx/marriage/search.c gi. The database has 5,269,009 records. One may search for exact, soundex or metaphone spellings of given or surnames. A search will yield results for the following data categories: the first, last or middle name or initial of either the bride or groom, the date and county of marriage plus the age of both the bride and groom.

 The State of Texas does not sell marriage records. Marriage records must be obtained from the county clerk in the county where the marriage occurred.

 Online searchable databases for Texas divorces are also on Rootsweb. They will be discussed in a continuing column.

GENEALOGICAL SEMINAR

 The Caldwell Genealogical and Historical Society will host an all day seminar featuring Leslie Smith Collier on Saturday July 8. The seminar will be held at the First United Methodist Church, Magnolia and Bowie streets in Luling. For more information visit the society website at:

 http://www.rootsweb.com/~txcaldwe/socpage.ht m

GENEALOGY CLASSES

 Emily Croom will present a two class beginning genealogy course at Houston Community College's Missouri City Campus, 1681 Cartwright Road. Classes will be held from 9 A.M. to 12:30 P.M. on Saturday July 8 and July 15. For more information and to register, contact HCC at 281-835-5539.

 Emily Croom will present a beginning genealogy course at Memorial Drive United Methodist Church, 12955 Memorial Drive on Tuesday and Wednesday July 11 and 12 from 10 A.M. to 11:30 A.M.

 Croom will continue her classes with an intermediate genealogy course on Tuesday and Wednesday July 18 and 19 and Tuesday and Wednesday July 25 and 26 from 10 A.M. to 11:30 A.M.

 For information on both the beginning and intermediate classes, contact 713-468-8356.

NEWS FROM THE BOOKSHELF

 Union County, Arkansas was created on November 2, 1829 from portions of Hempstead and Clarke counties which had been formed in 1818. Portions of Union County later became part of the counties of Bradley, Ouachita, Ashley, Columbia, Dallas, Drew, Calhoun, Nevada, Lincoln and Cleveland.

 Researchers of any of the above counties might be interested in a new book by John Calvin Head, UNION COUNTY, ARKANSAS MARRIAGE RECORDS 1829-1902. The book is arranged chronologically as the marriages were recorded by the county clerk. Included is the date of marriage, the name of the bride and groom and the book and page number where the marriage is recorded. A combined bride and groom full name index is included.

  UNION COUNTY, ARKANSAS MARRIAGES is available for $28, postpaid, from J & W Enterprises, 8505 Dixie Blanchard Rd, Shreveport, LA 71107-8176.