Friday, December 11, 2009

Massachusetts Marriage Records on FamilySearch Record Search

One of the new databases appearing on the LDS FamilySearch Record Search Pilot website is the Massachusetts Marriages, 1841 to 1915. Here is the basic Search box for this database:




The collection description says:

"Name index and images of Massachusetts statewide marriage registers. The marriage registers are in numbered volumes arranged by year then by individual town. Currently only marriages for the years 1896, 1897 and 1906-1915 are available."

I input "Seaver" in the last name field on the search box, and received 445 matches. Here is the screen with the "mouse-over" popup box for the first person on the list:


I noted that this summary of the indexed data does not include the numbered volume of this collection - this is a gross oversight, since the numbered volume is how you find the record on FHL microfilm or at the Massachusetts Archives or New England HistGen Society.

The image of the record can be seen by clicking on the "Record Image" icon on the far-left of the person's name (or by clicking on the "Record Details" icon and then the "Record Image" icon, both on the far-right side of the screen - you have to click each of them once):


This record image can be magnified using the + and - buttons on the small thumbnail image, which shows in yellow the portion of the image displayed on the screen. The user can manipulate the image using their left-mouse button to move the image with the "magic hand" around the screen.

These Massachusetts Marriage Records are also available on the NEHGS www.NewEnglandAncestors.org website behind their firewall. NEHGS has the entire collection of Massachusetts Births, Marriages and Deaths, 1841-1910 and Massachusetts Marriages 1911-1915 on their website. The NEHGS collection does provide the Volume Number, but is somewhat more difficult to search and display the images.

I have collected information for many Seaver surname persons from the microfilms of these records available through the LDS Family History Library. I ordered them one at a time over a period of about 5 years - and now they are all online.

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