A new book by Robert W. Barnes contains a list. That's right, one list - but what a list it is! The book contains a listing of 6,500 marriages between the years 1634 and 1718 in what is now the state of Maryland. If you have ancestry in Maryland in those years, you will want to look at this book.
eognBarnes earlier wrote several similar books:
Maryland Marriages, 1634-1777
Maryland Marriages, 1778-1800
Maryland Marriages, 1801-1820
These earlier books contain listings of all the marriages found in existing church records. To be sure, church records are the primary source of marriage records in the Colonial-era mid-Atlantic region. However, not all marriages were recorded in church records, and many of the records that were recorded have not survived. The question is, how do you find marriage information when the church records are lacking?
Notice that the latest book has the word "Evidences" in its title: Maryland Marriage Evidences, 1634-1718. Unlike the earlier volumes, this book does not list church records. Instead, it is a listing of "evidence" of marriages as found in other records: in parish registers and administrative records of some denominations, in marriage licenses and allegations, in banns posted in the county court, and in pastoral registers. Mr. Barnes also found indirect references to marriages in various land records, probate and court records, marriage contracts, Maryland state papers, and court reports. In these cases, a land transaction may refer to "John Smith and his wife Mary." Barnes rightfully considers this to be a secondary source reference of a marriage between the two and therefore lists it in his new book. Some of the other marriage references were found in private records such as newspapers, diaries, letters, and family Bibles.
This 486-page paperback is easy to use. Most of the book is filled by one very long list of marriages, arranged alphabetically by the groom's surname and first name. Each listing also gives a reference as to where the information was obtained. The book also has a long list of "Additions and Corrections" to the author's previously-published books of marriage records.
Finally, this latest book has a lengthy index of every name listed within its pages. The index is where you find the maiden names of the brides as well as the names of the various ministers and witnesses mentioned throughout the book.
Maryland Marriage Evidences, 1634-1718 is a "must have" for anyone researching ancestry in those years in Maryland. The 466-page paperback sells for $35.00 plus taxes and shipping. It can be ordered directly from the publisher at http://www.genealogical.com/item_detail.asp?afid=&ID=358 or from most any bookstore if you specify ISBN 0806317604.
