Ghana, Accra, Marriages - FamilySearch Historical Records

Ghana

What is in This Collection?
This collection includes records for the years 1863-2003. The images are available for viewing.

The records were acquired from the Public Records and Archives Administration (PRAA) and are both typed and handwritten in printed forms.

In Ghana, a couple could be married under customary law. However, traditional, or customary, Ghanian marriages are performed by family elders. The elders of the two families, along with the potential bride and groom, meet together for a bargaining. The customary marriages were typically not recorded at the time of the marriage. In order to get these marriages recognized by state law, the couple had to get their marriage registered and recognized by the state. In 1985 marriage laws were altered, requiring by law that all marriages be registered. Marriages can also take place in a church and may be recorded in church records.

Many marriages still continue to be customary today and may or may not actually be registered.

The marriage records in this collection appear to be primarily church records mixed with some registered marriages.

Find out more about customary marriage laws as well as the Marriage Ordinance and Islamic marriages by looking at the Kumasi Metropolitan Assembly website or the BYU Research Outline also has more information.

What Can These Records Tell Me?
Marriage records in this collection may contain the following information:


 * Date of marriage
 * Place of marriage
 * Name of bride
 * Name of groom
 * Age of bride (may just indicate of full age or a minor)
 * Age of groom (may just indicate of full age or a minor)
 * Marital condition of bride and groom (i.e. spinster, widowed, etc.)
 * Occupations of bride and groom
 * Residences of bride and groom before marriage
 * Name of the father of the bride and his occupation
 * Name of the father of the groom and his occupation
 * Indication of cultural ceremony or otherwise
 * Name of religious or governmental official who officiated the marriage
 * Witnesses

Divorce records may contain the following information:


 * Name of husband and wife
 * Date of marriage
 * Residence of both parties
 * Date of dissolution

How Do I Search This Collection?
You can search the index or view the images or both. Before using this collection it is helpful to know:


 * The names of the people you are looking for
 * An approximate date of marriage

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I Found the Person I Was Looking For, What Now?

 * Use the age to calculate the birth year
 * Continue to search the records to identify children, siblings, parents, and other relatives who may have lived nearby. This can help you identify other generations of your family. Repeat this process for each new generation you identify
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 * Pieces of information may give you new biographical details such as a title, an occupation, or land ownership, which may give you leads to other records about your ancestors

I Can't Find the Person I'm Looking For, What Now?

 * While searching, it is helpful to know such information as the ancestor’s given name and surname, some identifying information such as residence and age, and family relationships. Remember that there may be more than one person in the records with the same name as an ancestor and that the ancestor may have used nicknames or different names at different times
 * Keep in mind that there may be more than one person in the records with the same name
 * Standard spelling of names typically did not exist during the periods your ancestors lived in. Try variations of your ancestor’s name while browsing through images. Pay special attention to how the name should have been pronounced and try variations on the pronunciation
 * Use Ghana Online Genealogy Records to see if your ancestor has an oral history

Known Issues with This Collection
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Citing This Collection
Citations help you keep track of places you have searched and sources you have found. Identifying your sources helps others find the records you used.

"Ghana, Accra, Marriages, 1863-2003." Images. FamilySearch. http://FamilySearch.org : accessed 2017. Citing Public Records and Archives Administration Department, Accra.
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