Wales, Marriage Bonds - FamilySearch Historical Records

Wales

What Is in This Collection?
This collection contains marriage bonds from several different churches in each county in Wales from 1650 to 1900. The original records are kept at the National Library of Wales.

What Can these Records Tell Me?
The following information may be found in these records:


 * Date and place of marriage
 * Full names of bride and groom
 * Full names of parents

How Do I Search This Collection?
Before searching this collection, it is helpful to know:
 * Name of the person
 * Approximate date of the marriage

How Do I Analyze the Results?
Compare each result from your search with what you know to determine if there is a match. This may require viewing multiple records or images. Keep track of your research in a research log.

I Found Who I Was Looking For, What Now?

 * Be careful using the listed age to estimate a birth year. Rather than listing actual ages, clerks often wrote in 21 as the age of both the bride and groom to show that they each were of legal age
 * If in the appropriate period, use the information which has been discovered to find the individual in civil records
 * Continue to search the index to identify children, siblings, parents, and other relatives
 * Note that family members often appear on an individual's vital records, such as in the role of witnesses to a marriage

I Can’t Find The Person I’m Looking For, What Now?

 * When looking for a person with a common name, look at all the entries for the name before deciding which individual is correct. Use other information, such as place of birth, age, occupation, or names of parents, to determine which candidate is the correct person. If listed, a personal title may be a clue to property ownership or occupation, either of which might be noted in other records
 * Check for variants of given names, surnames, and place names
 * Transcription errors could occur in any handwritten record
 * It was not uncommon for an individual to be listed under a nickname or an abbreviation of their name
 * Vary the search terms. For example, search by either the given name or surname to return broader list of possible matches

Research Helps
The following articles will help you in your research for your family in Wales.
 * Record Finder
 * Research Tips and Strategies

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.