Ghana, Accra, Marriages - FamilySearch Historical Records

Ghana

What is in the 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

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