Marriage Records

Recently, I became aware of, and joined, a couple Facebook groups relative to Irish genealogy. The first was IGP County Clare Ireland Genealogy, and from a post on that site I found out about and joined the Sweeney Gedmatch and Genealogy. My great grandfather and mother, John Charles Sweeney and Bridget Cleary, both are said to be born in County Clare. From the Clare group I received a response from Kathleen Scheg, who is doing research on the Howard line. Mary Howard is a 2nd great grandmother who married Michael Cleary, and one of their children was the earlier named Bridget. She provided me a marriage date of Mary's parents, John Howard and Anne Maloney. When I found the 1830 marriage record I quickly noticed a major difference in detail between the Irish records and similar era records in Bohemia. 

This Irish marriage record is sparse. It provides the date: 10 Feb 1830 (well, actually it just provides a 10, you have to look earlier for the month and even earlier for the year, which is pretty standard in many of the records), and then reads: "John Howard of Kilmurry married Anne Maloney of Carnaun." That is if the interpretation of place is correct. Let me compare this to a Bohemian (Austro-Hungarian Empire) parish record separated by less than two weeks.

Howard & Maloney Sacramental Marriage Record, 10 Feb 1830
Source: National Library of Ireland

Martin Havel, a brother to my 2nd great grandfather (making this Martin my second great great uncle, and not to be confused with my great grandfather Martin Hovel) has a marriage record from eleven days earlier. This record, in the Netolice Parish Register, Church of the Assumption of the Virgin Mary, provides much more detail and is interpreted as follows: "Married 25 January 1830  Groom: Dolni Chrastany No 18, 30 years of age//Catholic//previously unmarried Martin Havel, farmer, son of Franz Havel, farmer in Dolni Chrastany No 18 and Theresia Nee Jiral in Dolni Chrastany No 18. Bride: Poderiste No 13, 28 yrs of age//Catholic//widowed Maria daughter of Mathias Vavra, farmer from Dvory and Maria nee (not stated) in Vcelna pod Boubinem No 17 in Vimperk dominion. Without dispensation (ie not required)" It also provided the witnesses to the marriage and officiant, but I did not have that information translated. This record provides both parent names, their occupation, states the bride is a widow, provides ages of bride and groom, gives the father's name of both, the mother's name of one, and Martin's occupation. With the village, name, and age, they are easier to find in baptismal and other records. Further, knowing that each father was a farmer and where they lived means I can find them in the land register. If a cottager, or a landless holder, they may not be in the land register. The farmers are also likely to be in the list of peasants--the Seignorial Register. Most records of this era provide the wife's mother's surname, but in this case, perhaps no one could recall the surname, after all she was a widow. The 1796 marriage in Netolice of Martin's dad and mother (my third great grandparents, Frantisek and Teresa) provides the same information. It also notes that Frantisek was from the Krumlov domain (whereas the marriage took place in the Netolice domain). 

2nd from bottom, Sacramental Marriage Record of 
Martin Hovel & Maria Vavra, 25 Jan 1830
Source: Trebon Archives

The Marriage record of Frantisek's parents, Mathias and Maria does not provide as much detail as the above, but still provides valuable information on where each is from and the name of the father, and the domain. 

2nd entry from bottom, Sacramental Marriage Record of
Frantisek Havel and Teresia Jiral, 25 Oct 1796
Source: Trebon Archives

Even if the Irish records went back further in time, there is difficulty not knowing at least the father's given name. Howard is a rather common surname in that area of Ireland, and hence finding the father would be difficult when parents names are not provided. One would need to find John Howard's baptismal record and then go from there. Yet, in that case you need to make sure you have the correct John Howard. As an example, in my Duscheck line I have a birth record that lists a father Jiri to my ancestor, but in looking for likely candidates through baptismal records, I find two Jiri Duscheck's in the same village born about 6 months apart, meaning I really don't know which Jiri continues the line and which one does not. That part of Bohemia does not, at least currently, have Seignorial or land records available which may help sort out the conundrum. 

Sacramental Marriage Record of Bartholomej Penicka and
Dorothea Matousek, 3 Feb 1654
Source: Trebon Archives

The oldest marriage records for my ancestors that I have are for two 8th great grandparents, both married on the same day, 3 Feb 1654, and recorded in the same parish book of Prachatice, St James the Greater Church. (The two were part of six marriages recorded in the Prachatice register for that Tuesday.) These records provide date, village, officiant, and couple. Each record provides the name of the father of the bride, such as "Dorota, daughter of Bartolomej Matoušek of Zdenice." One record provides the name of the father of the groom, "Jiri son of Jan Konzal of Zernovice." Even in 1654 the Bohemian records provide more information than that in the 1830 Irish record. Of course, I suppose the purpose of a marriage, or baptismal record is to show the person was married or baptized, but when you have common surnames, and first names, such as John Howard, how would one know what John Howard was actually married or baptized? 

What I do know is that the religious records in Bohemia evolved and the church records were not only sacramental, but also served for a time as the official civil records. Even non-Catholic records were kept in the Catholic Church until1781. There was no duplication as we have today with both civil and sacramental marriage records. As we saw, however, from at least 1796 on, the Bohemian records contain a good level of detail for the genealogist. Research in Bohemia also benefits by other documents.

Second shown entry, Marriage of Jirik Konzal and
Marketa Matousek, 3 Feb 1654
Source: Trebon Archives

As my Bohemian ancestors were peasants, the domains kept other records which are very helpful. Two of importance are the Seignorial Registers, which began as an inventory of orphans, but later changed to almost an annual census. They often have ages, and sometimes the ages are right on and other times well off. Notes, of marriage, or change of holding or domain may also exist. A skilled translator is required for all records to assure you get the most out. Too often, I misread a name, or village which sent me on a wild goose chase. The Seignorial Registers can provide hints to birth and marriage records. Land Registers also provide clues to deaths via transfer of a holding, marriages, and heirs. My Hovel and Kamen (mother of my paternal grandmother) have their lines in southwest Bohemia, the area covered by the Trebon Archives. The Seignorial and Land Registers go back further in time than the Parish records. Parish record availability varies. In Lhenice (which covers the Havel ancestral village), parish records go back to 1694, whereas, in Prachatice the baptismal records go back to 1632, marriage to 1633, and death to 1651. The Lhenice church was around much longer than to 1694, so the records must have been destroyed or gone missing. Netolice records go back to 1654, and old handwritten indexes exist back to 1700. Older records are spotty and months may be missing. 

However, it was an Urbaria record, thanks to my translator, which records payments and taxes owed to the estate by the serf, that allowed my Hovel line to be taken back to my 10th great grandfather in Ratiborova Lhota,  Jan Bollfa  who was in the village by at least 1585 (as that is the record in which we find him). We know this is the person as when combined with information going back to 1603 from a few land register records, a chain of custody so to speak for the holding from Frantisek's father Mathias to Jan Bolffa. The key was when Bartos, son of Jan Bolffa, sold the holding to his brother Havel, who was the same Havel who is in my lineage. We know this from following sales back in time in the land registers. Having information on relationships of buyer to seller, as often recorded in the Krumlov domain, is greatly beneficial in historical family research. A good translator comes in handy in reading and translating the records given the varied anachronistic words and phrases. 

Rudy and Ida Hovel Sacramental Marriage Record
4 Feb 1913
Source: St Mary's Parish, Festina, IA

I do not have the sacramental marriage record of my Hovel great grandparents, Martin Hovel and Amelia Duscheck. However, I do have the civil marriage record for the state of Wisconsin and that record gets detailed down to the time of the ceremony (9:00 am). In order here is what is required on that civil marriage record: 1. date of registration, 2. The color, 3. full name of husband, 4. full name of wife prior to marriage, 5. occupation of said husband, 6. residence of said husband, 7. birthplace of said husband, 8. the place, town, township, and county where the ceremony was performed, 9. the time the marriage was contracted, 10. By what ceremony it was contracted, 11. name of the person performing the ceremony, 12. residence of person performing ceremony, 13. names of witnesses, 14. date of certificate of marriage; 15. Name of the father of said husband, 16. name of the mother of said husband, 17. name of the father of said wife, 18. name of the mother of said wife. A rather involved list that can certainly assist with genealogical research. 

Civil Marriage Record of Rudy and Ida Hovel
Dane County, WI 4 Feb 1913
Source: State of WI Historical Society Library

Let me turn to my paternal grandparents marriage record from 1913. The sacramental marriage record, in Latin, is pretty basic, giving names of the couple, the witnesses and officiant along with date. No idea of the parents of either or even where they were from, so not dissimilar from the Irish record. Recorded in the parish book, we know the parish in which they were married, St Mary's in Festina, Iowa. The civil record is much more detailed, giving name of person who provided the information, name of the couple, race, age, where each was born, current city, parents name (mother maiden name) and occupation. It provides the officiant, location and the witnesses along with date of marriage (4 Feb 1913) and date recorded (6 Feb 1913). Now, that is much more helpful. 

Civil Marriage Record of Rudy and Ida Hovel
Source: Winneshiek Co records, via Family Search
Fifth entry, each entry consists of two rows

The British occupiers of Ireland, it appears, did not keep civil records of births and marriages until 1865 (at least according to references provided at the Co Clare Facebook page). The Irish population to the British, as shown by their response to the Potato famine was one of indifference, and no regard for a population of papists. One can certainly see the penchant of the German speaking Austro-Hungarians, occupiers of Bohemia, for documentation. The Teutonic nature of the language carried over to the cultural forming a group of people in favor of paperwork for all not just the Brits select few. For Kilrush, the parish of the Howards, the baptismal records are  available for free at National Library only go back to 1827. I have been told that some paid sources have the records going back further. However, if prior records are as scant I have to wonder if a subscription to the service would be worth the cost. Hey, but I have to give the Irish some credit, at least we know that the John Howard and Anne Maloney marriage was the 79th entry in the book.