BMD searches

[pholahan]

I am trying to locate the marriage record of my 2GGrandparents and have been searching the FreeBMD website. My 2GGrandmother was Ellen Howard and I'm searching records in Lancashire from 1850 to 1860. I come up with 25 results. My GGrandfather was born in Manchester, so I have limited my search to Lancashire. I could order the certificates, but since there are 25, it would get very expensive. I would like to know if there is a source that gives the names of both bride and groom.

[Jomot1]

When the results come up on FreeBMD you should see a page number in blue. Click this and it will tell you all the other people on that page, so if you know who you're looking for that should help narrow it down.

Also have you tried searching Lancashire OPC? Its a free resource that gives full baptism, marriage & burial details, although it only covers church marriages and not every single parish.

[Pamelawagster]

Who did your 2GGrandmother marry?

[arthurk]

Also have a look at Lancashire BMD - https://www.lancashirebmd.org.uk/

This gives the names of both parties and the place of each marriage, plus a link to order a copy of the certificate from the local register office. (This is a separate process to ordering from the GRO, which is what FreeBMD is based on.)

The advantage of ordering a marriage certificate from a local register office is that you may get a copy of the actual register, with signatures, though it's usually worth asking specifically for this. With the GRO you get a copy of the return sent in by the minister, which doesn't have original signatures.

However, if it was a church marriage it's always wise to check to see if the registers are online (assuming you have an appropriate subscription), since this will give you exactly the same information. Ancestry and FindMyPast both have collections of Lancashire parish registers.

[pholahan]

When the results come up on FreeBMD you should see a page number in blue. Click this and it will tell you all the other people on that page, so if you know who you're looking for that should help narrow it down.

Also have you tried searching Lancashire OPC? Its a free resource that gives full baptism, marriage & burial details, although it only covers church marriages and not every single parish.

I have ordered certificates from FreeBMD so I'm aware of the process. However, as I stated, I have found 25 results and it would get quite costly to order all of those certificates in the hope that one of them is the one I am looking for.

I have not searched Lancashire OPC but will now. Thank you for that suggestion.

[pholahan]

Who did your 2GGrandmother marry?

James Holahan, but the surname could have been spelled a different way back then. I did do a search for him during that same period using the phonetic spelling option.

[Lesley Robertson]

People moved around in the 19thC more than we sometimes think. I see that you're searching Lancashire because of the birthplace of their son, your GGrandfather. Have you found them on a census? Where were they born? What was his occupation?

[pholahan]

Also have a look at Lancashire BMD - https://www.lancashirebmd.org.uk/

This gives the names of both parties and the place of each marriage, plus a link to order a copy of the certificate from the local register office. (This is a separate process to ordering from the GRO, which is what FreeBMD is based on.)

The advantage of ordering a marriage certificate from a local register office is that you may get a copy of the actual register, with signatures, though it's usually worth asking specifically for this. With the GRO you get a copy of the return sent in by the minister, which doesn't have original signatures.

However, if it was a church marriage it's always wise to check to see if the registers are online (assuming you have an appropriate subscription), since this will give you exactly the same information. Ancestry and FindMyPast both have collections of Lancashire parish registers.

Thank you for that suggestion. I have no idea what Parish in which they would have been married, or even if they were married in England. Both my 2 Grandparents were born in Ireland. I haven't found any record of their marriage in Ireland and family lore says my GGrandfather was born in Manchester, so I am searching in Lancashire in the hopes of finding a matching record.

[pholahan]

People moved around in the 19thC more than we sometimes think. I see that you're searching Lancashire because of the birthplace of their son, your GGrandfather. Have you found them on a census? Where were they born? What was his occupation?

They were both born in Ireland. I have searched census records and have not found anything related to James Holahan. I have found some records relating to the name Ellen Howard, but nothing that ties Ellen and James together.

[Lesley Robertson]

I can't find the couple in a census search for England.
Two things that you may have checked - a marriage in Ireland and the spelling Houlahan which comes up often...
I spend most of my time in research in Scotland, and I have noticed that accents often affect the recording of names. People often said their name to whoever was making the record, and he wrote what he thought he heard. Irish accents and an English clerk could have caused complications.