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Till Death Do Us Part
By Lynn Turner
Catholic marriage records can be
some of the most rewarding records while doing Hispanic family history.
Besides the common marriage ceremony performed by the parish priest,
there are other records that may not be known to the inexperienced
researcher. I would like to write on the pre-marriage investigation,
marriage dispensations, and the marriage ceremony. For further reading
on the topic see chapter 10 of Finding Your Hispanic Roots by George R. Ryskamp.
The pre-marriage investigation was
designed to ensure that both the bride and groom met the church’s
requirements. In general these investigations (informaciones
matrimoniales or diligencias matrimoniales) were recorded separately
from the sacramental parish books. The investigation included proof of
good standing in the church and written permission of the parents if
the bride or groom were underage. If the groom was from another parish,
then the admonitions were posted in his home parish. Canonical
admonitions were read for three consecutive Sundays prior to the
marriage. The admonitions were done to ensure
that the couple did not have any impediments imposed by Catholic canon
law. Some of these impediments included:
- Related within the fourth degree
of consanguinity (blood) or affinity (marriage).
- Crimes such as adultery or
homicide
- Another living spouse
- One party not a Catholic
If an impediment was found, then
the couple desiring to marry had to be dispensed or forgiven by the
bishop. The most common impediment found and most rewarding
genealogically are the dispensations of consanguinity and/or affinity.
These records are not found at the parish level. The diocesan bishop
had the authority to grant a dispensation and these records were
maintained at the diocesan level. The bride and groom were guilty of
this impediment if they shared any ancestor within the fourth degree,
or in other words, a common great-great-grandparent. These
dispensations will explain exactly how the couple is related; giving
you their lineages back to the common ancestor.
Finally, after going through the
pre-marriage investigation and the dispensation (if necessary) the
couple could finally get married. Here are some other key phrases to
watch for:
“habiendo
hecho las diligencias acostumbrados…” (Pre-marriage
investigation).
“habiendo
precidido las tres canónicas moniciones…” (usually followed by
the three dates they were read).
“y no resultado/habiendo
impedimento alguno” or “dispensa apostólica del cuarto grado de
consanguinidad…”
- “Desposé/casé y velé en facie
ecclesia” (Sometimes the velación or blessing was done separately)
If you are searching for a
marriage record, keep in mind that the couple usually married in the
home parish (or resident parish) of the bride.
Lynn Turner is a
senior at Brigham Young University. He expects to graduate with a B.A. in family history and
genealogy, specializing in Southern European and Latin American
research in August 2004. Other areas of interests include Southern
States. He provides research services for Latin
America !
and Spain, and can be contacted at lynnturner428@....
Genealogy News and Events
Come see us at the National Genealogical
Society Conference in Sacramento, CA, May 19-22 in Booth #443!!
Correction Regarding Chapman
Family Association’s Convention
We recently posted some incorrect
information concerning the Chapman Family Association’s Kansas City
Convention. It is the weekend of May 14th-16th, not the 8th.
For additional information either contact Gil Alford at (314) 831-8648
or go to http://www.chapmanfamilies.org/.
German Conference in Des
Moines, IA
The Twelfth Annual German
Conference sponsored by the German Interest Group of the Iowa
Genealogical Society will be held June 19, 2004. It will be held in the Willow Room
of the Des Moines Botanical
Center.
Registration opens at 8:25 A.M.,
program starts at 8:45.
Parking is free and one may also tour the Center during breaks and at
lunch time.
The featured speaker will be
Roger P. Minert, well known German history and language professor as
well as many years a professional genealogist and an author of numerous
books and articles.
The program will be in four
session with the emphasis on genealogy methods in the morning. The
first session for beginners and the second for more advanced
researchers that need/want to brush up on their skills. After a box
lunch which is included in the registration fee, the afternoon sessions
with help attendees understand what life was like for the average
German of a century or so ago.
The IGS library will be open on
Sunday 10:00 A.M.- 2:00 P.M.
free to the attendees for personal research. There will be GIG members
there to point you to the many resources available for Germanic
research. If anyone had ancestors in Iowa
it would be a good chance to do some research on Iowa
sources as well.
The registration fee for the
Saturday conference is $25 for IGS members and $30 if you are not a
member if it is received a week prior to the conference date. After
that it will be $5.00 more. There will be room for 100 participants.
For more information write to: Celia
Mitschelen at cmitsch@....
Early Registration Opportunity
For Jerusalem Conference
Almost Gone
The end of early registration
for the 24th IAJGS International Conference on Jewish Genealogy is fast
approaching. In order to take advantage of the discounted rates,
register as soon as possible.
You can download a .pdf [Adobe
Acrobat] file of the latest version of the program at the conference
website http://www.jewishgen.org/jerusalem2004 by double-clicking on
"Tentative Program" on the left hand
side of the home page. You can also read all about the conference at
the same home page site as well as register online there. If you prefer
to see the program by topic and then by subject and presenter, go to http://www.isragen.org.il/ROS/lect.html
Brandywine
Crucible Annual Meetings Next Month
Brandywine Crucible, Inc., an
organization of the descendants of Solomon and Naomi Hussey Cox and
related families, will hold its annual meetings and reunion May 21-23 2004 in Lampasas,
Texas. For
more information, Contact Joe Cox, 512-392-2097, jandhcox@....
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If you have any comments, questions, suggestions, or
concerns, or if you have an upcoming event or news item you’d like us
to post, please send it to newsline@....
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