Marraige Records Massachusetts

hjr

Hi there,
I'm having difficulty tracing a marriage record in Massachusetts in 1928/1929. I have a record of the people I'm looking for on the 1930 census, but I can't find their marriage record. I can't find them on the 1940 Census either...so hoping to use the marraige record as the starting point.

Any ideas?

RGM

hjr wrote: »

Hi there,
I'm having difficulty tracing a marriage record in Massachusetts in 1928/1929. I have a record of the people I'm looking for on the 1930 census, but I can't find their marriage record. I can't find them on the 1940 Census either...so hoping to use the marraige record as the starting point.

Any ideas?

I don't think the index of Massachusetts marriages for those years is publicly available.

Best not to get too far ahead of yourself. Find them in 1940 and track down their children, hopefully find some birth dates. Happy to help if you post the info.

hjr

RGM wrote: »

I don't think the index of Massachusetts marriages for those years is publicly available.

Best not to get too far ahead of yourself. Find them in 1940 and track down their children, hopefully find some birth dates. Happy to help if you post the info.

My long lost relation John Joseph Higgins, born Ireland in 1903, arrived in Boston 1926, to Medford. I thought I had him on the 1930 census, but family information now leads me to think its not him. Seems he worked for the railroad. Thats about as much as I have, his fathers name is Thomas, both parents Irish.

Any help or guidance at all would be brilliant.

And also, if anyone needs any help/guidance on Sligo history let me know and I'll be glad to help too...! Myself and my wife have over 2,100 people now in our family tree, although she has manged to get back to 1100 on her side, thanks to Scottish ancestry!!

Ponster

hjr wrote: »

My long lost relation John Joseph Higgins, born Ireland in 1903, arrived in Boston 1926, to Medford. I thought I had him on the 1930 census...

You found the John J Higgins married to Catherine Higgins who arrived in the US in 1926 I take it (the first result in Ancestry)?

How solid is the family idea that he worked on the railroad? Is it possible that he began on a farm (where this JJH is working) and then moved on?

hjr

Ponster wrote: »

You found the John Joseph Higgins married to Catherine Higgins who arrived in the US in 1926 I take it (the first result in Ancestry)?

How solid is the family idea that he worked on the railroad? Is it possible that he began on a farm (where this JJH is working) and then moved on?

Ya got him Ponster thanks, I thought he was my guy, but based on family info he doesn't currently seem to be. According to family he only had three daughters, and that John/Catherine have a son, so he doesn't seem to be the one.

Coolnabacky1873

I posted a reply to your initial query but I see it didn't go through. No worries, it went something like this....

Pretty much every state has a State Archive in the capital where you will find the publicly available BMD certs.

If a state has a large city that is not the state capital then it might have a stand alone archive, as in the case with New York City.

For records that are not publicly available it is usually the State Health Dept who has control over them. That's where access can begin to get difficult. Each state will have different regulations but proof of relationship is usually needed.

What BMD's are publicly available will vary from state to state. Some such as Arizona are very nonrestrictive and have scanned them all and put them online e.g. up to 1961 for deaths.

Other state such as Pennsylvania have recently brought it legislation that has further restricted access.

For MA this should help you http://www.mass.gov/eohhs/gov/departments/dph/programs/health-stats/vitals/genealogical-research.html

RGM

hjr wrote: »

My long lost relation John Joseph Higgins, born Ireland in 1903, arrived in Boston 1926, to Medford. I thought I had him on the 1930 census, but family information now leads me to think its not him. Seems he worked for the railroad. Thats about as much as I have, his fathers name is Thomas, both parents Irish.

Any help or guidance at all would be brilliant.

And also, if anyone needs any help/guidance on Sligo history let me know and I'll be glad to help too...! Myself and my wife have over 2,100 people now in our family tree, although she has manged to get back to 1100 on her side, thanks to Scottish ancestry!!

This is not the fella then?

http://www.findagrave.com/cgi-bin/fg.cgi?page=gr&GRid=94928216

Coolnabacky1873

Talk about a findagrave goldmine of info! Great find.

RGM

Coolnabacky1873 wrote: »

Talk about a findagrave goldmine of info! Great find.

Maybe, maybe not. I think this is probably the John Higgins in the 1930 census that was mentioned, but hjr says that doesn't look like a match. Hopefully the info about brothers and sisters can say for sure.

I did find a John Joseph Higgins from Sligo on a 1926 passenger list into Boston whose father was listed as John, not Thomas.

Might be a different guy altogether.

hjr

RGM wrote: »

Maybe, maybe not. I think this is probably the John Higgins in the 1930 census that was mentioned, but hjr says that doesn't look like a match. Hopefully the info about brothers and sisters can say for sure.

I did find a John Joseph Higgins from Sligo on a 1926 passenger list into Boston whose father was listed as John, not Thomas.

Might be a different guy altogether.

Wow what a find indeed! The John J from findagrave is indeed my relation, he had 14 siblings, most of who are listed in the detail, and the bulk of whom I have already researched.

Seriously impressed, I can't say thanks enough, thats just an amazing record to have dug up....A million thanks!!

RGM

hjr wrote: »

Wow what a find indeed! The John J from findagrave is indeed my relation, he had 14 siblings, most of who are listed in the detail, and the bulk of whom I have already researched.

Seriously impressed, I can't say thanks enough, thats just an amazing record to have dug up....A million thanks!!

Glad to help!

hjr

RGM wrote: »

Glad to help!

Just to let people know, thanks to the good work of RGM, I've now been able to find three generations of relatives in America that I hadn't been able to locate previously. I've also been able to make contact with some of them, and received emails of pictures, documents etc, relating to relatives long deceased, which has been very special to receive....

As I say, a big thanks for the help, I really wouldn't have made contact with these people without the help of Boards Genealogy....

Also a special thanks to Coolnabacky1873 also, for helping decode some background info on other relatives....

Definitely shows the buzz of family genealogy thats for sure!

Waitsian

hjr wrote: »

Just to let people know, thanks to the good work of RGM,

Also a special thanks to Coolnabacky1873 also, for helping decode some background info on other relatives....

Definitely shows the buzz of family genealogy thats for sure!

You forget someone, twice! You're welcome. :rolleyes:

Edit: now three.

hjr

mod9maple wrote: »

You forget someone, twice! You're welcome. :rolleyes:

Edit: now three.

Thanks mod9maple...! Another underrated genius...I hope!