U.S. and International Marriage Records, 1560-1900

What exactly is the “U.S. and International Marriage Records, 1560-1900” collection on Ancestry.com? Perhaps this collection appeared as a hint on your tree. You accepted it, grateful that some entity was recording marriages in your ancestor’s home long ago. I know I did when I was new to using Ancestry.com.

I wasn’t new to genealogy, but I thought this robust aggregator of information must have access to official records that I didn’t. If some entity recorded marriages in a variety of countries for over 300 years, it would certainly cause the genealogy community to do a collective happy dance!

Genealogists must understand the source of the information provided. How else will know if it is reliable?

By clicking on the “Source Information,” we learn that “this unique collection of records was extracted from a variety of sources including family group sheets and electronic databases.”

The first time I read this, I heard the brakes of my mind screech to a halt. The description continues that these records “were extracted from family group sheets, electronic databases, biographies, wills, and other sources.” Bill Yates, the owner of Yates Publishing, extracted the records for this database from his collections. Wait. . . there was no entity officially recording marriages between 1560 and 1900? Nope.

In 1982, Bill Yates began a project called the Family Group Sheet Exchange. So, genealogists could submit their family group sheets, pedigree charts, copies of Family Bible records, etc. Yates Publishing would in turn sell that information to other genealogists interested in that surname. Pretty brilliant! This information became the collection on Ancestry.com.

How can you tell if the information is “correct”?

I had hints for people on my tree who I knew had cousins with the same name. How could I tell if the hint from the “U.S. and International Marriage Records, 1560-1900” was for my ancestor or his cousin? Without knowing more about the underlying source, I couldn’t verify if a). the information was for my ancestor and b). if the information was even accurate.

The source information does not provide any more specific information about the underlying information. But it does inform users that you can obtain more information by contacting Yates Publishing.

Once on the Yates Publishing website, you can view the catalog of surnames, the number of available pages, and the price. The price is 50% off the listed price if you get the PDF version. You simply email Bill Yates the list of names and he will bill you through Paypal.

I ordered the Atchison and Shearer files a few years ago. Within minutes of my $14.50 payment, I received a total of 77 pages. This digital file contained all surname variants. The file you receive in the email states it will expire at a certain point. So, make sure you download and save it elsewhere.

It’s a mixed bag

Getting these files was sort of like buying a mystery grab bag at a flea market. Some of the family group sheets are meticulously cited. Others are not so much. Most of the pages don’t seem to have anything to do with my line. Some of the pages filled in some blanks on information I had.

For instance, my cousin has a photo of a woman identified as Mrs. Milholland. I have a letter from my gg-grandfather’s cousin who went west on the Oregon Trail and settled in Linn County, Oregon. One of the family group sheets I received from Yates Publishing Co. identified a family that included gg-grandfather’s cousin, and his sisters Elizabeth Sherer, who married William Millhollen, and Mary Sherer, who married David Milhollen.

This particular family group sheet didn’t provide sources, and I tried to track the creator down but learned that she has since passed. I was able to use her information to find additional records and verify information about the sisters. Unfortunately, I don’t have enough to determine if the photograph is Elizabeth or Mary Sherer, but it’s a lot better than a random “Mrs. Milholland.” The family group sheet also contained birthdates and burial locations for my four-times great-grandfather, information that I was also able to verify through additional research. But I wouldn’t have known to look in Iowa for the one brother and Kansas for the other without this family group sheet.

Is the “U.S. and International Marriage Records, 1560-1900” collection reliable?

So, are the hints from the “U.S. and International Marriage Records, 1560-1900” on Ancestry.com reliable? Maybe. But I certainly wouldn’t accept it without getting the underlying information to see how well-sourced it was and to verify if the hint is for the right couple. But, if you don’t mind spending a few dollars and ordering the file from Yates Publishing, you may find a treasure-trove of information. To me, it was certainly worth it.

See also Pros and Cons of Ancestry.com

---