Index Results
Searching for a GRICE and GIB marriage, my 4th-great-grandparents, yields these two index results:
The second search result gives less info, a bit of conflict in the location, and a marriage a day later:
FamilySearch Issued a Warning
If you follow the links back from the image screens to those about the database itself, you arrive at the Wiki page for the English Vital Records Index. It's a fairly detailed description of the record set. The first section in this wiki is 'Known Issues with this Collection.' I think FamilySearch made a good decision in making these records available online, even though they knew there were major problems. It's up to the genealogist to carefully evaluate any records and to do a thorough job before drawing conclusions. In this case, the sources cited for my ancestors give a much more precise picture than the conflicting index entries.
Back to the Source
FHL film # 1,655,691 is Marriage Bonds,1806-1811 for the Church of England, Dean & Chapter of York. The entire film is images of marriage allegations and marriage bonds. The indexed "marriage date" of 17 October 1808 is really the date the allegation was made and the bond was pledged. The "marriage location" was really the couple's cited residences at the time. Later in the bond, it says that John "prayed a License to Solemnize the said Marriage in the Chapel of Luttons Ambo." It's good data to have, but it's no guarantee that a marriage ceremony occurred that day, if at all.
and Back to the Other Source
FHL # 990,896 has Bishop's Transcripts: Item 1 for the Parish Church of Helperthorpe, 1631-1870; Item 3 for the nearby parish church of Weaverthorpe, 1631-1852. The Helperthorpe item is much shorter and Helperthorpe residents all most exclusively. The Weaverthorpe item includes residents of both areas and seems to have all the burials for the area. In Item 3, we find this record:
There are no page numbers -- just general chronological order. The section is labeled Marriages 1808. My photo is not that good, but the image was easy to read:
Octr 18th. John Grice of this Parish, Widower, and Sarah Gib of the same Parish, Spinster, were married in Lutton Chapel by licence [sic]In this case, the index seems to be accurate in giving October 18 as the marriage date and Weaverthorpe was the parish, but not the exact location. A very small number of entries in this film specify Lutton Chapel as the location.
Conclusions
- New online databases are wonderful, but there are problems.
- Not everything we need for better results in our research is online. Microfilms still have great value.
- Having been led to these films by the FamilySearch website and now having read the source films, I've found details of John's first marriage, discovered his probable parents, and found that Jane remarried after John's death. That totally unexpected discovery even led to finding her in the 1841 census. Thank you, FamilySearch!
