Montgomery County Arkansas Marriages Licenses

Montgomery Co. ARGenWeb Project
Marriages & Churches

In the1930s the fee to obtain a marriage license was $1.00.   1980s $20 and today year 2000 the fee is $35

Montgomery County, Arkansas Marriage Records 1843 - 1899  Complied by Helen J. Muller for the Montgomery County Historical Society P.O. Box 578 Mount Ida, Arkansas 71957-0578  June 1998. Contains 3,000 marriages from marriage entries in Books A, B, and part of C held at the Montgomery County Courthouse. First section is the groom surnames arranged alphabetically and the second section contains the brides surnames arranged alphabetically. $20.00 plus $2.00 for p&h.

Column #15 of the 1930 U.S. census 
"age at first marriage."

 In the 1910 and 1900 censuses (columns 9 and 10 respectively) it 
asked "number of years of present marriage."

Compilers of all information can make mistakes. It is essential to examine source material and not rely on published sources. STOR - Search the Original Record, primary source. Online material is a secondary source. Watch out for misspellings on marriage records e.g. Friar instead of Fryar. Montgomery County, Arkansas Marriage Records 1843 - 1899   Groom's name Lackett, John 21 m. Nicholson, Martha C. age 18 14 Dec. 1873   Book A page 324. Should read Tackett not Lackett.

Marriage records Montgomery County, Arkansas : book A & B, vol. I & II compiled by J.M. & L. Hart Publisher Hot Springs, Ark. [1980] Love, Honor & Cherish. 261 p. ; 28 cm. Includes index.

Marriage records, Montgomery County, Arkansas : book C & D (17 pgs), 1893-1900, vol. III / compiled by James M. & Lillian Hart 109 pgs., Includes index. Lillian Hart still has Montgomery Co. books for sale. Address: 1604 Summer St. Hot Springs, AR. 71913

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STATE OF ARKANSAS} MARRIAGE LICENSE
County of Montgomery}
To any Person Authorized by Law to Solemnize Marriage-Greeting:
You are hereby commanded to solemnize the Rite and Publish the Banns of Matrimony between Mr. ............................................................ of ................................. in the County of .................................., and State of ...................................., age ................... years, and M........................................................... of ................................. in the County of .................................., and State of ...................................., age ................... years, according to law; and do you officially sign and and return this license to the parties herein named.
    WITNESS, my hand and official seal, this ............ day of   .................. A.D. 190.....
                                                                                                 ................................................   Clerk
                                                                                                 By                                              D.C.

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Montgomery County Clerk's Office

P.O. Box  369
Mount Ida, AR 71957
phone: 870-867-3521
hours: 8.30 - 4.30pm

Photocopies of record of marriage from 1843 can be obtained from the county clerks office. They will do limited lookups and will make copies from the archives for $1.00.  Make the check out to Montgomery County clerk, an include a long self-addressed, stamped envelope. The marriage books are indexed alphabetically by the first letter of the groom's surname. The records are arranged by date filed.  You will find the earlier marriages were handwritten and in later years were preprinted forms were used and still in use. An example of an 1898 marriage record held at the courthouse in Mt Ida and includes the marriage bond, affidavit for for license application, license and certificate of marriage. The form was large, approx.11" x 17", so two images for the one page.

At the Montgomery Co. clerk's office in a steel filing cabinet there is a volume 13 x 10 x 3 that contains 125  records "Order for Marriage License" from 1933 to 1940. Order to county clerk from parents of minor giving their consent for issuance of marriage license.  Order shows date executed, name of and age of minor, and signatures of parents. Arranged by date filed. 

Abbreviations found on Montgomery Co. Marriage records

MG Minister of the Gospel MD Married GM Gospel Minister TE Traveling Elder

JP Justice of the Peace LD Licensed Deacon Lic. License CLK Clerk

1996 statistics for Montgomery Co. AR
    1 birth
102 deaths
  38 divorces
  80 marriages with the median age of the bride 24 and the groom 28
At the turn of the century, the average life expectancy was 42 for men and 42 for women and now it is 77 for a Caucasian male.

In 1845 marriage record book A was commenced, by 1894 book C, 1940 book K and by 1984 the clerks were recording in marriage record book Q. Average of 640 pages per volume.

Today, Y2K, the license fee is $35.00 in Montgomery Co. The couple is given a certificate of marriage that is signed by the minister and county clerk with the county seal and on the back is recorded the page and book where the marriage was filed in the marriage record at the courthouse. 
"Note this license with the certificate duly executed and officially signed, must be returned to the office whence it is issued within sixty days from the date of license, under penalty of forfeiture of the bond." 

For better for worse, for richer for poorer, in sickness and in health, to love and to cherish, till death us do part - The Marriage Service.

A number of church records in Montgomery County were inventoried by the Historical Records Survey of the WPA (Works Projects Administration) between 1936 and 1943 e.g Brushy Creek Church Records. These were unpublished. Where can they be found? Church records are sometimes the only source of names, dates, places of birth, marriages and deaths. Church minutes may contain records of christenings, marriages, burials, admissions, removals and memberships. A long standing Baptist tradition was to give "letters" stating the person is a member in good standing to people moving away from a church.  Such letters are generally mentioned in the minutes and may help to establish date of migration in and out of the county.  The ministers name on the marriage license may lead to the church that holds other relatives records.

Double weddings

They were married in 1918 in her parent's house in Hog Jaw in a double wedding ceremony with his sister. The service was performed by W.H. Fair. Was the prettiest girl he had ever seen in her wedding finery.  After the ceremony there was a big party, lots and lots of good food, music and dancing which lasted most of the night. Friends played a lot of tricks on them most of the night. This custom was called a "chiveree".  Right after the wedding both men were called on the same day to serve in the US Army, inducted at Mt Ida, and served overseas in Arles, France.  They came back.  The brother-in-law with a "bullet" and had contracted TB.  In 1962 the marriage license was used as proof for a delayed certificate of birth along with three other supporting records.

"J.J." and Fairy married April 3, 1924 as kids of 17 and 15. On that same day his sister Bessie Beulah and her cousin Charley  were also married at the  "Tom" and  "Mag" farm.  In fact the wedding was planned for Charley and Beulah. "J.J." decided that since they already had the big dinner fixed and the preacher paid, etc., that it wouldn't cost anything for him to get married, too.  As it turned out, it did cost him one more dollar than what he had.  So, he had to borrow a dollar! 

If you need to find a marriage date, try first:

Montgomery County published Marriage Record books - indexed
County courthouse marriage records
Arkansas Division of Vital Records Marriage records starting from 1917
Church Records
Census: 1900 and 1910 inquire "Number of years married".
Newspapers - engagement, wedding, anniversary (check for the twenty-fifth, fiftieth, and sixtieth) and obituary notices
Bible records
Cemeteries
Probate records
Military records
Land records
Arkansas History Commission has on fiche records from the AR Depart. of Health. Marriage Index: 1933-1939 Indexed by grooms name only

"Courtships were done at home and church. Couples did not go out by themselves. Mother made the wedding dress which was a practical good dress. The ceremony was held in front of the fireplace with the preacher reading scriptures followed by a big family dinner.  At the chivaree friends paraded through the house and then outside and yelled banged pots and pan"  B. H.  1925  Pine Ridge

"There was no regulation to marry in a church!"
Some reasons for not marrying in a church:
Faith (or, obviously lack of!!)
A small population means that there may
        - no church of the faith nearby
        - but may well be an itinerant preacher/pastor or whatever. 
Some small towns had interdenominational churches, but most only had the one - Baptist

Widow/widowhood: most of mine that married outside of a church in days gone by were of that status - perhaps a perceived notion of small private family weddings for aging people (and/or pregnant ones!!) versus pomp and ceremony
in a larger church.
Anti-registry office: lack of privacy, drafty inhospitable places