There are good reasons to collect information from the original source document, which you can usually link to via a scan - either directly to that document or to the archive that holds it.
Now some of you may know I've been accused of "extreme genealogy," but it has paid off for me.
We have to be careful because of our modern concept of "godparents." Often we think this should be another married couple or at least one woman and one man who have been chosen to be there for the spiritual guidance of the child, especially if one or both of the parents are unable to do this at some time in the future. However, this is an honorific role and many people never get any special attention from their godparents at all. (And today in some churches the godparents can be two men or two women who may or may not be married.)
In Hungarian records you often see up to four men signing off on a marriage. In baptism you do often see a man and a woman chosen, who may or may not be married or related.
Be aware that sometimes witnesses are not people who are related at all or may have no special interest in the people involved other than that they are fellow parishioners. Some of these witnesses were simply people who were pious or at the church a lot - or people who were old and retired and could be depended on to show up.
In small villages everyone was working hard and long hours and a baptism or marriage were certainly important events because of the religious significance of them, but they might not get the attention or the expense some of us give these events now.
This was also the case in churches where recent ethnic immigrants went to get married in the United States. Even in some Catholic churches, a couple could present themselves to the priest and be married very simply - without a Mass or attendees. (Married in the priest or minister's office - not much fanfare - in the middle of the week too! Almost a civil marriage but for the setting, the officiant, and the blessing.)
Reading the witnesses of a marriage, look through several years of marriages at least to see if there is a repetition of names. You might ask yourself why so and I will get to that in a moment.
When you get into the 19th century records or before, you will notice that priests list their names and often have a distinctive handwriting. This is the name of the priest who performed the ceremony. Check to see if the church still exists and what it's patron saint or name is and what the history of the church is. You may also be able to learn more about the priest and the Holy Order or Denomination he belonged to.
There may also be banns of marriage dates and notes. It's fun to see what day of the week the marriage occurred. The notes I've read seem to be a repetition of what appears in the columns. Look, however for words that indicate a SPECIAL DISPENSATION has been given so that the couple can marry. This means that there was some concern that they should not be married. Some reasons for a special dispensation would be that one or both people are not in good standing with that church for some reason, such as perhaps one of them never shows up at church for services or that one of them is of a different religion, or that there is known to be or suspected to be a too close genetic relationship - such as first cousins. Generally, a special dispensation was not needed because of a wide age difference or because one of them recently lost a spouse. Sometimes if the bride was 16 or less, some consideration had to be given. (The priest may write that the person is 15 1/2. as if he is proving they are almost 16.) I have seen some questions about the purity (celibacy) on the archival records. (!) It's true that a priest could decide he will not marry someone because they have not been virginial. (You wonder how those illegitimate children ever got baptized.) Another reason for the bans of marriage was to broadcast the intention in the communities of both the bride and groom in case there are objections such as that the person is already married or one of them is considered unsuitable for the purposes of marriage, such as reproducing. (Being simple might be one of those if it was the man but less so if it was the woman.)
Source Wiki
The few lines that are in the marriage or baptismal archival document, believe it or not, stand to uphold legalities such as inheritance rights.
When you see that the same men are signing off on a marriage, it's as if the elders or other important people in the community - nobles or public officials - are signing a legal document. The marriage may have been a match with the community goals and land ownership the prime reason for the match rather than love. (If the name is noble, you might want to research to find out if that person owns the town!)
If you find the actual signature of your ancestor as a witness on someone else's marriage(s) check to see if the handwriting is that of the priest or their very own! That the person knows how to sign their name indicates that they are of a higher educational level than most people in that place and time though that might be the equivalent of our first grade in school. (Even nobles did not always learn to read and write since that was something a servant scribe could do.) It can be thrilling to find the actual pen and ink signature of an ancestor because they witnessed and signed off on this legal document - marriage.
Sometimes the godparents or the witnesses to a marriage also have a bit of pressure on them because the parents of the child are his or her employees and it's a way to verify financial ability to be married.
*I once saw the same couple as godparents on the repetitive illegitimate births of an unmarried woman and I could not help but think that she was a servant in their home and that the husband was probably the father and that his wife knew all about it.
Another thing to do is to watch the house numbers. It's understood that houses as we know them today and houses that average people lived in during the 19th century and before are very different. No indoor plumbing. No running hot water. Heat provided only by the oven in the dwelling or maybe a fireplace or two. Several families or extended families and servants or workers inside - sometime in the winter with the horse, sheep, and the cow too - the body heat counted on to help them all withstand the cold. Sometimes though seeing the same house number associated with surnames does indicate relationships.
Using this method with Hungarian records, I was able to determine that before 1867 my lineage did not live in a certain village and the name of the family who had been there first. Actually, they lived in the next village over but it took a census to determine that.
I wish you all the best of luck as you do all the right things to trace your roots. Leaps of intuition and synchronicities do happen, and some people believe also that the ancestors in the next world are ambitious for you to find them on those records. So, say a little prayer of acknowledgement and thanks.
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This post is part of a series on the subject. To pull all the topics up, click on the tag Pro Genealogy Tips- Galicia
