Catholic Church "Certificate of Marriage" vs. civi

[cannoli]

I haven't located a government-issued marriage certificate for my grandparents.

I do have a "Certificate of Marriage" from a Catholic Church. It has an embossed seal and includes the language: "According to the Rite of the Roman Catholic Church and in conformity with the laws of the State of Connecticut." I was told by the church secretary that this document is often used for legal purposes.

Will this document act as a marriage certificate or do I need to keep searching for a certified copy from a government office? Will CT state be willing and able to affix an apostille to this document?

[johnnyonthespot]

Regarding apostille:

See http://www.ct.gov/sots/cwp/view.asp?A=3177&Q=392130

I think this passage best outlines the manner in which you can get a church record apostilled:

For other documents, such as diplomas and school transcripts, we recommend the following procedure: The person in possession of the document can make a photocopy and prepare a written statement that may be attached to or written on the photocopy, stating that the copy is a true and correct copy of the original. The individual will then verify the statement under oath before a notary public and the notary will indicate by a jurat that he or she has administered an oath to the testator.

As to whether the consulate will acept it, that is another question. Generally speaking, they demand a detailed "long form" type marriage document which contains information such as the bride & groom's places of birth and parent's names. I don't think you will find that on the church document.

Which church (and what town/city) issued the document? Have you searched records specifically at that town/city Clerk's office, or just at the state level? If you haven't already, I would make a copy of the church document and bring/mail it to the Town Clerk's office and ask them to research it for you.

Here in Connecticut, the originals of all vital records are maintained by the Office of the Town Clerk. The state has only copies and often poor ones and poorly filed at that. Not to mention that you can often get a copy of a document from a town clerk in 15 minutes but have to wait 3-6 months for one from the state vital records office...

PS: Yes, the New York consulate accepts documents issued by Connecticut town clerk's offices. My wife's birth certificate and our marriage certificate both came from that source and were accepted without incident.

[cannoli]

Thank you so much for your reply! I'll check with the Town Clerk in CT.

[DeFilippis78]

I also only have a church document. After speaking to the county clerk and a genealogist it turns out that depending on the time period, a marriage didnt always have to be filed on a state level and thats why sometimes no record could be found. It seems thats the case with me so all I can provide is a church document. Ive checked everywhere and nothing was registered in town , county or state. Only the church.

Alicia