Madison County

MARRIAGE RECORD DISPUTES, ERRORS, & COMMENTS

 

A - Z

Allcock, William Stephen At some point in his adult life, his surname changed to "Alcox".
Baker, Rufus Harrison Listed in Section A.
Barnett, Paul This last name could also be Bennett or Barrett. Regardless of the spelling, no trace of these people could be found in Madison County before or after the marriage.
Benson, Noah Webster Listed in Section B as "Benson, N. W." and in Section C as "Benson, Noah Webster".
Bishop, James Lester Listed in Section B as "Bishop, J. L." and in Section C as "Bishop, James Lester".
Black, Anna M. In many other records, her maiden name is "Swartz" which is German for "Black". Why her name is listed as Black in the Madison County Marriage Records is unknown.
Blair, William A. The marriage book states "1901" but the chronological order of the listing and the date of the marriage return clearly indicate that the marriage took place on 01 Jan 1902.
Bryan, Reuben All documentation of the daughter and the wife's obituary establish that the surname was "Bryan". No trace of Reuben Bryan has been found, before or after the marriage. His wife's obituary claims he was a casualty of the civil war but there is no record of him in any Iowa regiment. There is, however, a Missouri soldier whose data matches in all respects. The Widow's Pension is #55505 should you care to pay the NARA fee and follow this to a conclusion. 
Close, Hattie On the line reserved for maiden name is written "Carter" but in the lines listing parents, are the names B. F. Simson & Jane Breeding.
Costelloe, Ann It is likely that Ann is a sibling of William Costilow who was living in Madison County in 1860. The correct spelling of the surname is unknown but also includes Costelow and Costello.
Curtis, James Partrick This marriage record was supplied by a family member. It reportedly took place at St. Patrick's church. It has not yet been determined why it was not recorded in the Madison County Marriage Records.
Davis, Idelia D. Apparently, her true surname is "Glass" and the "Davis" is the name of a foster family.
Demar, Mary Ann (Bivins) For unknown reasons, the surname listed in the marriage book was the maiden name of her mother rather than her father's surname.
Dillon, John F. Although the marriage date listed clearly reads 1882, it's position in the marriage book indicates that it could be 1881.
Doan, Jessie Myrtle The date of marriage was erroneously recorded as 1897. The location in the book as well as the newspaper account of the wedding indicates that the year was 1896.
Dudley, Walter H. Listed in Section "E".
Dumstrey, Augustus This is probably a worst case example of the breakdown in communications regarding marriage documentation. In this era, many people were illiterate and could not fill out their own marriage records. At the time of the wedding, someone would fill out a document, certifying that the marriage took place and would return it to the courthouse. Afterwards, a clerk at the courthouse would copy the information into the "Marriage Book". So the person filling it out could have spelled it wrong as well as could have had bad handwriting. And then, the clerk at the courthouse could have copied it incorrectly and/or mis-interpreted bad handwriting. In this case, the marriage book appears to show "Shumsly, Augustus". The groom is actually Wilhelm Augustus Dumstrey (William August Dumstrey), a native of Germany and resident of Winterset who died of disease in the Civil War in 1863 after being married only a year and a half. His widow, Amanda E. (Clear), filed a widow's pension application in Sep 1863 (application WC32736).
Egleston, Benjamin In the 1860 census, he was listed as "Eagleson". In subsequent censuses, his widow was listed twice more as "Eagleson", and once as "Eagelson". Her two obituaries list her as "Eggleson" and "Eggleston". We have been unable to prove which, if any, spelling is correct.
Ellis, Llewelyn Thomas It appears that he was Llewelyn in his younger years but went by "Thomas L." as he got older.
Evans, Edward B. The date of marriage was erroneously recorded as 1882. The location in the book as well as the dates of entry indicate that the wedding took place in 1881.
Farris, Henderson E. Listed in Section "G".
Garretson, Jasper J. Listed both in Section "G" and Section "H". The listing in Section "H" gives the marriage as 13 Apr 1886 and is in the correct chronological order for that date. The listing in Section "G" gives  the year as 1887 but fits chronologically with the 1886 date which is presumed to be correct.
Hamilton, Benjamin Franklin Listed in Section "G".
Hanners, Elizabeth & Marion The last name for this family can be found in various records as "Hanna", "Hannah", "Hannahs", "Hanner" and "Hanners". It appears that "Hanners" was used early on and that some family members dropped the "s" and used "Hanner". All of the other variations appear to be spelling errors in the documents.
Hargis, John C. Listed in Section "G".
Harper, Isaac C. Listed in Section "G".
Hircock, Benjamin Franklin Sometime between 1870 and 1880, he legally changed his surname from "Hircock" to "Hermon". In 1880 and beyond, they can be found in Ness County, Kansas.
Hogg, George Washington His father's tombstone and the marriage book say "Hogg". His tombstone says "Hogue".
Hogue, Dicey Louisa Her parent's last name was "Hogg". Some of the children in this family changed the spelling to "Hogue" as it was in this marriage record.
Hogue, Eliza Her parent's last name was "Hogg". Some of the children in this family changed the spelling to "Hogue" as it was in this marriage record.
Hoskins, Melvin C. Listed in Section "G".
Husted, Arthur Listed in Section "G".
Irvin, Katie She is found in the 1870 Madison County census as Catherine Ervin and her gravestone says "Cathern". We have been unable to verify the true spelling of her names.
Jones, Harriet J. This is actually Harriet J. Shaver, daughter of Thomas J. & Sarah A. (Shaffer) Shaver. In the marriage record, she listed her parents names as "T. J. & Sarah A. Jones". Why this was done is unknown.
Kelleher, Thomas F. Only "T. R. Kelleher" was entered in the marriage book along with 21 May 1886 as the date of license. All other information was missing. Additional information was obtained from marriage documents held at the courthouse.
Kindle, James H. It is likely that late in life, he changed his name to "Kendle". His marriage and his Civil War record are under "Kindle". His parents are buried under "Kindle". His Civil War pension index card and two of his children's gravestones say "Kendle".
Knowles, Perry T. The date of marriage was erroneously recorded as 1897. The location in the book as well as the newspaper account of the wedding indicates that the year was 1896.
Leckner, Frederick In the 1870 census, the name is "Lockner" and in 1880, it is Lochner. No gravestones have been found. Children in Draft Registrations and Social Security Applcations used "Leckner".
Lee***, Thursey The handwriting is difficult and the microfilm contrast is very poor, rendering this name impossible to transcribe. There is an Ohio death record for son Thomas J. that gives her maiden name as "Thorp". There is no chance that this record says "Thorp" but there is some evidence to suggest she may have been married twice in which case this record could have carried her first marriage surname.
Loney, James Normally, the coordinators have been able to verify names through multiple resources.  In the case of James Loney and Matilda Allison, Matilda appears in earlier censuses but James Loney could not be found either before or after the marriage date. It is possible that we are misinterpreting the name and include the marriage book image herein for your own interpretation.
Martin, Frederick M. Fred Martin is a descendant of the "Martino" family which was derived from "Martineau", probably of French Canadian ancestry. Some members of the family dropped the "eau" in favor of "o" and later, some shortened the name to "Martin". In a 1908 entry in the MC Birth Records, his name is "Martino" so the marriage record, which lists him as "Martin" is believed to be in error.
McMannaway, Oliver Although this is the spelling in the Marriage Book, "McManaway" is more likely to be correct.
Munger, Jennie L. There is a Jennie L. Munger in the cemetery records of the same parents as this Jennie Munger. She died in 1862 and this Jennie Munger was born about 1864. We have not been able to determine if the parents really named a second child exactly the same as one who had previously died or if this Jennie is a nickname for something else.
Orton, Emma Numerous vital records for her children state that her maiden name was "Whipple". The reason for her listing her maiden name as "Orton" is unknown.
Patterson, Verna A. Her name on many other records, including her gravestone, is "Vivian A."
Peffley, Jacob Jacob Peffley was the adopted son of Moses Peffley. He was born Jacob W. Kirfman and bears that name in both the 1870 and 1880 censuses. Whether Jacob was formally adopted or simply raised by the Peffley family is unknown.
Rager/Reager, Mary E. "Rager" was found in the California death records for two of her sons. "Reager" was in the Madison County marriage records. No other examples could be found.
Redllen, Ann The original entry on page 2 is followed with another entry on page 4 with her surname given as "Heden". We have been unable to resolve what the name really is.
Reigle, Lovina The parents' gravestones are spelled "Riegel". A sibling's gravestone, who was likely buried by the parents, was spelled "Reigle". All of the other marriage entries for siblings and others are spelled "Reigle".
Ryner, Melvin P. The  Madison County Marriage Book has "Wm P. Ryner" but the Marriage Return says "Melvin P. Ryner" so whomever took the data from the Return to enter in the Marriage Book made a mistake.
Simpson, Emily F. Eerroneously listed in marriage book as "Emily Odell".
Slight, Samuel B. The only entry for this marriage was "Slight, S. B.". There was no date nor a bride's name. Through further research, the remaining details were found in other records.
Smith, Nathaniel G. The same marriage appears twice in the MCMR, 11 Sep 1884 and again on 14 Mar 1885. There is no explanation for this double entry nor is there any indication as to which one is correct.
Stark, Mary E. There is evidence that "Stark" was the surname of her stepfather, her natural parents being William Dehority and Mary Jones.
Sterret, Lucinda Lucinda's surname is hard to read and could not be confirmed in any previous census nor could she be found in any marriage record nor census after 1860. Her husband died in the Civil War.
Stiles, Joseph Henry Listed  under "R" in the Madison County Marriage Register.
Stiles, Sarah Eliza (nee Gowin) It appears that an error was made in entering the bride's name in the Marriage Book. She was previously married to Jeremiah Klingensmith and should have been listed as Mrs. Sarah Klingensmith but was instead listed with the groom's surname.
Swares, Anne Swares is an extremely rare surname and it could well be something else. Click here to see the original record and make your own interpretation.
Thornburg, Nannie It is "Thornbrugh" in the Madison County Marriage Book and "Thornburgh" on the Certificate of Marriage held in the Madison County Courthouse records. Most researchers seem to have settled on "Thornburg" but no hard evidence has been found.
Zeep, Barbara Her maiden name appears in various vital records as "Vicker", "Vicar", and  "Victora". We have been unable to prove which one is correct.

 

Maintained by the County Coordinator

This page was created in April 2010.
This page was last updated Tuesday, 10-Nov-2015 11:48:02 CST .