Records and Research: Edith Elizabeth Eckard (No. 2)

This series began with a randomly selected document that contains genealogical information. I will then take that information and outline what we can learn from the document and what I would do next to find more information on the person involved.


Document No. 2: Marriage License dated 13 May 1913
Link: Link (From Missouri Marriage Records, 1805-2002, via Ancestry.com)


This is an example of how useful it is to have a statewide index of marriages because I found that though she lived in St. Louis and he was apparently from Hannibal at the time of their marriage, their marriage is recorded in St. Charles County (despite occurring in St. Louis).

Date: 13 May 1913
Groom: Christian Eckhard
Bride: Edith Elizabeth Brookfield
Married by: P.J. Brown, Christ Church Cathedral
Marriage Recorded: St. Charles County
Marriage Occurred: St. Louis County

Other Important Things This Document Tells Us:

• Christ Church Cathedral is located on Locust in St. Louis and is an Episcopal Church [i.e. the American Anglican Church] so  (Source: Link: Mound City on the Mississippi)
• The Archives of the Episcopal Church advises that if a church is still open, as Christ Church Cathedral is, you would contact the church directly about their baptism, marriage, and death registers. 
• Note: If this record hadn't shown the name of the church, the St. Louis County Library has a binder index of the Clergy of St. Louis that could have been consulted to find the church.
• The image is faded in parts so I cannot tell where Edith stated she was living at the time, but there are other ways to find that information out that I'll be discussing in a later post.

Next Steps: Now that we know her maiden name, we'll be looking for her birth and death certificates as well as for her husband. We'll also be able to find her original immigration record from 1904 now that we know her original last name.