Great, and important tip!!

Just saw a great new tip posted on the awesome blog, Genealogy Tip of the Day --

Do You Have It All?

It's just a reminder that some records generate additional paperwork that may not be included if you send away for the record, see the record in part of a digitized collection, etc. Marriage records and probate records are some examples. Do you know how many different types of marriage records there can be? If you send away for a "marriage record", do you know what you will get back vs. what else there could be? Typically, whenever I send in a mail request what I get is a copy of the marriage license itself. Not really much information there. But it's up to you to know what could be available for that county. You could be missing valuable information from the affidavit, the bond, the license application, and even a return. The affidavits and bonds could name other family members to help you trace the family line back and build your FAN club. The license application could tell you where the person thinks they were born and who their parents were. The returns usually include the name of the person who married the couple and if it turns out to have been a religious figure, that could lead you to their denomination/their church which could then lead you to other family church records, grave sites, etc. All of this is missed when you don't make yourself aware of what is available and are simply satisfied with the xeroxed copy of the license. Get out there and find what is available to you!