Public records are a lot like doctors or lawyers. You don't think about them much until you need them. This is especially true of marriage records. Most couples know they're married, and the husband might struggle to remember his anniversary date. Beyond that, they don't often need to put their hands on a marriage record for any legitimate reason. Even though you might not know it, there are plenty of times when you'll need a marriage record. Here are three of them to think about when you're making the choice of whether or not to go through with the records search you've been considering.
Name changes for a wife
If you've just been married and you're looking to change your name, you may need marriage records in Illinois to help facilitate this process. You'll need to change your name on many official documents, including your Social Security card, your driving registration, and others. To do this, you'll need to present proof of your marriage. The marriage license is the easiest way to do this, and in some cases, it's the only way to demonstrate your need for a name change.
In the estate planning process
As you get older, you'll undoubtedly start to think about the end of life and what you want to happen to your things. Many couples start planning their estate early so they won't have any complications in retirement. Marriage records can be critical during this process for establishing the proof needed for certain estate planning choices. Marriage records in Illinois obviously become an issue when an estranged wife makes an issue of how her husband's estate is divided, but they can also be important for couples who are clearly together during the estate planning process. Your lawyer or tax professional may require these records in order to move forward.
When you're trying to trace your ancestry
More and more today, people are looking to know where they came from and who came before them. Some get back the results from ancestry websites and find that they're four-percent Neanderthal. Others successfully discover that Aunt Berta survived World War II. Whatever your result may be, it will be easier to trace your ancestry if you have marriage records and the like. Your family tree likely extends in many directions, and chasing that tree down those paths requires you to first know who got married, when they got married, and where it happened.
The good news for people seeking marriage records in Illinois is that you have plenty of options at your disposal. Lots of good online resources can guide you in the right direction, and as the years pass, more country offices are seeing the value in putting information in a digital format. Being able to put your hands on any public record is a good thing. You may not know you need marriage records, but when the time comes that someone in an official capacity asks for them, you'll be glad you went through the process. Don't you want to make your life as easy as possible down the road?
