This series contains two chief types of records. The first is the marriage license proper which changed its format considerably over the span of 85 years. Despite these changes, however, the informational content has remained remarkably consistent. The first part consists of the license to marry signed by the county ordinary or the clerk of the Inferior Court and contains the names of the bride and groom and the dates. The second part consists of a certification on the part of the official who married the couple that the ceremony did indeed take place. There is also another form called a Return of Marriage (used only in 1875 and 1876 for statistics which were sent to the secretary of a short lived State Board of Health) which contains physical descriptions of the bride and groom, date of birth, age and other facts. A register of marriages partially duplicates this time span and can be found in RGSGSERIES 159 - 2 - 64.