NationStates Jolt Archive

What is up with the questions they put on the application for a marriage certificate?

I can understand some of the more sensible ones like date of birth and even driver license number, but what about questions regarding my employement? This online for has a series of selections you have to choose from to continue and it doesn't even have any selections that qualify as a close description of mine.

Then there is a question asking for my parents full names and state of birth! Why? What the hell good is that going to do anybody? I never even know my father anyway. I know nothing about him, especially whatever his state or date of birth may have been. What about orphans or whatnot?

Shouldn't my social security number, birth certificate and perhaps state ID be enough to answer their questions?

Why do they need to be so thorough? What's next a criminal background check? Did anybody here have similar experiences getting a marriage license?

They asked everything you mentioned plus my grandmothers favorite color.

they did ask for my grandmothers maiden name....i can possibly see my mothers maiden name but my g mas????

you see, in a post 9-11 world, the govenrment simply needs to know these kind of things.
just in case your grandmother plants a bomb in washington, then the bombsquad can better guess which wire to cut by knowing what her favourite color is.

weird. All they wanted from hubby and I were our names, birthdays, addresses, and social security numbers, then we had to take an oath that niether of us was being forced to marry the other, and we had to take a blood test.....but that was all.

EDIT: we also had to say in the oath thingy that we weren't already married....

weird. All they wanted from hubby and I were our names, birthdays, addresses, and social security numbers, then we had to take an oath that niether of us was being forced to marry the other, and we had to take a blood test.....but that was all.

they did away with having to have the blood test in our state.

They asked everything you mentioned plus my grandmothers favorite color.

they did ask for my grandmothers maiden name....i can possibly see my mothers maiden name but my g mas????


It's crazy!?!?! WHat the hell could they possibly need this information for? Kossackja probably has the best explanation so far.

they did away with having to have the blood test in our state.
hmm.....we just had to get tested for syphilis.

it was funny because the couple in front of us got into a fight

"I thought you said you were a virgin"
"I am"
"then how in the hell do you have syphilis?!"

their whole family was with them for the blood test and the preacher and everything, it was hilarious, I almost forgot about the panic attack I was having (I am scared of needles)

weird. All they wanted from hubby and I were our names, birthdays, addresses, and social security numbers, then we had to take an oath that niether of us was being forced to marry the other, and we had to take a blood test.....but that was all.

EDIT: we also had to say in the oath thingy that we weren't already married....

I live in Nevada but am getitng married in Calif. I guess this stuff varies between states pretty widely.

What do they want a blood test for? I had heard about that like it was some old legend... I didn't know anyone still practiced that.

hmm.....we just had to get tested for syphilis.

it was funny because the couple in front of us got into a fight

"I thought you said you were a virgin"
"I am"
"then how in the hell do you have syphilis?!"

their whole family was with them for the blood test and the preacher and everything, it was hilarious, I almost forgot about the panic attack I was having (I am scared of needles)


So if you had syphillis you wouldn't be allowed to get married or what?

So if you had syphillis you wouldn't be allowed to get married or what?
you can get married, they just want your spouse to be informed I think. I wasn't around when the law was passed so I don't know that purpose.

I know a lot of people head to Texas and Arkansas so they don't have to take the blood test. I didn't see a point in skipping out on it, it was $4 and we were eloping so I thought "yeah, just get it done..." I didn't have anything to worry about. ;)

I almost forgot about the panic attack I was having (I am scared of needles)what about people with aichmophobia, they could not get a marriage certificate then because of their disability. ACLU where are you?

what about people with aichmophobia, they could not get a marriage certificate then because of their disability. ACLU where are you?
I think they would have to go to a non-blood testing state, which I think is just about every state that borders this one.

If you didn't want to jump through a bunch of pointless hoops, why were you getting married? :)

If you didn't want to jump through a bunch of pointless hoops, why were you getting married? :)joint assessment for income tax, benefits, better insurance coverage etc.

you can get married, they just want your spouse to be informed I think. I wasn't around when the law was passed so I don't know that purpose.

I know a lot of people head to Texas and Arkansas so they don't have to take the blood test. I didn't see a point in skipping out on it, it was $4 and we were eloping so I thought "yeah, just get it done..." I didn't have anything to worry about. ;)


Ah, well still that is silly. You can't prepare the couple to know everything about each other even concerning just each others health - syphillis? What wabout AIDS and herpes and genital warts and whatever else could be a concern for the spouse.

Though perhaps this is where the strange questions come in too. Could just be for the spouse in case legal situations come up like the husband skipping out on alimony so you have their fathers full name and state of birth so you can hopefully track them down or something. I really don't know.

Ah, well still that is silly. You can't prepare the couple to know everything about each other even concerning just each others health - syphillis? What wabout AIDS and herpes and genital warts and whatever else could be a concern for the spouse.
I think the law is really old, like back when syphilis was the STD.

I know for a fact that my grandparent's went in for the blood test when they got married in 1947, and it was an old law then. It's like I said I wasn't around when it came into being, so I don't know exactly what it's for.

Bottle - If you didn't want to jump through a bunch of pointless hoops, why were you getting married?


Kossackja - joint assessment for income tax, benefits, better insurance coverage etc.


plus I knew it was something that my fiance wanted a lot and I was happy to do that for her since I love her and knew I would be spending the rest of my life with her anyway. Personally I would have been happy with making up our own ceremony - where we were naked in the woods or something. Actually I do plan on having a more private ceremony with just us two. The other one is for show to make the family happy. lol

I think the law is really old, like back when syphilis was the STD.

I know for a fact that my grandparent's went in for the blood test when they got married in 1947, and it was an old law then. It's like I said I wasn't around when it came into being, so I don't know exactly what it's for.


K - I hope Calif doesnt have anything similar. I hate needles.

Bottle -


Kossackja -


plus I knew it was something that my fiance wanted a lot and I was happy to do that for her since I love her and knew I would be spending the rest of my life with her anyway. Personally I would have been happy with making up our own ceremony - where we were naked in the woods or something. Actually I do plan on having a more private ceremony with just us two. The other one is for show to make the family happy. lol
Okay, there are far too many serious people in this thread.

*Moons the thread*

Take that.

Okay, there are far too many serious people in this thread.

*Moons the thread*

Take that.


*slaps that ass*

you're welcome

*slaps that ass*

you're welcome
Hoo baby.

See, now you're just encouraging me...

:)

Congrats, at any rate, on mounting the matrimony pony. She's a brutal beast, she is, but hims that can ride her will find rubies in the saddlebags.

What do they want a blood test for? I had heard about that like it was some old legend... I didn't know anyone still practiced that.

IIRC, In the old days, the blood test was for Rh factor. Back then if you were rh- and your spouse was Rh+ it could be deadly for you to have children. They would try to talk you out of marrage if your Rh factors weren't the same. At the very least they would advise against you ever getting pregnant. But now, we have good birth control, and medical science has found a way arond Rh problem. It can still be problematic, but it's rarely deadly any more.

plus I knew it was something that my fiance wanted a lot and I was happy to do that for her since I love her and knew I would be spending the rest of my life with her anyway. Personally I would have been happy with making up our own ceremony - where we were naked in the woods or something. Actually I do plan on having a more private ceremony with just us two. The other one is for show to make the family happy. lol
my husband and I got married at midnight in a park, on a bridge over a duck pond. We invited his best friend, another of his friends to video, the preacher, my cousin, my mom, and my grandparents. We did the ceremony (with modified vows :eek: ) and taped the whole thing.

2 weeks later we had a reception for the family (about 120 people) at my aunt's house.

It worked out great. ;)

Hoo baby.

See, now you're just encouraging me...

:)

Congrats, at any rate, on mounting the matrimony pony. She's a brutal beast, she is, but hims that can ride her will find rubies in the saddlebags.

:D

Thanks! I have been living with my lady for a couple years and we've been committed to each other for several years before that, and it's been nothing but splendidness. I don't see how a certificate will change anything but we are very open and honest with each other (plus we are open to having others join us for naughty time) so I think things will just remain dandy. :)

my husband and I got married at midnight in a park, on a bridge over a duck pond. We invited his best friend, another of his friends to video, the preacher, my cousin, my mom, and my grandparents. We did the ceremony (with modified vows :eek: ) and taped the whole thing.

2 weeks later we had a reception for the family (about 120 people) at my aunt's house.

It worked out great. ;)

That sounds awesome.... our wedding ceremony is at an arboretum by a waterfall on a little bridge over a stream. They have a bunch of peacocks there. weeeeeeeeeeeee

K - I hope Calif doesnt have anything similar. I hate needles.
It depends on the county in California. I was worried about the same thing too because I only have a two week window when I'm actually IN the US, but the county my fiancee and I will be married in does not require the blood test.

Still wish I could have been married in Nevada though, but the park we want is JUST over the border. :p

It depends on the county in California. I was worried about the same thing too because I only have a two week window when I'm actually IN the US, but the county my fiancee and I will be married in does not require the blood test.

Still wish I could have been married in Nevada though, but the park we want is JUST over the border. :p


The website I am filling the application out on doesn't mention it so I'll just assume they don't (the place I need to go pick it up at is in Orange County). :cool:

Maybe I should just get the legal serivce done here in Vegas and do the ceremony for the family as planned *thinks*

i think the blood test is to prove that you are not related as well as the other diseases too, but i could be wrong---

went to Vegas and did it at Treasure Island. For the certificates there, they ask you what number marriage this is-- for the people in front of us, the groom was on 5 and the bride was on her first. She looked a little weird when she saw what the groom-to-be had put down 5, and had that what the hell look on her face..... but they got the license anyways

i think the blood test is to prove that you are not related as well as the other diseases too, but i could be wrong---

went to Vegas and did it at Treasure Island. For the certificates there, they ask you what number marriage this is-- for the people in front of us, the groom was on 5 and the bride was on her first. She looked a little weird when she saw what the groom-to-be had put down 5, and had that what the hell look on her face..... but they got the license anyways

I would hope that our birth certificates could prove that we arent related.

As others have said, the blood test was for disease. So you could get cured before you passed on a STD. Don't understand the driver's license.

The rest is for research. Family History. etc.

What is up with the questions they put on the application for a marriage certificate?

I can understand some of the more sensible ones like date of birth and even driver license number, but what about questions regarding my employement? This online for has a series of selections you have to choose from to continue and it doesn't even have any selections that qualify as a close description of mine.While there are probably good administrative reasons for a lot of the questions (at least trivial barriers against bigamy?) I think that anyone who has seriously looked into their own geneaology (not me, personally, but I know those who have) find an absolute wealth of information in marriage certificates that allows further discoveries in the rest of the publicly available documentation. The issue about employment has led to them back-tracking ancestral movement across the country, back in the days when most people did not move around but some jobs had an inordinately high amount of migration along predictable routes and corridors...

I think the problem you have is more an issue with the online form, of course... (There's nothing like a sensible and experienced registrar to sort out any exceptional/unaccoutned-for issues like that, in person.)

Then there is a question asking for my parents full names and state of birth! Why? What the hell good is that going to do anybody? I never even know my father anyway. I know nothing about him, especially whatever his state or date of birth may have been. What about orphans or whatnot?There should be an allowance for that latter part. (See above about the how a registrar can assist.) You might also consider that the other information is perhaps irrelevant, these days with the (below-mentioned) SSN, but it's information that has always (FSVO 'always') been asked, and may well be of interest to our progeny descendants...

Shouldn't my social security number, birth certificate and perhaps state ID be enough to answer their questions?Under most cases, but maybe not immigrants. I've no idea if parental information is obtained upon nationalising (not being an immigrant, or a resident of the US).

Why do they need to be so thorough? What's next a criminal background check? Did anybody here have similar experiences getting a marriage license? Don't know, who knows, not applicable... ;)

i think the blood test is to prove that you are not related as well as the other diseases too, but i could be wrong---
that doesn't really make sense since the only way (that I know of anyway) to find out if someone is related to someone else is a DNA test, and those are both expensive and fairly new. (the blood test thing has been around for a while)

While there are probably good administrative reasons for a lot of the questions (at least trivial barriers against bigamy?) I think that anyone who has seriously looked into their own geneaology (not me, personally, but I know those who have) find an absolute wealth of information in marriage certificates that allows further discoveries in the rest of the publicly available documentation. The issue about employment has led to them back-tracking ancestral movement across the country, back in the days when most people did not move around but some jobs had an inordinately high amount of migration along predictable routes and corridors...

I think the problem you have is more an issue with the online form, of course... (There's nothing like a sensible and experienced registrar to sort out any exceptional/unaccoutned-for issues like that, in person.)

There should be an allowance for that latter part. (See above about the how a registrar can assist.) You might also consider that the other information is perhaps irrelevant, these days with the (below-mentioned) SSN, but it's information that has always (FSVO 'always') been asked, and may well be of interest to our progeny descendants...

Under most cases, but maybe not immigrants. I've no idea if parental information is obtained upon nationalising (not being an immigrant, or a resident of the US).

Don't know, who knows, not applicable... ;)


Wow - great post - I thank you for your time and insights :)

You bring up good points.

I just looked at my birth certificate and found that it had my fathers middle name and birthplace so w00t

As others have said, the blood test was for disease. So you could get cured before you passed on a STD. Don't understand the driver's license.

The rest is for research. Family History. etc.

Well, the blood test is a stupid idea. The test they run is an RPR (Rapid Plasma Reagin), which aside from having alot of false negatives, will also have false reactive results for autoimmune conditions, like arthritis and lupus. There is a more definitive test, the FTA (Fluorescent Treponemal Antibody), but even that's not absolutely conclusive, since it cross-reacts with T. pertenue and T. carateum, which cause yaws and pinta, respectively. About the only way to really, really diagnose syphillis in a lab would be with darkfield microscopy.