It can be frustrating to look for a marriage record. You check in the county the couple lived in, you check neighboring counties and still find nothing. If you are researching a marriage but cannot find the record where you think it might be, you might want to explore the possibility of a Gretna Green.
Gretna Greens are cities where people traveled to to get married. The term “Gretna Green” come from the city Gretna Green, Scotland. According to the web site for the Gretna Green, http://www.gretnaweddings.com/, due to Scotland’s historical lax requirements for marriage; the couple only had to be over 16 years of age and declare themselves husband and wife in front of witnesses. People from neighboring countries like England flocked to marry there. Gretna Green was the first post along the route from England to the Scottish border, so that’s where eloping couples would stop to get married. With no restrictions such as residency requirements or parental consent (as long as the couple was over 16 years), Gretna Green, Scotland continues to be a place where couples from all over are married.
Gretna Greens in the United States were popular places to get married for a variety of reasons. One Gretna Green that existed about one hour from where I lived near Victorville, San Bernardino, California did not require a blood test to get married. Young, in love couples, could go there and get married quickly, without much fuss. Other reasons for going to a Gretna Green to get married include, low fees, little paper work, and maybe even to get away from disapproving family members.
Some Gretna Greens exist because they may lack a waiting period. In 1927, California enacted the Gin Marriage Law. This law provided for a waiting period where a couple had to wait three days from the time they purchased their marriage license before they could get married. This was enacted at the height of Prohibition. The law was meant to give intoxicated couples some time to sober up and reconsider their wedding plans. While this was the intention, the result of the law was that it drove couples to other places such as Yuma, Arizona and Las Vegas, Nevada, where couples could get “quickie” marriages. Additionally, California passed a 1939 law that required a medical examination before marriage. During one year of the enforcement of this California marriage law, Yuma recorded 17,000 marriages for a town that had only 5,000 residents. Both Yuma and Las Vegas became the place for Hollywood stars and the everyday person to get married.
Divorces can also be had in Gretna Green type places. Las Vegas, Nevada and Tijuana,Mexico had been popular places for Californians to run off to for quick, cheap divorces since about the 1930’s. These are places where not only could the person seek a quick divorce; they could then get remarried quickly.
