Stop Eloping Across the State Line!
For years I suffered from what I'm going to call "tunnel vision."
I looked for marriage records in the area that the family lived. And for years I had problems with the Howard/Helms side of the family in finding marriage records. Here's what happened when I expanded my search. For starters you need to understand the western PA, WV, Ohio borders. I've cobbled together a map, here. My trouble was finding marriage records for the family members. Well, after 20 some years, here they are:
My great-grandparents: Malvern Howard and Ray Welsh (both born and raised in PA) were married 28 Feb 1917 in Wellsburg, WV.
My great-great grandparents James E. Howard and Elizabeth G. Helms (both born and raised Marshall Co., WV near Moundsville, WV, lived their adult lives in the Pittsburgh, PA area) married Dec. 23, 1889 in Belmont County, Ohio. I never thought to look in Ohio, until 2010!
I looked for marriage records in the area that the family lived. And for years I had problems with the Howard/Helms side of the family in finding marriage records. Here's what happened when I expanded my search. For starters you need to understand the western PA, WV, Ohio borders. I've cobbled together a map, here. My trouble was finding marriage records for the family members. Well, after 20 some years, here they are: My great-grandparents: Malvern Howard and Ray Welsh (both born and raised in PA) were married 28 Feb 1917 in Wellsburg, WV.
My great-great grandparents James E. Howard and Elizabeth G. Helms (both born and raised Marshall Co., WV near Moundsville, WV, lived their adult lives in the Pittsburgh, PA area) married Dec. 23, 1889 in Belmont County, Ohio. I never thought to look in Ohio, until 2010!
Her parents (3-G grandparents) George W. Helms and Eliza J. Arnold (born Ohio, died Marshall County, WV) have a marriage record listed in Greene County, PA for George Hellums and Eliza Jane Arnold on June 11, 1843.
So the Ohio ancestors married in PA, the WV grandparents married in Ohio, and the PA folks married in WV. Please, please, please ... stop eloping across the state line!
So the Ohio ancestors married in PA, the WV grandparents married in Ohio, and the PA folks married in WV. Please, please, please ... stop eloping across the state line!
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