In my research, finding two marriage ceremonies for the same couple is no longer unusual. I think this is thanks to indexes becoming more readily available online for New York and New Jersey.
In some instances, the reasons may not be apparent on the face of the documents and the length of time between ceremonies.
For Theodore Marmorstein and Rose Roth, the purpose of their double nuptials was clear- they were married in a civil ceremony and then a religious ceremony in May of 1929 in New York City.
The civil ceremony was at the municipal building on May 4th.
The religious ceremony was performed by Rabbi B M Klein on May 9th.
These images are available for free online through the New York City Municipal Archives.
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| 1929 marriage record of Theodore Marmorstein and Rose Roth Civil ceremony May 4 |
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| 1929 marriage record of Theodore Marmorstein and Rose Roth Religious ceremony May 9 |
The record for the second ceremony explains at the top of the page, "Married civilly at Municipal Building NYC 4th of May. Number of marriage certificate 165972."
Questions:
1- What does certificate number 165972 reference? The number on the first ceremony is 11233.
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| Married civilly at Municipal Building NYC 4th of May. Number of marriage certificate 165972. |
2- What does the stamp and handwriting on the reverse of the first certificate indicate?
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| Order No 368739 Date 10-10-42 Number Issued 2 Searcher Photo OP M R |
Observation:
Marriage records are great because the subject of the record, the bride or the groom, oversees the information written on the document.
The spelling of Rose Roth's mother differs slightly on both documents. Rose Roth's birth certificate is available on the Municipal Archives website. Rose was born on June 1, 1907 in New York City. Her mother's name was recorded as Annie Buchholz on this birth certificate. This is consistent with other records for Annie. I don't know why Rose listed her mother as Helen on both marriage certificates.
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| Birth certificate of Rose Roth, June 1, 1907 in New York City. Father- William Roth (1869-1936). Mother- Annie Buchholz. [Accessed online New York City Municipal Archives] |
What became of this couple?
In the 1930 census, Theodore and Rose were living together on East 66th Street in New York City. I found two children born to them in 1930 and 1937.
By 1940, Rose was residing at the Hudson Valley State Hospital in Dover, Dutchess County, New York. This was an inpatient facility for the treatment of mental health issues. In the 1950 census, Rose was still a patient at this facility.
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| 1940 United States Federal Census Dover, Dutchess County, New York Hudson Valley State Hospital Rose Marmorstein, patient; age 32; married; born in New York. |
There is an entry in the New York State Death Index for Rose Marmorstein in 1964. The residence was New York City. Remember that New York City's records are not housed with the rest of the state. An entry for Rose in the state's index could indicate that she was still a patient at Harlem State. The address in New York City was likely a relative's home.
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| New York State index of deaths Rose Marmorstein died March 3, 1964 |
Theodore Marmorstein remarried in 1954 to Hedwig "Hedy" Erger. He and Rose must have divorced. This marriage record is not yet available on the website of the Municipal Archives.
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| New York City index of marriages Theodore Marmorstein and Hedwig Erger License issued 1954 |
Theodore died in Hawaii in 1992. Hedy died in 2002.
