When a happy couple decides to get married, the first step in making that official is to visit the town clerk’s office and complete, under oath, the “Notice of Intention of Marriage” form. Present-day marriage intentions in Massachusetts evolved from marriage banns, a religious custom in which a couple announced to their local congregation that they planned to marry. Intentions were written notices presented to the local civil authority, posted in a public place for a given period of time prior to the event, and recorded in a register. These provided an opportunity for members of the community to raise any objections or reveal any legal impediments to the forthcoming marriage.
Historical marriage intention registers are rich with genealogical information that is sometimes unavailable elsewhere. The Commonwealth of Massachusetts requires that municipalities maintain their marriage intention registers as permanent records. In 2020, the Northeast Document Conservation Center (NEDCC) in Andover proposed to treat one of Lincoln’s treasured archival items, the Register of Marriage Intentions from 1850-1912, to demonstrate their conservation processes for a video produced by the online news publication *Insider*. This fascinating 9-minute video (link below), which has had over a million views, shows in detail the painstaking conservation process. Although the town of Lincoln is not specifically mentioned, our participation in this project saved the town $7,260 (the cost of the conservation work, which was provided at no charge). How A One-Of-A-Kind 1850s Record Book Is Professionally Conserved | Refurbished - YouTube <https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9V_pGZO8pL4&t=3s> Enjoy, and be amazed! Virginia Quinn Rundell Lincoln Town Archives
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