DeVRIES-BOS Marriage License & Certificate of Marriage

One of the genea-bloggers I truly admire is Steve Danko, who is working towards his certification as a professional genealogist. He posts the records he's researching on his blog and cites each one according to the high standards set forth by the professional genealogical community. Because I have just recently received another package of documents and photos relating to my DeVRIES and HOEKSTRA families--way too much to scan in just a couple of Scanfest settings--I thought I would follow Steve's example somewhat and just scan and post a record every day or so from this treasure trove. For obvious privacy reasons, items pertaining to living persons and some recently-deceased persons will not be shared here.

Below are the obverse and reverse images of the marriage license and certificate of marriage for my (step) great-grandparents, George DeVRIES and Josephine BOSS.

(click on image to see full size)

No. 7505 1911

KENT COUNTY, MICHIGAN

Marriage License

To Any Person Legally Authorized to Solemnize Marriage--GREETINGS:

MARRIAGE MAY BE SOLEMNIZED BETWEEN

Mr. GEORGE De VRIES and M[iss] JOSEPHINE BOSS

Affidavit having been filed in this office, as provided by Act 128, Laws of 1887, as amended, by which it appears that said George De Vries is 24 years of age, color is White, residence is Grand Rapids, Michigan and birthplace was Netherlands, Eu., occupation is Machine Hand[,] father's name Ben De Vries and mother's maiden name was Adriana Wieringa has been previously married no times, and that said Josephine Boss is 26 years of age, color is White[,] residence is Grand Rapids, Michigan and birthplace was Michigan[,] occupation is Domestic[,] father's name Millard Boss and mother's maiden name was Kate Sigteman [sic] and who has been previously married no times, and whose maiden name was [blank] and whose [blank] consent, in case she has not attained the age of eighteen years, has been filed in my office.

IN WITNESS WHEREOF, I have hereunto attached my hand and the seal of the Circuit Court of Kent
County, Michigan, this 11th day of May A.D. 1911
RALPH A. MOSHER[,] County Clerk
By Rob't G. Hill[,] Deputy Clerk

Certificate of Marriage

Between Mr. George De Vries and M[iss] Josephine Boss
I Hereby Certify that in accordance with the above License the persons herein mentioned were joined in marriage by me at Grand Rapids[,] County of Kent, Michigan, on the 11th day of May A.D. 1911 in the presence of J. Hoogstra of Grand Rapids,Mich. [sic] and J. Doll of Coopersville, Mich. as witnesses.

L. Veltkamp
Name of Magistrate of Clergyman
Clergyman
Official Title

(click on image to see full size)

STATE OF MICHIGAN} ss.
County of Kent }

I, Lewis J. Donovan, Clerk of the Circuit Court for said County of Kent, do hereby certify that the foregoing is a true and correct transcript of Record of Marriage compared by me with the original, now on record in the office of the Clerk of said County, in Liber #16 of Marriages, page 65, and of the whole of such original record.
IN TESTIMONY WHEREOF, I have hereunto set my hand and official seal at the city of Grand Rapids, in said county, this 25th day of May[,] one thousand nine hundred and fifty four.

LEWIS J. DONOVAN, Clerk

By Claude L. Barkley [signed], Deputy

This was originally in the papers of my (step) grandfather, Adrian DeVRIES. It was apparently obtained by him in 1954, although for what purpose, I'm not sure. Perhaps he was assisting his father, George DeVRIES, with legal or financial matters, and this document was needed. This time period (1954) was between the years that Josephine died in 1946, and George's death in 1959. This is a photocopy; the original certificate remains in the possession of my uncle. The citation would read (according to my RootsMagic software): "Kent County Marriage Liber 16: Page 65, Clerk of the Circuit Court, Grand Rapids, Kent, Michigan."

Because I am very familiar with Michigan marriage records, I know that this record was copied and typed onto a certificate in 1954 from information handwritten into liber 16, page 65, record 7505, and that it may not have been recorded in that marriage liber until up to a year after the marriage took place (1911). In turn, that recording of c. 1911 - 1912 would have been copied from the marriage return that the clergyman, L. Veltkamp, would have had to submit to the county clerk. The type of license and certificate shown in this record were not actually used until later in the century. They are used here to record the information from the liber in a convenient format. Thus, this official document is not necessarily a primary one, as the original written information has been copied twice: from the marriage return to the marriage liber, and from the marriage liber to the certificate.

One thing I noticed were the anglicized versions of the various individuals' Dutch and Frisian names. George DeVRIES was originally named Jarig Egbert Binnes DeVRIES, which when anglicized, becomes George Edward Benjamin DeVRIES; although the "Binnes" translates more correctly to "Ben's son" or "Benson". Josephine BOSS was originally named Johanna BOS. "BOSS" is an alternate spelling; it's the only time I've seen the family name spelled this way. Her name was later anglicized to Josephine BUSH. Her father, named Millard BOSS here, was originally Melle BOS, and her mother Kate SIGTE(R)MAN, was originally Trientje ZIGTERMAN. SIGTERMAN was also spelled SICHTERMAN in the U.S. George's parents, Ben DeVRIES and Adriana WIERINGA, were originally Binnes Jarigs DeVRIES and Adriaantje (sometimes spelled Adriaantze) WIERINGA.

The "J. HOOGSTRA" that appears as a witness would likely have been George's stepfather, John HOOGSTRA. I do not know who J. DOLL is; perhaps a friend of Josephine's. I haven't yet come across a cousin or other relative of either the bride or groom with that surname. Both the BOS and ZIGTERMAN families had at one time or another lived in or near Coopersville, in neighboring Ottawa County.

There will be much more forthcoming on the DeVRIES (and related) families.