Are you a member of the SASE (Self-addressed stamped envelopes) generation of genealogists? If so, you may also be a member of the ‘travel to courthouse’ generation.

While recently going thru one of my family notebooks with the intent to make sure I had everything documented in my RootsMagic file and then to update sources on FamilySearch, I discovered some marriage records for my 4th great grandfather, Edward Ricketts.

The photocopies in my notebook were obtained from the Fleming County (Kentucky) Clerk’s office using a SASE. One of the items was a photocopy from the marriage register book.

Since FamilySearch has not only microfilmed but also digitized many county records, I was able to locate this marriage register on FamilySearch.

While I found the marriage register in the digitized Fleming county records, there were two other documents in that SASE that I have not located on the FamilySearch site. The first is the marriage bond. According to the documentation on my copy of the bond, this record is in ‘Marriage Bond Box 1809 & 1810’ in the county clerk’s office in Fleming county, Kentucky.

Also in that bond box is a note from James Story granting permission for his daughter, Sally, to marry Edward Ricketts.

At this time, I don’t believe that it is possible to locate these marriage bonds and permissions for Fleming County online. Thus, it looks like those ‘old’ SASE skills or trips to county courthouses are still necessary to uncover some of these records. While I’m sure I used my copy of The Handybook for Genealogists, United States of America to figure out what records might be available and where to send my request, I found that the Random Acts of Genealogy Kindness site for Fleming County has similar information.