Friday Find

Today’s Friday Find is another photocopy of a marriage record for Sadie Wells, originally shared with me by a Michigan researcher. Thanks to FamilySearch’s Full Text Search feature for digitized Michigan records, I was able to locate two separate—but matching—marriage records for Sadie Wells. One of these aligns exactly with the photocopy already in my files.

Michigan Marriage Records (Statewide Index)

The first record appears in a statewide collection of Michigan marriage records for 1889, arranged alphabetically by county. Sadie’s marriage is found under Calhoun County on page 245 (image 500 of 640).

Michigan. Marriage Records: 1889 – Barry to Kalkaska Counties
Page 245 (Calhoun County)

747
Oct 5, 1889

James E. Snelgrove, age 30, white, of Albion; born Homer; farmer.
Father: James Snelgrove
Mother: Mary E. Clark

Married 6 October 1889 in Homer, Michigan, by H. E. Davis, clergyman.

Sadie A. Wells, age 21, white, of Homer; born Eckford; housekeeper.
Father: William W. Wells
Mother: Martha Clark

Witnesses:
Mrs. Maggie Wells of Homer
Ella H. Davis of Homer

Recorded 8 October 1889

Calhoun County Marriage Record

The second record comes from the Calhoun County marriage books, which are arranged by volume and page number rather than alphabetically by county. This entry appears in Volume 4, page 50 (image 136 of 446).

While the details of the marriage are the same in both records, they originate from two different record sets.

Why Two Records Matter

A comparison of the two sources reveals an important distinction:

• Page 245 of the Michigan statewide marriage records includes marriages through #748.
• Page 50 of the Calhoun County marriage book includes marriages through #750.

This indicates that the same marriage information was recorded in two separate record systems, each requiring its own citation. For genealogical documentation, recognizing and citing both sources strengthens the reliability of the evidence.

Source Citations

• Michigan, Calhoun County. Marriage Records, 1836–1943. Film #1009297; DGS 4653764. Sadie Wells, October 1889; Volume 4, page 50; image 136 of 446; digitized images, FamilySearch (www.familysearch.org), viewed 13 December 2025.
• Michigan, Marriage Records, 1868–1925. Film #4207808. Sadie Wells, October 1889; page 245; image 500 of 640; digitized images, FamilySearch (www.familysearch.org), viewed 13 December 2025.

Finds like this are a good reminder of why it pays to look beyond a single record set. Although the information in both marriage entries is the same, each record comes from a different source and tells us something about how Michigan recorded and preserved vital records in the late 19th century. By identifying and citing both the statewide marriage index and the Calhoun County marriage book, this marriage of Sadie Wells is now documented with stronger, more complete evidence—turning a simple photocopy into a well-supported piece of the Wells family story.