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Creator
Schneider, Francis J. (Franz Joseph), d. 1907
Call number
MssCol NYGB 18165
Physical description
18.5 linear feet (88 vols)
Preferred Citation

Francis J. Schneider records of marriages performed in New York City, Manuscripts and Archives Division, The New York Public Library.

Repository
Manuscripts and Archives Division
Access to materials
Request an in-person research appointment.

Rev. Francis J. Schneider, a Protestant minister (1832-1907?) who emigrated to the United States from Germany, was known as the "marrying parson" for the nearly 20,000 marriages he performed from 1869 to 1906. The collection consist of his copies of the marriage records he submitted to the Health Department. The forms include the bride's and groom's name, address, occupation, age, race, place of birth, parents' names, and number of times married. The forms are signed by the bride, groom, and witnesses.

Biographical/historical information

Rev. Francis J. Schneider, a Protestant minister (1832-1907?) emigrated to the United States from Germany circa 1869 with his wife Cecelia and their two sons. He pastored in the Bronx and worked for a newspaper before establishing his own unaffiliated German Evangelical Congregation. Members of his church were drawn from the growing population of immigrants from Germany particularly from Bavaria, Prussia and Saxony living in Manhattan, Brooklyn, and New Jersey. Other ethnic groups represented include Irish, British, Danes and Italians. Schneider performed baptisms and thousands of marriages for thirty eight years.

Scope and arrangement

The collection consists of record copies,1869-1906, of the marriages that Rev. Francis J. Schneider performed in New York City. The marriage information was recorded on standard NYC marriage forms. The forms varied slightly over the years, however, the basic information required for the forms remained the same. The forms include name and address of the bride and groom, occupation, age, race, place of birth, parents' names, and number of times married. The forms are signed by the bride, groom, and witnesses. The forms are arranged chronologically and there is no name index.

Arrangement

Chronological

Administrative information

Source of acquisition

Gift of the New York Genealogical and Biographical Society, 2008.

Processing information

Processed by Valerie Wingfield.

Related Material

Record book of the German Evangelical Congregation in New York, circa 1874-1900.. Manuscripts and Archives Division, The New York Public Library (MssCol NYGB 18052).

Using the collection

Location

Manuscripts and Archives Division
Stephen A. Schwarzman Building
Fifth Avenue at 42nd Street, New York, NY 10018-2788
Brooke Russell Astor Reading Room, Third Floor, Room 328

Conditions Governing Use

No photocopying permitted. Records are available on microfilm at the NYC Municipal Archives.