I am trying to find out when my dad, who was stationed in Frankfurt, married my mom, a German citizen.
It was most likely a civil ceremony, performed on base by a chaplin.
(trust me, my mom's people were irreligious, and most likely didn't approve anyway)
This was sometime between 1955-1959

I have access to numerous ancestry/ genealogy sites via the library..and don't believe military records are on those..at least I wasn;t able to find such yesterday.
And, I have been told even if I requested his records from the military, it may or may not have the marriage in there.

If you have any suggestion on how to find this, I would appreciate it.

Thank you.

Native German here

Usually, city councils in Germany keep records of marriages. You might give the one in Frankfurt a shout? 9/10 in Germany speak at least some basic English, so the language barrier should not be a problem.

Wishing you good luck

Now is probably NOT the time to do that..I am sure they have other things they are dealing with...

I shall keep this info for a later, more appropriate time...

You might consider, sending an e mail. They would answer, when they are ready.

Not German descent but I do recall some genealogy researchers I met.
Genealogy research is "a gathering of information".
Its surprising where documents are located.
Histories rarely come complete from one source.
The further back in time, the more difficult the task at hand.

Granted I don't know 1950s Germany record keeping but people tend to keep memories. I'm sure you mom & dad had friends. You have a date and location so that is a pretty good start.

The name of the Chaplin at a military base is probably public record.
Perhaps there is an avenue there?
Find out his name and seek out his family.
Ask them if he kept personal records of marriages he performed.
You might get lucky.

Consider your parents siblings, cousins, children and grandchildren of their families as well. While the marriage may have been taboo at the time, family history is very important to many people for many reasons.
Even if they won't part with the documents maybe they would snap a picture and email it to you?

Good luck, I hope you find what you need!

No friends of theirs...we moved multiple times..(my dad was in sales, the company moved him around)
Last friend of my dad I knew (that knew him back then) was a hunting buddy who he lost contact with in the 80's.(he lived in MD, we hadn't lived there since the 60's)

I was an only child..no siblings

My dad was an only child.

Oma, my mom's mom..in Germany died in 1979.
My mom's dad died way before that, she had a stepfather who I am certain is also dead.

Both my mom and dad have been dead for years.

My cousins, (such as there are) who my mom didn't tell me I had any (they lived some 500 miles away...I don't really know them...and, they certainly don't know squat diddly about my dad..*they* certainly never met him.

I DON'T have a date..that's the thing..what I said..
*I* was told they were married in 1955...but yet, yesterday I found the manifest where he was shipped overseas for the first time in Oct 1955..

Once this crap about the virus calms down, I'll dig a bit further..right now..people are short-staffed, if they are open at all..

You probably already know this but the MORMON's have a huge database of genealogy info. Don't overlook them.

25 years ago when I dove into my genealogy they where super helpful, aiding me in tracing my French side all the way back to about 1000 AD when my family married into the Charlemagne line or vice versa. My Irish side is much more difficult because I don't have enough basic info and it's "one of the oldest and commonest" names in Ireland. I've only made it as far back as the 1840's when a grandfather left County Cork for here.

My dad's MOM'S side I've been able to go back to 1185...

It's my dad's dad that I started trying to find out.

Maybe that's exactly why they got married, because he was going to get shipped out.
Could very well be they married shortly before that.

Ummmm.....my dad lived in Maryland.
He got shipped out from the US in late 1955, to Frankfurt, Germany.
My mom was a German living in Heidelberg.

So, HOW could he have met and married her in the US before he was shipped out, when she didn't even LIVE here?

You didn't give that info. You just said he was stationed in Frankfurt.
That would reduce chances of them marrying that year.

Only base in Frankfurt, that I can think of, is
Rhein Main Air Force Base.

My first line stated:
"I am trying to find out when my dad, who was stationed in Frankfurt, married my mom, a German citizen."

I *thought* since I said she was a German citizen, it was obvious she was living in Germany.
And by saying when my dad, who was *stationed* in Frankfurt (at the time) married my mom (a German citizen)...I didn't think that was confusing..

Sorry you were confused.

Is it even still there?

I have the number to the US Embassy in Germany..I'll give them a call after all this virus thing calms down a bit.

I just checked, they closed in 2005.

I *thought* I'd heard that.

Also, apparently in the US here, a LOT of paper records were lost in a fire in 1973...so....

US embassy might be a good option then. They should have contacts to relevant authorities in Germany

The connections I was referring to are theirs, not yours.

Perhaps you can trace the history of their wedding bands.

Since the marriage was taboo, perhaps they just put on wedding rings and told people they were married?

Think of all the things where a marriage certificate is required.
Taxes, insurances, ownership certificates, citizenship status.
Did your mother ever get a greencard or social security number?
Before photostats, official forms had a section where the certificate information was written by the clerk while viewing the certificate.
While there was a fire which destroyed many documents, its highly doubtful there were multiple fires at multiple places that destroyed all documents.

While you may not be able to find the official marriage certificate you might find reference to date, place, witnesses and clergy.

Old photos might also reveal clues. Not only the people but the places and backgrounds. A lot of research can be done via internet. It just depends on how thorough you want to get and how much time you want to dedicate.

Oh for gods sake..

1. He was in the service..he married my mom, a German citizen, which am sure A lot of GI's did.

2. They got married on base...my mom's people were irreligious, I doubt they'd ever set foot *in* church, so, I am 99.9% it was a civil ceremony (like my late husband and I did..at the courthouse)..it wasn't clandestine, or anything, other than my mom's mom probably didn't really want her to marry a GI and move to America.
And, no..there weren't a bunch of people involved..like "let's have a wedding,,.invite people"..why is it hard to understand?
SHE had a ring (probably bought in the PX)..my dad never were one, that wasn't a common thing for men to wear rings in the 1950's-1960's...watch old B & W movies from the 1930's and 1940's...none of the men wore wedding rings..

3. Yes, of course she had a green card when she moved here, and got her citizenship sometime before I was born.
Then of course she got a Social Security card....she worked from 1973 on.

4. Photo's????
That's funny....we were not picture taking bunch..I don;t think there were a handful of pics of either my mom or dad, and NONE of them together...

I'd delete this post if I was able, as all I has was a simple question that has turned into me re-explaining why this and that isn't applicable.
I got the most useful info, speak with the US Embassy