Marriages

About 5000 marriages have been recorded in various formats at Keneseth Israel from 1861 through 1961.  There is archival reference to marriages performed prior to 1861, though no written record of the individual marriages has been located.  Rabbi Einhorn’s marriage book (1861-1866) included the name and ages of the bride and groom and where the ceremony was performed.  It is likely that the out of town marriages were actually performed by local cantors or readers, supplied by a Ketubah provided by Rabbi Einhorn.  The 1866-1888 records of Rabbi Hirsch include not only the name and age of the bride and groom, but also the place of birth and current residence.  This additional information is invaluable in tracing the origins of the first generations of Keneseth Israel.  Only beginning in the 1890’s did the marriage records include the names of the bride’s and groom’s parents.