A matter of public record

My sympathies are with Mrs. Patterson on the tragic death of her husband and her subsequent ordeal with bureaucracy. However, there is one point that should be cleared up.

Government officials do not ask for the original marriage license or certificate; they want a certified copy of the public record of the marriage. This is easily obtainable from the office that registers births, marriages and deaths in the town where the couple was married.

If you want to carry a copy of this, just call the office involved and you can get a copy easily. The public record of a marriage, like the public record of a birth, is the official record.

ABBIE F. SALNY
Wayne, NJ