maiden name - Surname of an unmarried woman

marriage bond - Document executed to guarantee that no impediments existed to an intended marriage

marriage certificate - Written account of a marriage created for and maintained by a government agency; also, a document given to the newly married couple by the person who performed the marriage

marriage certification - Report of the facts of a marriage to a town or county certified by the officiator

marriage consent - Permission granted, usually by a parent, for the marriage of a minor

marriage intention - Notice of an intended marriage published by a New England town

marriage license - Document issued by a town or county authorizing the performance of a marriage

marriage record - Written account of a marriage

marriage register - Written record of marriages performed in a civil or ecclesiastical jurisdiction

marriage return - Report of the facts of a marriage returned to a town or county by the officiator

married name - Surname of a married woman

maternal ancestors - Ancestors of one’s mother

microfilm - Film containing reduced photographic copies of printed or other graphic material

midwife - Person who assists in childbirth

military record - Written account of an individual's military service

monthly meeting - In the Society of Friends (Quakers), the equivalent of a congregation in other denominations

mortality census schedule - Federal census form for enumeration of deaths during the twelve-month period preceding the census taken at the 1850, 1860, 1870, and 1880 censuses