Actually there are a lot of misconceptions about the whole "common-law marriage" thing. Contrary to popular belief, most states in the US don't recognize it. A quick google search found this list of states that do; there are many others of course.
http://www.unmarried.org/common.html
Quote:
States that recognize common law marriages:
Alabama
Colorado
Georgia (if created before 1/1/97)
Idaho (if created before 1/1/96)
Iowa
Kansas
Montana
New Hampshire (for inheritance purposes only)
Ohio (if created before 10/10/91)
Oklahoma
Pennsylvania
Rhode Island
South Carolina
Texas
Utah
Washington, D.C.
|