parents help: My parents were married in Georgia in 1943 by a justice of the peace. - Help.com

Are you sure you want to drop this kind of bombshell?

Anyhow, current law says that the minimum age for marriage is 18. However, anyone who is 16 or 17 years old, can still apply for a marriage license if accompanied by both parents who have given written consent. Since your dad registered an incorrect age, it sounds to me as if the law was the same back in 1943 and he was trying to get around the requirement for having both parents present. The only other loophole he could have exploited would have been to claim that the bride was pregnant. Parental approval would not be required, but a Georgia licensed physician would have had to certify that the bride was pregnant.

Anyhow, the good news is that Georgia does recognize any common law marriage that was started prior to January 1, 1997.

You don’t say what city or county your parents were married in. If you want a diffinitive answer about laws back in 1943, you need to contact the county clerk or local marriage license office.