Marriage Records << Vital Records <<

Marriage Records Guide

Vital Records-
Marriage Records
What's In Them Where to Find Them How to Use Them***

Almost always include:

  • full names of bride and groom
  • date of the marriage
  • county where the marriage took place


  • May also include:
  • age at time of marriage
  • date and/or place of birth for bride and groom
  • names and birthplaces of the bride's and groom's parents
  • names of the witnesses to the marriage, often relatives
  • residence of the parties
  • whether single, widowed or divorced
  • age at time of marriage
  • occupation
  • church of marriage ceremony
  • name of minister or priest
  • http://www.cdc.gov/nchs/
    howto/w2w/w2welcom.htm

    or
    http://www.family
    search.org/sg/

    The local town or county courthouse as found in:
    http://www.vitalrec.com
    or
    http://www.vitalchek.com
    or state or county resources such as: http://resources.rootsweb
    .com/cgi-bin/townco.cgi

    or
    http://familysearch.org/
    Search/searchcatalog.asp

    or
    http://ancestry.com/search/ locality/main.htm

    If more recent:
    the State Department of Health Services or Office of Vital Records as found in
    http://www.vitalrec.com
    or
    http://www.vitalchek.com

    If particularly early:
    State or local libraries or societies and/or compiled records for that locality as found in our Resource Guide.

    Information on marriage records can help you:

  • find a birth date and/or place to research for the bride and groom
  • find a maiden name for a woman
  • find parents' names (and possibly birth places) to research
  • learn about previous marriages
  • find a newspaper announcement
  • find church records for the marriage
  • determine which children belong to which mother in the case of multiple marriages
  • learn about previous marriages
  • find addresses to seek in deeds or city directories, locate on maps, or narrow your search in an unindexed census