Marriage Records << Religious Records <<

Marriage Records Guide

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

Almost always include:

  • Bride's maiden name
  • Groom's name
  • Date of marriage


  • May also include:
  • Witnesses' names
  • Place of ceremony
  • Residence of bride and groom
  • Religions of bride and groom
  • Places of birth
  • Signatures
  • Ages of bride and groom
  • Marital status (e.g., whether widowed, etc.)
  • Names of parents
  • Name of minister
  • Margin notes re: other events (e.g., marriage)
  • Groom's occupation
  • Other notes - e.g., dispensations

  • IGI:
    http://familysearch.org

    FHL Catalog:
    http://familysearch.org/ search/ searchcatalog.asp

    Direct Contact with the Church

    Centralized Church Archives

    State or local libraries or societies and/or compiled records for that locality as found in http://www.byub.org/ ancestors/ resourceguide

    College & Special Libraries (e.g., DAR)

    Other churches of the same denomination in that area

  • To find ancestors' marriage date and place
  • To find ancestors' place(s) of residence
  • To determine a year of birth for the bride and groom
  • To learn of previous marriages
  • To learn groom's occupation
  • To find clues to family relationships (e.g., through names of witnesses)
  • To discover the names of the preceding generation
  • To correctly ascribe children to appropriate marriage if a parent has married more than once
  • To learn of other possible religious affiliations
  • To see the handwriting of an ancestor
  • To narrow the time period for the death of the first spouse in the case of the widow(er) remarrying
  • To learn of other family connections through dispensation remarks