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United States  Marriage Records

Marriage records are primary source records because they are completed at, or close to, the time of the marriage by someone who was present at the marriage. Marriage records usually show names of the bride and groom, date and place married, and sometimes other information, such as ages. Marriage records often record the names and birthplaces of each individual's parents. In addition they often provide us with the maiden name of the bride.

Marriage licenses are the most common form of marriage records in the United States. Locating Marriage Records: During the early part of the twentieth century, many states began to require that a record of the marriage be transferred from the county to the state level. For the years since this procedure came fully into effect, it may be possible to search a statewide index for a record of marriage. Prior to the year of a state requirement, a record search should begin at the county level.



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West Virginia
Wisconsin
Wyoming

 

see also United States Genealogy Links for censuses, cemeteries, passenger lists etc



African-American; The Freedmen's Bureau Online a source for African American history; marriage and labour records online
Free Marriages Records Database  over 30,000 marriage records at Genealinks
New England Historical Society has an excellent collection of marriage databases
New England - Marrage Records at Ray Brown's Place large collection of original marriage databases here
TheOldenTimes.com - Historic Newspapers Online includes marriage announcements in newspapers
United States Wedding Bells database of marriages posted by visitors to this site; search by state or bride/groom
US GenWeb Archives Marriages Project comprehensive collection of links to marriage databases indexed by surname, city or county
Western States Historical Marriage Record Index Advanced Search Form search by county: Arizona, California, Idaho, Oregon, Utah, Washington, Wyoming

Additional Resources

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