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The marriage license above is typical of the form and style used during the nineteenth century in the United States. Note that the form includes the license and the return together on the same document. |
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The type and amount of information recorded on marriage licenses varied from place to place. At a minimum a marriage license entry will give the names of the bridge and groom, date and place where the license was issued, and the name of the person issuing the license. |
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After 1865 (the year the Civil War ended) some locations required an application for a marriage license. Those documents, filled-out by the bride and groom, may contain the full names of the bride and groom, where they lived, race, age, dates of birth, information about previous marriages, occupations, and names of their parents. |
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Always request a copy of a couple's marriage record.
The 1900, 1920, or 1920 census schedules list the number of years a couple has been married. If you don't know when a couple married, search one or more of those censuses and estimate the marriage date based on the number of years they had been married. |
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Study every marriage document carefully to learn as much as possible about the couple, their parents, friends, and other relatives. |
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Copies of marriage licenses can be obtained by writing to the town clerk or county courthouse where the document was issued. Keep in mind that couples wishing to marry often went to the closest office, which may or may not have been located in the county where one or both resided. If you cannot locate the record in the county where the marriage most likely would have taken place, check records of surrounding counties. |
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The LDS Family History Library's extensive
collection of marriage records can be used at the
Main Library and its local Family History Centers.
The genealogy collections of private, local, state,
and university libraries throughout the country
also may include marriage records from selected
areas.
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