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California, County Marriages - FamilySearch Historical Records

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California, County Marriages, 1850-1953
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This article describes a collection of records at FamilySearch.org.
California,
United States
Flag of California
Flag of California
Locator map of California
Location of California
Record Description
Record Type Marriages
Collection years 1850-1953
FamilySearch Resources
Content Resources
Related Websites
Archive
Multiple county courthouses


What is in This Collection?

This collection consists of an index of county marriages acquired from local courthouses for the years 1850 to 1953. Coverage years will vary by county. The county marriage records consist of a number of different type of documents including, licenses, certificates, registers, applications, affidavits, and stubs. These records are often in bound volumes but may also have some loose papers.

Additional records and/or images may be added to this collection in the future.

Index and Image Visibility

FamilySearch provides images and indexes subject to contractual limitations and changes. Access to images and indexes may vary. Some collections may only have partial indexes without images. See Restrictions for Viewing Images for details.

To Browse This Collection

You can browse through images in this collection using the waypoints on the Collection Browse Page for California, County Marriages, 1850-1952.

What Can These Records Tell Me?

The following information may be found in these records:

  • Name of the groom
  • Name of the bride, often including the maiden name of the bride
  • Names of the officiator and witnesses
  • Names of the parents or guardians of the bride and groom
  • Date of the marriage
  • Birthplaces of the bride and groom
  • Residences of the bride and groom
  • Age and races of the bride and groom
  • Marital status of the bride and groom

Collection Content

Coverage Table

This table shows the number of record in this collection for each county. To search a specific county click the link in the Search column.

County Records Search
Alameda 886 Search Alameda
Alpine 396 Search Alpine
Amador 14,843 Search Amador
Butte 12,404 Search Butte
Calaveras 3,300 Search Calaveras
Colusa 3,754 Search Colusa
Contra Costa 44 Search Contra Costa
Del Norte 1,877 Search Del Norte
El Dorado 30,578 Search El Dorado
Fresno 32,711 Search Fresno
Glenn 5,023 Search Glenn
Humboldt 16,535 Search Humboldt
Imperial 10,847 Search Imperial
Inyo 1,233 Search Inyo
Kern 0 Search Kern
Kings 0 Search Kings
Lake 7,240 Search Lake
Lassen 9,952 Search Lassen
Los Angeles 1,313,025 Search Los Angeles
Madera 0 Search Madera
Marin 31,860 Search Marin
Mariposa 12,794 Search Mariposa
Mendocino 11,057 Search Mendocino
Merced 1,994 Search Merced
Modoc 0 Search Modoc
Mono 1,870 Search Mono
Monterey 9,986 Search Monterey
Napa 0 Search Napa
Nevada 14,705 Search Nevada
Orange 146,655 Search Orange
Placer 10,135 Search Placer
Plumas 68 Search Plumas
Riverside 14,947 Search Riverside
Sacramento 40,800 Search Sacramento
San Benito 11,381 Search San Benito
San Bernardino 29,264 Search San Bernardino
San Diego 0 Search San Diego
San Francisco 52,480 Search San Francisco
San Joaquin 52,014 Search San Joaquin
San Luis Obispo 5,316 Search San Luis Obispo
San Mateo 0 Search San Mateo
Santa Barbara 19,935 Search Santa Barbara
Santa Clara 47,227 Search Santa Clara
Santa Cruz 5,154 Search Santa Cruz
Shasta 7,263 Search Shasta
Sierra 3,203 Search Sierra
Siskiyou 0 Search Siskiyou
Solano 23,767 Search Solano
Sonoma 18,124 Search Sonoma
Stanislaus 26,078 Search Stanislaus
Sutter 16,059 Search Sutter
Tehama 4,594 Search Tehama
Trinity 817 Search Trinity
Tulare 0 Search Tulare
Tuolumne 0 Search Tuolumne
Ventura 0 Search Ventura
Yolo 10,958 Search Yolo
Yuba 8,247 Search Yuba
California (state) 1,044,472

Digital Folder Number List

This collection was published as a DGS browse collection. These collections do not include any human-readable waypoint data making them difficult to use. A table showing each DGS number and its contents can be found in California, County Marriages Digital Folder Number List. The list can be sorted by DGS number, GS number, author, title, and county.

How Do I Search This Collection?

Before searching this collection, it is helpful to know:

  • The name of your ancestor
  • The date of the marriage
  • The place where the marriage occurred

Search the Index

Search by name on the Collection Details Page.
  1. Enter the information in the fields in the Search Collection section or click More Options to see additional fields
  2. Click Search to show possible matches

View the Images

To view images in this collection:
  1. Look at the California, County Marriages Digital Folder Number List article to determine the folder/film number for the images you want to see
  2. Go to the Browse Page
  3. Select the Film number to view the images
Tip: More images are available in the FamilySearch Catalog at California, County Marriages, 1850-1952. Some catalog records link to multiple references. In this case, click on a reference to find a camera icon to see images.

How Do I Analyze the Results?

Compare each result from your search with what you know to determine if there is a match. This may require viewing multiple records or images.

What Do I Do Next

If these are indexes, the original records may contain additional information than was not indexed, or the information might have been indexed incorrectly. You may want to search for the original record.

I Found the Person I Was Looking For, What Now?

  • Add any new information to your records
  • Use the age or estimated birth date to find vital records such as birth, baptism, marriage, and death
  • Use the information found in the record to find additional family members in the census records
  • Use the information found in the record to find probate records
  • If applicable, search for immigration and naturalization records as well

I Can’t Find the Person I’m Looking For, What Now?

  • If your ancestor does not have a common name, collect entries for every person who has the same surname. This list can help you find possible relatives
  • If you cannot locate your ancestor in the locality in which you believe they lived, then try searching a nearby locality
  • Try different spellings of your ancestor’s name
  • Remember that sometimes individuals went by nicknames or alternated between using first and middle names

Research Helps

The following articles will help you research your family in the state of California.

Other FamilySearch Collections

These collections may have additional materials to help you with your research.

FamilySearch Catalog

  • Northern California Historical Records Survey Project, Division of Professional and Service Projects, W.P.A. Guide to public vital statistics records in California. San Francisco, California : Northern California Historical Records Survey, 1941. FS Library book 979.4 V2h

FamilySearch Historical Records

Known Issues

Click here for a list of known issues with this collection.

Citing This Collection

Citations help you keep track of places you have searched and sources you have found. Identifying your sources helps others find the records you used.

Collection Citation:
The citation for this collection can be found on the Collection Details Page in the section Cite This Collection.
Record Citation:
When looking at a record, the citation can be viewed by clicking the drop-down arrow next to Document Information.
Image Citation:
When looking at an image, the citation is found on the Information tab at the bottom left of the screen.
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