FamilySearch Wiki

Minnesota, County Marriages - FamilySearch Historical Records

(Redirected from Minnesota County Marriages - FamilySearch Historical Records)
Access the Records
Minnesota, County Marriages, 1860-1949
CID1803974
{{{CID2}}}
{{{CID3}}}
{{{CID4}}}
{{{CID5}}}
{{{CID6}}}
{{{CID7}}}
{{{CID8}}}
{{{CID9}}}
This article describes a collection of records at FamilySearch.org.
Minnesota,
United States
Flag of Minnesota
Flag of Minnesota
Locator map of Minnesota
Location of Minnesota
Record Description
Record Type Marriage Records
Collection years 1860-1949
FamilySearch Resources
Content Resources
Related Websites
Archive
Multiple county courthouses


What is in This Collection?

This collection consists of an index & images of county marriage records for Minnesota. It covers the years 1860 to 1949.

Most of this collection consists of marriage licenses, applications, records, registers, and certificates. The records are arranged by county, then by volume and year range. The form type varies between register style and certificate style. County clerks usually used the same printed form during the same time periods. Marriage records were generally well preserved, although fires, floods, or other disasters may have destroyed some records.

The earliest marriage bonds and licenses were usually handwritten on loose papers that were later bound into lettered volumes. Some marriage records had multiple entries on each page, while others had single records per page.

Civil marriage records were created to legalize marital relationships and to protect the interests of the wife and other heirs to legal claims on property.

The marriage date, place, residence of the bride and groom, and occupations are relatively reliable. Other information, such as age or birthplace, is dependent on the knowledge, memory, and accuracy of the informants, usually the bride and groom.

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.

What Can These Records Tell Me?

The following information may be found in these records:

  • Date and place of marriage
  • Name and residence of groom
  • Name and residence of bride
  • Names of witnesses
  • Name of person officiating at marriage

Collection Content

Sample Images

  • 1892 Marriage License

    1892 Marriage License

  • 1900 Marriage Application

    1900 Marriage Application

Coverage Table

The table shows the number of records for each county in this collection as of 18 June 2016.

County Records
Aitkin 0
Anoka 28,387
Becker 0
Beltrami 0
Benton 0
Big Stone 0
Blue Earth 28,448
Brown 26,822
Carlton 0
Carver 31,579
Cass 0
Chippewa 0
Chisago 4
Clay 0
Clearwater 0
Cook 0
Cottonwood 4,311
Crow Wing 0
Dakota 14
Dodge 6,166
Douglas 1
Faribault 32,857
Fillmore 17,192
Freeborn 16,182
Goodhue 12,838
Grant 0
Hennepin 192,510
Houston 6,099
Hubbard 0
Isanti 2
Itasca 0
Jackson 3,626
Kanabec 5,046
Kandiyohi 5
Kittson 0
Koochiching 0
Lac qui Parle 0
Lake 0
Lake of the Woods 0
Le Sueur 7,406
Lincoln 2,535
Lyon 4,354
McLeod 2
Mahnomen 0
Marshall 0
Martin 55,318
Meeker 1
Mille Lacs 0
Morrison 2
Mower 18,249
Murray 0
Nicollet 5,312
Nobles 3,774
Norman 0
Olmsted 20,292
Otter Tail 0
Pennington 0
Pine 0
Pipestone 3,353
Polk 0
Pope 0
Ramsey 71,204
Red Lake 0
Redwood 4,887
Renville 0
Rice 12,308
Rock 17,066
Roseau 0
St. Louis 0
Scott 13,336
Sherburne 0
Sibley 51,929
Stearns 13,666
Steele 38,112
Stevens 0
Swift 0
Todd 0
Traverse 0
Wabasha 8,058
Wadena 9,575
Waseca 28,393
Washington 61,609
Watonwan 15,323
Wilkin 0
Winona 17,154
Wright 14
Yellow Medicine 0

Digital Folder Number List

This collection was published as a DGS browse collection. The list does not contain any description of the DGS folder's content. A table listing each DGS number and its contents can be found at Minnesota, County Marriages Digital Folder Number List.


How Do I Search This Collection?

Before searching this collection, it is helpful to know:

  • The name of your ancestor
  • The date of marriage
  • The place of marriage
  • The name of the intended spouse

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 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 Minnesota, County Marriages, 1860-1949 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. Keep track of your research in a research log.

What Do I Do Next?

When you have located your ancestor’s marriage record, carefully evaluate each piece of information about them. These pieces of information may give you new biographical details that can lead you to other records about your ancestors.

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

  • Add any new information to your records
  • Use the marriage date and place as the basis for compiling a new family group or for verifying existing information
  • Use the birth date or age along with the place of birth of each partner to find a couple's birth records and parents' names
  • Use the birth date or age along with the place of birth to find the family in census records
  • Use the residence and names of the parents to locate church and land records
  • The name of the officiator is a clue to their religion or area of residence in the county. However, ministers may have reported marriages performed in other counties

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

  • Your ancestor may have used different names or variations of their name throughout their life
  • If your ancestor used an alias or a nickname, be sure to check for those alternate names
  • Even though these indexes are very accurate they may still contain inaccuracies, such as altered spellings, misinterpretations, and optical character recognition errors if the information was scanned
  • Don't forget to check all variations of the ancestor's name
  • When looking for a person who had a common name, look at all the entries for the name before deciding which is correct
  • Consult the Minnesota Record Finder to find other records

Research Helps

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

Other FamilySearch Collections

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

FamilySearch Catalog

FamilySearch Historical Records

FamilySearch Digital Library

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.
Retrieved from "https://integration-ru.familysearch.org/en/wiki/index.php?title=Minnesota,_County_Marriages_-_FamilySearch_Historical_Records&oldid=6020496"