How to Find Pennsylvania Marriage Records

How To Find U.S. Marriage Records Pennsylvania Pennsylvania Marriage Records

• Pennsylvania counties have continuously recorded marriages since 1885.
• In Pennsylvania, copies of marriage records are not sent to the state.

Next Step: When did the marriage occur?		Marriage Records Choose a time period: Before 1852 1852 - 1854 1855 - 1884 1885 - Present Marriage year unknown

Learn more about U.S. Marriage Records

Marriages Before 1852

• Before 1852 marriages were kept on the church level.
• Some large cities have marriage registers, but they are often difficult to search.

Marriage Indexes
Database Name-Index Only	Link or links to access database		# of records
Ancestry, Church and Town Records, 1708-1985	Free using Ancestryinstitution at FamilySearch Centers	$, Use your own Ancestry subscription	7,542,774
FamilySearch, Marriage Index, 1709-1940	On FamilySearch; free; INCOMPLETE for all counties and years		476,245
Ancestry, Marriage Records, 1700-1821	Free using Ancestryinstitution at FamilySearch Centers	$, Use your own Ancestry subscription	78,410
Ancestry, Marriages, To 1810	Free using Ancestryinstitution at FamilySearch Centers	$, Use your own Ancestry subscription	34,873
Ancestry, Marriages, To 1790	Free using Ancestryinstitution at FamilySearch Centers	$, Use your own Ancestry subscription	15,830

If you cannot locate your ancestor in the databases above, try searching for marriage information in other records.

1. Look first in	2. Then search
Church Records Newspapers Military Records Obituaries	Census Records Cemetery Records Death Records Bible Records

Go Back to the Top: Choose another marriage year

Marriages 1852 - 1854

1852-1854 - grouped by county and record type, then arranged by certificate number, these records of marriage were kept by the Register of Wills for each county with returns sent to the Department of State. These returns are available for 47 of the 64 counties (listed below) existing at that time; however, they are not complete for each county. Digital images of the records along with a search capability are available at www.ancestry.com. Film copies of the marriage records can also be found at the Family History Library in Salt Lake City, Utah.

Adams  Allegheny  Armstrong  Beaver  Bedford  Berks  Bradford Bucks Butler Cambria

Carbon Centre Chester Clearfield Columbia  Cumberland Dauphin  Delaware  Franklin Greene

Huntingdon Indiana Juniata Lancaster Lawrence Lehigh  Luzerne Lycoming  McKean  Mercer

Mifflin  Monroe Montgomery Montour Northampton Northumberland Perry Schuylkill Somerset Susquehanna

Tioga  Union Venango Warren Washington Wayne Westmoreland York

STEP ONE: Find Marriage Information in Index

For marriages that exist during the time period, try the following database:

Marriage Indexes and Digital Images
Database Name - Index and Image	Link or links to access database		# of records
Ancestry, Marriages, 1852-1854	Free using Ancestryinstitution at FamilySearch Centers	$, Use your own Ancestry subscription	9,368

Can't access Ancestry?	Visit your local Family History Center or your local public library.
No marriage record for your ancestor?	Search for Gretna Greens-- locations away from the home county where marriage laws were less restrictive. Search other records with marriage information.

STEP TWO: Obtain the Record

If you did not find your ancestor in the above database, follow the instructions below:

• View a copy of a marriage record on microfilm at a Family Search Center:

Marriage Records on Microfilm
Some county marriage records may be available on microfilm at your local Family Search Center. If you know the approximate date and county where the marriage took place, use the Family History Library Catalog (FHLC) to see what is available.

• Search the FHLC by county.
• Select the topic Vital Records. Look for records authored by the county clerk.
• For a small fee, order the microfilm to view at a local Family Search Center.

Go Back to the Top: Choose another marriage year

Marriages 1855 - 1884

State and county marriage records do not exist for this time period. To locate marriage records during these years, start with church records. Some large cities have marriage registers, but they are often difficult to search.

1. Look first in	2. Then search
Church Records Newspapers Military Records Obituaries	Census Records Cemetery Records Death Records Bible Records

Go Back to the Top: Choose another marriage year

Marriages 1885 - Present

• Pennsylvania counties have continuously recorded marriages since 1885.
• In Pennsylvania, copies of marriage records are not sent to the state.

STEP ONE: Find Marriage Information in Index

Marriage Indexes and Digital Images
Database Name-Index Only	Link or links to access database		# of records
Ancestry, Marriage Records, 1885-1889	Free using Ancestryinstitution at FamilySearch Centers	$, Use your own Ancestry subscription	37,562
FamilySearch, Marriages, 1885-1950	On FamilySearch; free; INCOMPLETE for all counties and years; does not include the following counties: Centre, Lycoming, Mifflin, Monroe, Pike, Union counties, Lackawanna (before 1926).		2,221,287
FamilySearch, Philadelphia Marriage Index, 1885-1951	On FamilySearch; free		1,830,468

Can't access Ancestry?	Visit your local Family History Center or your local public library.
No marriage record for your ancestor?	Search for Gretna Greens-- locations away from the home county where marriage laws were less restrictive. Search other records with marriage information.

STEP TWO: Obtain the Record

If you did not find your ancestor in the above database, follow the instructions below:

PART A: You don't know the exact date or place of marriage

• If you know the county of marriage, you can request a search for a fee from the county clerk.
• If you don't know the date or county of marriage, you can also try searching for marriage information in other records.

PART B: You know the exact date and place of marriage from your records

• Order a copy of a marriage record for a fee from the county clerk.

OR

• View a copy of a marriage record on microfilm at a Family Search Center:

Some images of county marriage records may be available on microfilm at your local Family Search Center. If you know the approximate date and county where the marriage took place, use the Family History Library Catalog (FHLC) to see what is available.

• Search the FHLC by county.
• Select the topic Vital Records. Look for records authored by the county clerk.
• For a small fee, order the microfilm to view at a local FamilySearch Center.

Return to the Top: Choose another marriage year

Wiki Articles

• United States Record Selection Table
• United States, How to Use Marriage Records
• United States Marriage Records
• United States Vital Records
• U.S. Vital Records Overview
• Locating United States Vital Records
• Pennsylvania Marriage Records (FamilySearch Historical Records) Known Issues