How to Find Virginia Marriage Records

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

Finding Virginia Marriage Records

1660 - Colonial government required church officials to record all marriages in church registers
1780 - Law required ministers report all marriages to county clerk
1853 - State law required clerk of the court in the county or independent city to issue marriage licenses and keep marriage records
Gretna Greens. When an eloping Virginia couple's marriage is not in their home county, search for it in alternate places like Manassas, Prince William, Virginia, or Howard County, Maryland, or Mount Airy, Surry, North Carolina, or Pike County, Kentucky.^[1]

Next Step: When did the marriage occur?		Marriage Records Choose a time period: Before 1853 1853 to Present Marriage year unknown

Learn more about U.S. Marriage Records

Marriages Before 1853

If you cannot locate your ancestor in the databases below, 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

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Marriages from 1853 to Present

STEP ONE: Find Marriage Information

Try these databases. Marriage information is taken from substitute records such as church records.
Database Name	Link or links to access database		# of records
Ancestry, Marriages, 1660-1800	Free using Ancestryinstitution at FamilySearch Centers	$, Use your own Ancestry subscription	88,130
Ancestry, Marriages, 1700-1850	Free using Ancestryinstitution at FamilySearch Centers	$, Use your own Ancestry subscription	33,706
Ancestry, Marriage bonds, 1700s-1824	Free using Ancestryinstitution at FamilySearch Centers	$, Use your own Ancestry subscription	4,496
Ancestry, Marriages, 1740-1850	Free using Ancestryinstitution at FamilySearch Centers	$, Use your own Ancestry subscription	337,520
FamilySearch, Marriages, 1785-1940	On FamilySearch, free, incomplete, to view coverage table		1,219,044
Ancestry, Marriages, 1851-1929	Free using Ancestryinstitution at FamilySearch Centers	$, Use your own Ancestry subscription	29,984

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.

If you did not find your ancestor in the above indexes, try searching for marriage information in other records.

STEP TWO: Obtain the Record

For marriages after 1865, ask for the marriage license or the marriage register not the marriage certificate. The license or register usually contains more information.

PART A: You know the exact date and place of marriage from your records or the above indexes

With an exact date and place of marriage, order a copy of the marriage from one of the following:
Option A:	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.
Option B:	Order from the County or City	Order the marriage record for a fee from the county probate judge's offices in the county the marriage took place.
Option C:	Order from the State of Virginia	Order the marriage record for a fee from the Virginia Office of Vital Records.

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

If you know the county or independent city 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.

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Restrictions for Obtaining Birth Records

If you know the marriage date, copies of marriage records are available to the public 25 years after the event at the Virginia Office of Vital Records. For marriage records within the last 50 years, only immediate family members with valid ID can request a copy.

Immediate family members include:

Mother
Father
Husband
Wife
Child
Brother
Sister
Grandparents

If you do not want to order the marriage record, you can search other records with marriage information.

Return to top: Choose another marriage year

Wiki Articles

↑ Arlene H. Eakle, "Have you searched and searched for a marriage without finding it?" in Genealogy Blog at http://www.arleneeakle.com/wordpress/2007/02/19/have-you-searched-and-searched-for-the-marriage-without-finding-it/ (accessed 8 January 2011).

[Eakle1-1] Arlene H. Eakle, "Have you searched and searched for a marriage without finding it?" in Genealogy Blog at http://www.arleneeakle.com/wordpress/2007/02/19/have-you-searched-and-searched-for-the-marriage-without-finding-it/ (accessed 8 January 2011).

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