How to Find Virginia Marriage Records

Finding Virginia Marriage Records

1660 - Colonial government required church officials to record all marriages in church registers (few colonial records survive)
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]
Marriage records are restricted for 25 years from the time the event occurred. Only family members may obtain these records.

Choose a time period to search for your ancestor's marriage record:
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Marriage Records

Choose a time period:

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

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, view coverage table		1,219,044
Ancestry, Marriages, 1851-1929	Free using Ancestryinstitution at FamilySearch Centers	$, Use your own Ancestry subscription	29,984
Library of Virginia, Marriages	On Library of Virginia, free, incomplete, county coverage		Undisclosed

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.

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

Try these databases. Marriage information is taken from substitute records such as church records.
Database Name	Link or links to access database		# of records
FamilySearch, Marriages, 1785-1940	On FamilySearch, free, incomplete, view coverage table		1,219,044
Ancestry, Marriages, 1851-1929	Free using Ancestryinstitution at FamilySearch Centers	$, Use your own Ancestry subscription	29,984
Library of Virginia, Marriages	On Library of Virginia, free, incomplete, county coverage		Undisclosed

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.

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

With 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 county and approximate date where the marriage took place, use the FamilySearch Catalog to see what is available. Search the FamilySearch Catalog 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 court clerk 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 do 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.

↑ 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).