How to Find Virginia Marriage Records
United States 
US Vital Records How to Find United States Marriages Virginia Vital Records Virginia Marriages
Finding Virginia Marriage Records[edit | edit source]
- 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.
- Early Virginia Marriages, 1953, e-book
- Virginia Vital Records ($)
- Virginia County Records, Volume VII ($)
- Virginia Marriages Before 1824 Abstracts ($)
- Virginia, Marriages of the Northern Neck of Virginia, 1649-1800 ($)
- Virginia, Marriages, 1660-1800 Abstracts ($)
- Some Virginia marriages, 1700-1799, Vol. 1, e-book
- Virginia, Marriage Records, 1700-1850 ($)
- Virginia, Marriages, 1740-1850 Abstracts ($)
- Virginia, Marriages, 1785-1940 Index only. Incomplete. Also at Ancestry.com ($), Also at FindMyPast, ($), index, also at MyHeritage, ($), index
- Some Virginia Marriages 1800-1825, e-book
- U.S., Hochheimer Marriage Records for Virginia, 1850-1900($)
- Virginia Marriages, 1851-1929 Abstracts Incomplete ($)
- Virginia, Marriage Records, 1936-2014 ($) Index/Images
- Virginia Land, Marriage, and Probate Records, 1639-1850, ($) index/images
- Virginia County Records, Volume VI, ($) index/images
- Virginia County Records, Volume IX, ($) index/images
- Virginia County Records, Volume X, ($) index/images
 |
More marriage information is usually found on the marriage license application or the marriage register. Less information is found on the marriage certificate. |
Next Step: When did the marriage occur? [edit | edit source] |
|
|---|
Marriages Before 1853[edit | edit source]
If you cannot locate your ancestor in the databases below, try searching for marriage information in other records.
STEP ONE: Find Marriage Information[edit | edit source]
| 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. |
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 |
Census Records |
Marriages from 1853 to Present[edit | edit source]
STEP ONE: Find Marriage Information[edit | edit source]
| 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 |
| Ancestry, Virginia, Marriage Records, 1936-2014 | Free using Ancestryinstitution at FamilySearch Centers | $, Use your own Ancestry subscription | 9,445,507 |
| 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. |
If you did not find your ancestor in the above indexes, try searching for marriage information in other records.
STEP TWO: Obtain the Record[edit | edit source]
|
More marriage information is usually found on the marriage license application or the marriage register. Less information is found on the marriage certificate. |
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.
|
| 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.
Wiki Articles[edit | edit source]
- Learn more about U.S. marriage records
- How to find U.S. birth records
- How to find U.S. marriage records
- How to find U.S. death records
- 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
References[edit | edit source]
- ↑ 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).