Oklahoma County Marriages - FamilySearch Historical Records

What is in This Collection?
This collection consists of marriage licenses and certificates, including a few marriage declarations and marriage stubs. The collection covers the years 1890 to 1995.

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.

Marriages were recorded by the clerk of the district court for each county. The records usually are kept from the time the county was formed. Persons desiring to marry obtained a license that they presented to the minister or other person authorized to marry, such as a justice of the peace. Once the marriage was performed, the officiator sent a return to the clerk confirming that the marriage had occurred.

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.

The following counties are included in this publication: Adair, Alfalfa, Atoka, Beaver, Becham, Blaine, Bryan, Caddo, Canadian, Carter, Cherokee, Cimarron, Cleveland, Coal, Comanche, Cotton, Craig, Custer, Delaware, Dewey, Ellis, Garfield, Garvin, Grady, Greer, Harmon, Harper, Haskell, Hughes, Jackson, Jefferson, Kay, Kingfisher, Latimer, Logan, McClain, McCurtain, Major, Mayes, Muskogee, Noble, Nowata, Okfuskee, Oklahoma, Okmulgee, Ottawa, Payne, Pittsburg, Pontotoc,  Pottawatomie, Pushmataha, Rogers, Seminole, Sequoyah, Texas, Tillman, Tulsa, Wagoner, Washington, Washita, Woodward, Woods.

What Can These Records Tell Me?
The following information may be found in these records: • 2

Coverage Table
Coverage tables for this collection are available in the wiki article Oklahoma County Marriages Coverage Tables - FamilySearch Historical Records.

How Do I Search This Collection?
Before searching this collection, it is helpful to know:
 * The name of your ancestor
 * The approximate date of marriage
 * The place where the marriage occurred

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.

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

 * Add any new information to your records
 * Search for vital records, such as birth and death on the state and county level
 * Search for the family in census records
 * Search for land and property records
 * Search for probate records

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

 * Collect entries for every person who has the same surname. This list can help you identify possible relatives
 * If you cannot locate your ancestor in the locality in which you believe they lived, then try searching records of a nearby locality
 * Standard spelling of names typically did not exist. Try variations of your ancestor’s name while searching the index or browsing through images
 * Remember that sometimes individuals went by nicknames or alternated between using first and middle names, or even initials

Research Helps
The following articles will help you in your research for your family in the state of Oklahoma.
 * Oklahoma Guided Research
 * Oklahoma Research Tips and Strategies
 * Step-by-Step Oklahoma Research, 1880-Present

Family History Library Holdings

 * U.S. District Court. Central District: Indian Territory, Marriage records, 1897-1930
 * U.S. District Court: Central District: Indian Territory, Marriage Records, 1906-1907 Latimer County Courthouse
 * U.S. District Court: Southern District: Indian Territory, Marriage records, 1895-1907 Carter County Courthouse
 * U.S. District Court: Muskogee: Indian Territory, Marriage records, 1890-1907; index, 1890-1907 Muskogee County Courthouse
 * U.S. District Court: Central District: Indian Territory, Marriage Records,1890-1907 Pittsburg County Courthouse

FamilySearch Historical Records

 * Oklahoma Marriages, 1870-1930

FamilySearch Digital Library

 * prepared by the Oklahoma Historical Records Survey, Division of Community Service Programs, Work Projects Administration. Guide to public vital statistics records in Oklahoma. Oklahoma City, Oklahoma : Oklahoma Historical Records Survey, 1941.

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.