New York, New York City Marriage Records - FamilySearch Historical Records

What is in This Collection?
The collection consists of an index to the marriage records from the five municipal boroughs of New York City and their predecessor counties.

The dates covered by this collection are 1829 to 1940.

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

Marriage
 * Name and age of groom
 * Name and age of bride
 * Date and place of marriage
 * Groom's residence
 * Birthplace of groom
 * Names of groom's parents
 * Bride's residence
 * Birthplace of bride
 * Names of bride's parents
 * Names of witnesses
 * Name of officiant who performed marriage

How Do I Search This Collection?
Before searching this collection, it is helpful to know:
 * The names of the bride and groom
 * The approximate marriage date and place

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.

What Do I Do Next?
When you have located your ancestor’s marriage record, carefully evaluate each piece of information given. These pieces of information may give you new biographical details that can lead you to other records about your ancestors. Add this new information to your records of each family.

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

 * Add any new information to your records
 * Use the birth date or age along with the place of birth of each partner to find a couple's birth records and parents' names
 * Use the birth date or age along with the place of birth to find the family in census records
 * Use the residence and names of the parents to locate church and land records
 * The name of the officiator is a clue to their religion
 * Compile the marriage entries for every person who has the same surname as the bride or groom; this is especially helpful in rural areas or if the surname is unusual
 * Continue to search the marriage records to identify children, siblings, parents, and other relatives of the bride and groom who may have married in the same county or nearby. This can help you identify other generations of your family or even the second marriage of a parent. Repeat this process for each new generation you identify
 * When looking for a person who had a common name, look at all the entries for the name before deciding which is correct

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

 * Check for variant spellings of the surnames
 * Search for the marriage record of the marriage partner if known
 * Check for a different index. There are often indexes at the beginning of each volume
 * Search the indexes and records of nearby counties
 * Consult the New York Record Finder to find other records

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

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.