Michigan Civil Marriages - FamilySearch Historical Records

What is in This Collection?
The collection consists of an index to selected marriages from several places in Michigan for the years 1829 to 1974. Many of the records are from Saginaw and Wayne counties. The marriages are from published transcripts or we do not have legal rights to publish the images.

Coverage Map
To see a coverage map of FamilySearch's holdings of Michigan marriages, click here.

What Can These Records Tell Me?
The information in the records varies by county, time period and recorder. You may find any of the following:


 * Full names of bride and groom
 * Ages of bride and groom
 * Date and place of marriage
 * Name of other family members
 * Relationships
 * Social Standing
 * Birth dates and places
 * Page/Volume/Entry/Certificate number

How Do I Search This Collection?
To begin your search it is helpful to know:
 * The name of your ancestor.
 * The date of the marriage.
 * The place where the marriage occurred.
 * The name of the intended spouse.

Search the Index
Keep in mind:


 * There may be more than one person in the records with the same name.
 * You may not be sure of your own ancestor’s name.
 * Your ancestor may have used different names, or variations of their name, throughout their life.
 * If your ancestor used an alias or a nickname, be sure to check for those alternate names.
 * Even though these indexes are very accurate they may still contain inaccuracies, such as altered spellings, misinterpretations, and optical character recognition errors if the information was scanned.

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.

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

 * Use the age to calculate a birth date.
 * Use the names and residences to find the family in census, church, and land records.
 * Use the certificate number to obtain original marriage certificate from county recorder.
 * When looking for a person who had a common name, look at all the entries for the name before deciding which is correct.
 * Remember that there may be more than one person in the records with the same name as your ancestor and that your ancestor may have used nicknames or different names at different times.
 * Be aware that, as with any index, transcription errors may occur.

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

 * Look for variant spellings of the names. You should also look for alias names, nicknames and abbreviated names.
 * Look for a different index. There are often indexes at the beginning of each volume. Local genealogical and historical societies often have indexes to local records.
 * Search the indexes and records of nearby localities.
 * Try alternative search methods such as only filling in the surname search box (or the given name search box) on the landing page leaving the other box empty and then click on search. This should return a list of everyone with that particular name. You could then browse the list for individuals that may be your ancestor.
 * A boundary change could have occurred and the record of your ancestor is now in a neighboring locality.

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.

"Michigan Civil Marriages, 1834-1974." Database. FamilySearch. http://FamilySearch.org : 14 June 2016. Citing various archives.
 * Collection Citation:

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