Pennsylvania, Philadelphia Marriage Records - FamilySearch Historical Records

This wiki article describes a collection that is scheduled to become available for free online at FamilySearch Record Search.



Collection Time Period
Philadelphia has recorded marriages from 1857 to the present.

Record History
The city and county of Philadelphia were combined in 1854. In 1860 the city passed a law requiring the Board of Health to register all marriages. In 1885, Pennsylvania authorized the Orphans’ Court in each county to register marriages. By 1885 all marriages were supposed to be licensed in Pennsylvania.

Why This Record Was Created
Marriage records granted permission for a marriage to be performed and replaced the previous requirements to post banns or intentions. They were also used to validate a spouse’s legal claim to property.

Record Reliability
The most reliable information is the date and place of the marriage and the license date. The accuracy of the other information depends on the reliability of the informant. Marriage records may be inaccurate as brides and grooms sometimes deliberately provided false information.

Record Description
Marriage records from 1857 to 1885 include the marriage register and the marriage return from the person who performed the marriage. The marriage registers are large bound volumes with entries recorded chronologically. Marriage records from 1885 to 1938include the marriage license and a duplicate marriage certificate. The license is a preprinted form that the clerk numbered sequentially. The officiator returned the duplicate certificate to the clerk for filing. The licenses are filed sequentially by license number. Marriage records after 1885 are loose papers instead of bound registers.

Record Content
Marriage records contain the following genealogical information:


 * Names of the groom, bride, and officiator
 * Date of the license and marriage
 * Usually bride’s and groom’s birth date, birthplace, occupation, and parents’ names

How To Use The Record
Marriage records are the best source for identifying a family unit and marriage-event details. The records are a great source for identifying the legal names of the bride (including her maiden name) and the groom. Other information may include ages, occupations, birthplaces, birth dates, residences, consent statements, parents’ names, and the officiator’s name.

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CID 1452415 Please do not erase or change the identification number