California Marriage Index - FamilySearch Historical Records

What Is in the Collection?
This Collection will include records from 1960 to 1985.

The collection consists of an index to marriages from the California Department of Health Services in Sacramento. The index is provided by Ancestry.com.

What Can These Records Tell Me?
The index may include the following information:


 * Name of bride and groom
 * Marriage date and place
 * Name of spouse (May only list surname)
 * Reference ID - Page/Volume/Entry/Certificate Number

Coverage Map
To see a coverage map of FamilySearch's holdings of California county marriage records, click here.

How Do I Search the Collection?
To begin your search, it is helpful to know the following:
 * The name 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.

What Do I Do Next?
If these are indexes, the original records may contain additional information than was not indexed, or the information might have been indexed incorrectly. You may want to search for the original record at the Center of Health Statistics, California Department of Health Services.

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

 * In case you need to find this record again later, copy the citation below in the Citing This Collection section.
 * Use the age or estimated birth date to find other county or California Vital Records such as birth, baptism, marriage, and death records.
 * Use the information found in the record to find additional family members in the United States Census, 1850 (FamilySearch Historical Records) or the United States Census, 1900 (FamilySearch Historical Records). Search the state censuses as well.
 * Use the information found in the record to find California, County Probate Books (FamilySearch Historical Records).
 * Use the information found in the record to find California, Alameda County, Land Records (FamilySearch Historical Records).
 * Search for death or burial information in BillionGraves Index
 * If applicable, search for immigration and naturalization records as well.
 * Repeat this process with additional family members found, to find more generations of the family.

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

 * Indexes and transcriptions may not include all the data found in the original records. You could get a copy of the original record from the Center of Health Statistics, California Department of Health Services, Sacramento.
 * If your ancestor does not have a common name, collect entries for every person who has the same surname. This list can help you find possible relatives.
 * If you cannot locate your ancestor in the locality in which you believe they lived, then try searching records of a nearby town or county.
 * Try different spellings of your ancestor’s name.
 * Remember that sometimes individuals went by nicknames or alternated between using first and middle names. Try searching for these names as well.
 * Check the info box above for additional FamilySearch websites and related websites that may assist you in finding similar records.

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.


 * Collection Citation:

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