California Marriage Index - FamilySearch Historical Records

What is in This Collection?
The collection consists of an index to marriages from the California Department of Health Services in Sacramento, for the years 1960 to 1985.

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

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

How Do I Search This Collection?
Before searching this collection, it is helpful to know:
 * 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. Keep track of your research in a research log.

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?

 * Use the age or estimated birth date to find other vital such as birth, baptism, or death
 * Use the information found in the record to find additional family members in census records
 * Search the marriage index for other family members

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

Research Helps
The following articles will help you in your research for your family in the state of California.
 * United States, How to Use Marriage Records
 * California Guided Research
 * Research Tips and Strategies
 * Step-by-Step Research: 1850-1905 | 1905-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.