Liberia, Vital Records - FamilySearch Historical Records

Liberia

What is in This Collection?
This collection includes records from 1912-2015. It contains applications for marriage licenses, marriage returns, and documents certifying marriages from Liberia. The original records are located in the National Archives located in Monrovia, Liberia.

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

Marriage


 * Name
 * Date of application
 * Date and place of birth
 * Occupation and place of employment
 * Names of former spouses


 * Father’s name and address
 * Mother’s maiden name and address
 * Name of intended spouse
 * Proposed date of marriage
 * Place of marriage


 * Who performed the ceremony
 * Witnesses
 * Signature of bride and groom

Coverage Map
Jurisdictions within Liberia



Jurisdictions

1	 Bomi 2	 Bong 3	 Gbarpolu 4	 Grand Bassa 5	 Grand Cape Mount

6	 Grand Gedeh 7	 Grand Kru 8	 Lofa 9	 Margibi 10	 Maryland

11	 Montserrado 12	 Nimba 13	 Rivercess 14	 River Gee 15	 Sinoe

How Do I Search This Collection?
You can search the index or view the images or both. Before using this collection it is helpful to know:


 * The names of the people you are looking for
 * The approximate marriage date

View the Images

 * View images in this collection by visiting the 
 * Select Year and Volume

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.

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

 * Use the marriage date and place as the basis for compiling a new family group or for verifying existing information
 * 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
 * Use the parents’ birth places to find former residences and to establish a migration pattern for the family
 * If the officiator of the marriage was a minister, you may be able to determine to which religion your ancestor practiced, and provide a clue for searching church records
 * If the bride and groom were from different localities, try searching the records of both places for birth records
 * Be sure to record the bride’s and/or mother’s maiden names. That information is often not recorded in other records
 * In some cases, the witnesses were relatives of the bride or groom

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

 * 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. Look for variant spellings of the names. You should also look for alias names, nicknames and abbreviated names
 * Look for an index. There are often indexes at the beginning of each volume. Local genealogical and historical societies often have indexes to local records
 * There may be more than one person in the records with the same name
 * Search the indexes and records of nearby localities. Be aware that boundary changes could have occurred and the record of your ancestor is now in a neighboring locality
 * 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
 * Occupations often help to differentiate between individuals of the same name

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.