Indiana, Church Marriages - FamilySearch Historical Records

What is in This Collection?
The collection consists of an index to selected church marriages for the years 1780 to 1993. Most are Catholic but other denominations are also represented. The collection may also contain other types of records as well as marriages. In addition, some of the records are in Latin. For help reading these records see the wiki article Latin Genealogical Word List.

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


 * Marriage place and date
 * Name of bride and groom
 * Birthplaces and dates of the bride and groom
 * Residences of the bride and groom
 * Previous spouse, if any


 * Ages
 * Race
 * Parents’ names
 * Name of the officiator
 * Names of witnesses

How Do I Search This Collection?
Before searching this collection, it is helpful to know:
 * The name of the individual
 * The date of the event or the name of a parent or spouse

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?

 * Add any new information to your records
 * Use the age or estimated birth date to find other vital records such as birth, baptism, and death
 * Use the information found in the record to find additional family members in census records
 * Witnesses to marriages were often family members
 * Search for land and probate records

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

 * 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 research your family in the state of Indiana.
 * Indiana Guided Research
 * Indiana Record Finder
 * Indiana Research Tips and Strategies
 * Step-by-Step Research: 1850-1900 | 1900-Present

Other FamilySearch Collections
These collections may have additional materials to help you with your research.

FamilySearch Catalog

 * Sunny Jane Morton and Harold A. Henderson, CG, How to find your family history in U.S. church records: a genealogist's guide Baltimore, Maryland: Genealogical Publishing Co. Inc., 2019 FS Library 973 K27m
 * Card index to memoirs of Methodist ministers

FamilySearch Digital Library

 * Charles Blanchard, ed. History of the Catholic Church in Indiana vol. 1 Logansport, Indiana : A.W. Bowen & Co., 1898
 * Herman Joseph Alerding, The Diocese of Fort Wayne : 1857-September 22, 1907 ; a brief historical reference, 1669-1907 Fort Wayne, Ind. : Archer Printing, 1907.
 * Herman Joseph Alerding, History of the diocese of Vincennes Indianapolis : Carlon Hollenbeck, 1883.

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.

Indiana, matrimonios eclesiásticos (registros históricos de FamilySearch)