Denmark Marriage Record Search Strategy 1645 - 1813

1. Parish Register, Marriage: Church records Beginning about 1570, churches required their clergy to keep marriage records. The marriage record may include the dates of the marriage banns or proclamations. Information found in a marriage record depends on how detailed the minister made his record. Usually it gives the name of the bride and groom and their parents. It may also give their ages or dates of birth.

What you are looking for Church marriage records are the best source for determining when a person was married.

Why go to the next record Church records often did not start until the early 1700s, and the early records of a town may be lost or destroyed.

2. Parish Register, Christening, 1500-1874: Church records Although the earliest church record in Denmark dates back to 1572, most churches began keeping records of christenings in the late 1600s. The christening record will be the most important source of birth information in Denmark. The ceremony of baptism or christening (giving the child a name) usually took place within a few days of birth and the christening record often lists the birth date. After 1814 this information was recorded on standard forms, and duplicate books were made of all church records.

What you are looking for The christening record of a couple's first child will not give a marriage date for the parents, but it does give their names. The marriage date should be about one year before the first child's birth.

Why go to the next record The beginning date of these records varies from place to place.

3. Parish Register, Burial: Church records The earliest church records in Denmark come from the area of Schleswig-Holstein from 1572. However most church records do not begin until much later. Church records in the cities of Denmark generally begin in the early 1600s and in the rural areas in the late 1600s or 1700s. These include records of birth or christening, marriage, and death or burial. After 1814 this information was recorded on standard forms, and duplicate books were made of all church records. From age and marital status at the time of death, sometimes you can estimate a date of marriage.

What you are looking for The burial record will not give a marriage date, but it does give a person's name and often reference to marital status or the name of a spouse.

Why go to the next record The beginning date of these records varies from place to place.

4. Probate Records: Probate records Probate records list a spouse of the deceased person. If children were born from more than one marriage, the names of the former spouses were generally listed. From the ages of children, you can often calculate an approximate marriage date.

What you are looking for Probate records can be a good source for marital information. A probate record may not give a marriage date for the deceased person, but it does give the name of spouse(s) and surviving children and their ages.

Why go to the next record

Not everyone had a probate record, and probate records can be difficult to locate.