West Virginia Marriages, 1780-1970 - FamilySearch Historical Records

This wiki article describes a collection that is available for free online at FamilySearch Record Search – Pilot Site. To access the collection, see West Virginia Marriages, 1853-1970.

Collection Time Period
Marriages began to be recorded as each County was created, some as early as 1780. This collection includes marriages as late as 1970.

Collection History
Clerks of each County Court recorded marriages performed by religious or civil authorities. Records consist of bonds, applications, licenses, returns and marriage entries. The state of West Virginia began collecting marriages from the counties in 1964. Most marriages in a county were recorded except for certain religious groups that may have recorded marriages in their records but did not register them with the civil authorities.

Why This Collection Was Created
Counties in West Virginia recorded marriages to legalize marital relationships and to safeguard the interests of wives.

Collection Reliability
The marriage date, residence, and other facts that were current at the time the marriage occurred are quite reliable, though there is still a chance of misinformation. Other data such as age or birth place have more chance of error because they are based on the memory of the informant.

Collection Description
Early county marriage records were handwritten into bound books with multiple entries on each page. Early marriage bonds and licenses were usually handwritten on loose papers that were later bound. Pre-printed register books containing many entries per page were introduced in 1853. Beginning about 1895, the registers contained one entry per page.

Collection Content
Genealogical facts in county marriage entries before 1853 are:


 * Marriage date
 * Marriage place
 * Names of the bride and groom
 * Name of the clerk or the person performing the marriage
 * Sometimes the name of the bride's father

Marriage records from 1853 on give this additional information:


 * Age, birthplace, marital status and residence of bride and groom (some later records also give birth date)
 * Names of bride and groom's parents (later records include mothers' maiden name)
 * Occupation of groom (not given in later records)

How To Use The Collection
County marriage records are the best source of marriage information. Use the marriage as the basis for compiling a family group. Use the birth date or age and birthplace of each partner to find a couple's birth records and parents' names. Use the place of residence to search for other records that may have information on parents and siblings.

Related Articles
West Virginia Vital Records