Georgia, Church Marriages - FamilySearch Historical Records

Image Visibility
Whenever possible, FamilySearch makes images available for all users. However, ultimate rights to view images on our website are granted by the record custodians. The "Georgia, Church Marriages" collection is available to the Family History Library, FamilySearch Centers, and to members of the supporting organization, The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints.

Record Description
This collection is an index to selected church marriage records for the years 1787-1962 from throughout the state of Georgia. Many of the records are for the county of Camden. Due to privacy restrictions, we cannot publish the images associated with these indexes at this time.

Record Content
Church Marriage records may contain the following information for both bride and groom:


 * Name
 * Age
 * Birth year
 * Birth place
 * Parents’ names
 * Marriage date
 * Marriage place
 * Marital status
 * Race
 * Previous spouse
 * Title
 * DGS number
 * File number
 * Page/Volume/Entry/Certificate number

How to Use the Record
To begin your search it is helpful to know the:


 * Names of the bride and groom
 * County where married
 * Marriage date

Search the Collection
To search this collection: Fill in the requested information in the boxes on the initial search page. This search will return a list of possible matches. Compare the information about the individuals in the list to what you already know about your ancestors to determine if this is the correct family or person. You may need to look at the information on several individuals comparing the information about them to your ancestors to make this determination. Keep in mind:


 * There may be more than one person in the records with the same name.
 * 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.
 * Even though these indexes are very accurate they may still contain inaccuracies, such as altered spellings, misinterpretations, and optical character recognition errors if the information was scanned.

For tips about searching on-line collections see the on-line article FamilySearch Search Tips and Tricks.

Using the Information
When you have located your ancestor’s marriage record, carefully evaluate each piece of information given. These pieces of information may give you new biographical details that can lead you to other records about your ancestors. Add this new information to your records of each family. For example:


 * Use the marriage date and place as the basis for compiling a new family group or for verifying existing information.
 * Use the residence to locate church and land records.

Tips to Keep in Mind

 * Clicking on the GS film number in your ancestors’ indexed page will show all other records indexed on that film. Search through this record to identify relatives that may have also been married in this same locality.
 * The name of the officiator is a clue to their religion or area of residence in the county. However, ministers may have reported marriages performed in other counties.
 * Compile the marriage entries for every person who has the same surname as the bride or groom; this is especially helpful in rural areas or if the surname is unusual.
 * Continue to search the marriage records to identify children, siblings, parents, and other relatives of the bride and groom who may have married in the same county or nearby. This can help you identify other generations of your family or even the second marriage of a parent. Repeat this process for each new generation you identify.
 * Use the marriage number to identify previous marriages.
 * When looking for a person who had a common name, look at all the entries for the name before deciding which is correct.
 * The information in marriage records is usually reliable, but depends upon the reliability of the informant.
 * Earlier records may not contain as much information as the records created after the late 1800s.
 * There is also some variation in the information given from one marriage record to another record.

Unable to Find Your Ancestor?

 * Look for variant spellings of the names. You should also look for alias names, nicknames and abbreviated names.
 * Search the indexes and records of nearby localities.
 * Try alternative search methods such as filling in the surname search box (or the given name search box) on the landing page leaving the other box empty and then do the search. This should return a list of everyone with that particular name. You can then browse the list for individuals that may be your ancestor.

Related Websites

 * Georgia GenWed
 * USGenWeb Archives
 * Georgia Department of Public Health

Related Wiki Articles

 * Georgia Genealogy (state)
 * Georgia Archives and Libraries
 * How to Find Georgia Marriage Records
 * Georgia Church Records
 * Georgia Vital Records
 * Georgia Online Genealogy Records

Citations for This Collection
Citing your sources makes it easy for others to find and evaluate the records you used. When you copy information from a record, list where you found that information. Here you can find citations already created for the entire collection and for each individual record or image.

Collection Citation:

Record Citation (or citation for the index entry):