How to Estimate United States Marriage Information

Estimate a Marriage Date and Place
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Find Your Ancestor in All Possible Census Records: Find a Date

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 * Census records 1900 and moving forward in time often list a marriage year or the age at first marriage.
 * Find the birth year of the first child and estimate that the marriage took place one to two years before that birth.
 * Marriage age for a female's first marriage was about 16-21.
 * Marriage age for a male's first marriage was about 18-25.
 * Marriage age for a male's first marriage was about 18-25.


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Find Your Ancestor in All Possible Census Records: Find a Place

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 * Marriages most often took place where the bride and her family lived.
 * Find the state and county where her family lived in the census closest to her marriage date.
 * Next look in the state and county where the groom lived.
 * Find the state where the first child was born.
 * Substitute records may suggest a state and county where either the bride or groom lived about the time you expect them to have married.
 * Substitute records may suggest a state and county where either the bride or groom lived about the time you expect them to have married.


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'''Your ancestor's actual marriage date or place may vary widely from these general guidelines. These are guidelines for rough estimates.'''


 * When working with many generations of a family, always begin with younger generations and work backward in time.