Virginia, Surry County Marriage Records - FamilySearch Historical Records

Record Description
This Collection will include records from 1735 to 1950.

Most of this collection consists of Certificates to Obtain a Marriage License, Marriage Bonds and Consents, Marriage Licenses, and Marriage Returns. The records are arranged by volume and year range. The type of record and time period varies between counties. Marriage records were generally well preserved, although fires, floods, or other disasters may have destroyed some records.

The earliest marriage bonds and licenses were usually handwritten on loose papers that were later bound into lettered volumes. Some marriage records had multiple entries on each page, while others had single records per page.

Record Content
Information usually found in marriage records includes:


 * Date and place (county)of marriage
 * Name and age in (years, months, days) of husband
 * Name and age in (years, months, days) of wife
 * Previous marital status
 * Residence of husband
 * Residence of wife
 * Occupation(s) of the bride and groom
 * Name of person performing the marriage

Later records may also include the following:


 * Birthplace of groom
 * Birthplace of bride
 * Names of groom's parents
 * Names of bride's parents
 * Number of times previously married
 * Witnesses to the marriage and their residence

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


 * Names of the bride and groom
 * The approximate marriage date and place

Search the Collection
To search the collection by name fill in your ancestor’s name in the initial search page. This search will return a list of possible matches. Compare the information about those in the list to what you already know about your own ancestors to determine if this is the correct family or person.

If you did not find the person you were looking for, you may need to search the collection by image. ⇒Select "Browse through images" on the initial collection page ⇒Select the appropriate "Record Type and Years" which takes you to the images.

Look at each image comparing the information with what you already know about your ancestors to determine if the image relates to them. You may need to look at several images and compare the information about the individuals listed in those images to your ancestors to make this determination.

With either search 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.

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 birth date or age along with the place of birth to find the family in census records.
 * Use the residence to locate church and land records.
 * 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.
 * Use the marriage number to identify previous marriages.

Tips to Keep in Mind

 * When looking for a person who had a common name, look at all the entries for the name before deciding which is correct.
 * 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.
 * 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.
 * The marriage date, place, and residence of the bride and groom are relatively reliable. Other information, such as age or birthplace, is dependent on the knowledge, memory, and accuracy of the informants, usually the bride and groom.

Unable to Find Your Ancestor?

 * Look for variant spellings of the names. You should also look for alias names, nicknames and abbreviated names.
 * Look for an index. There are often indexes at the beginning of each volume. Local genealogical and historical societies often have indexes to local records.
 * Search the indexes and records of nearby localities.
 * Try alternative search methods such as only filling in the surname search box (or the given name search box) on the landing page leaving the other box empty and then click on search. This should return a list of everyone with that particular name. You could then browse the list for individuals that may be your ancestor.

For a summary of this information see the wiki article United States, How to Use the Records Summary (FamilySearch Historical Records)

Related Websites
Free Virginia Marriage Records Online

Related Wiki Articles

 * Surry County, Virginia
 * Surry County, Virginia Genealogy
 * Virginia
 * Virginia Vital Records
 * Virginia Marriages (FamilySearch Historical 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): Image citation:

Original sources:


 * Surry County, Virginia. Certificates to obtain a Marriage License, 1735-1787, 1844-1917. Surry County Courthouse, Surry, Virginia.
 * Surry County, Virginia. Marriage Bonds, 1768, 1771-1820. Surry County Courthouse, Surry, Virginia.
 * Surry County, Virginia. Marriage Bonds and Consents, 1821-1850. Surry County Courthouse, Surry, Virginia.
 * Surry County, Virginia. Marriage Returns, 1785-1854. Surry County Courthouse, Surry, Virginia.
 * Surry County, Virginia. Marriage Licenses, 1900-1950. Surry County Courthouse, Surry, Virginia.