Canada, Prince Edward Island Marriage Registers - FamilySearch Historical Records

Record Description
This collection covers records from 1832 to 1888.

This collection is made up of marriage records taken from various sources. The information is handwritten on a printed form. There are two to three records per page.

The government of Prince Edward Island did not make the recording of marriages mandatory until 1886. This collection was created from newspapers, church records, and other sources. The information given is limited and the source of the information is not always clear or provided. The card index was prepared by the Prince Edward Island Division of Vital Statistics.

These records were created to provide information on the marriages that took place in Prince Edward Island before the recording of marriages became mandatory in 1886.

These records are generally reliable. As they are a compilation of records from other sources transcription errors may exist.

For the marriage index currently published in this collection, select the Browse.

Citation for This Collection
The following citation refers to the original source of the information published in FamilySearch.org Historical Record collections. Sources include the author, custodian, publisher and archive for the original records.

Suggested citation format for a record in this collection.

Record Content
These marriage records may contain the following information:


 * Names of the bride and groom
 * Date and place of marriage
 * Marital status of groom (bachelor or widower)
 * Marital status of bride (spinster or widow)
 * Names of witnesses
 * Name of officiant at ceremony

How to Use the Records
To begin your search, it would be helpful if you knew the following information:


 * Name of bride or groom
 * Approximate year and place of marriage

Begin your search by finding your ancestors in the index. Name indexes to marriages make it possible to access a specific marriage record quickly. If you know the approximate date of the marriage, this may help you in your search.

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.

Search the Collection
To search the collection image by image select "Browse through images" on the initial collection page: ⇒Select the appropriate “Record Type and Years” which will take you to the images.

Look at each image one by one comparing the information with what you already know about your ancestors to determine which one is your ancestor. You may need to compare the information about more than one person to make this determination.

Using the Information
When you have found the information that you are looking for, you can use the following to further your research:


 * 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 of each partner to find a couple's birth records and parents' names.
 * Use the birth date or age along with the place of birth to find the family in census records.
 * Use the residence and names of the parents to locate church and land records.
 * Occupations listed can lead you to other types of records such as employment or military records.
 * Use the parents' birth places to find former residences and to establish a migration pattern for the family.
 * 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.

Tips to Keep in mind

 * 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 1900.
 * There is also some variation in the information given from one marriage record to another record.

Remember that these indexes may contain inaccuracies, such as altered spellings, misinterpretations, and optical character recognition errors if the information was scanned.

Unable to Find Your Ancestor?
If you are unable to find the ancestors you are looking for, try the following:


 * Check for variant spellings of the surnames.
 * Search for the marriage record of the marriage partner if known.
 * Check for a different index. There are often indexes at the beginning of each volume.
 * Search the indexes and records of nearby counties.

Related Websites
Covehead Tracadie Marriages from Covehead-Corran Ban-Tracadie area of Queens County, Prince Edward Island

Related Wiki Articles

 * Prince Edward Island Vital Records
 * Prince Edward Island

Citing FamilySearch Historical Collections
When you copy information from a record, you should list where you found the information. This will help you or others to find the record again. It is also good to keep track of records where you did not find information, including the names of the people you looked for in the records.

A suggested format for keeping track of records that you have searched is found in the wiki article Help:How to Cite FamilySearch Collections.

Citation Example for a Record Found in This Collection
"Prince Edward Island Marriage Registers, 1832-1888." Digital images, FamilySearch(https://.familysearch.org: accessed April 1, 2011). John S, Ramsey and Magraret Jane Green, July 26,1879; citing Marriage Registers, Marriages 1878-1888, Image 53; Prince Edward Island Division of Vital Statistics, Public Archives of Prince Edward Island, Charlottetown, Prince Edward island, Canada.