Denmark, Copenhagen City, Civil Marriages - FamilySearch Historical Records

Denmark Copenhagen City

Why Should I Look at These Records?
These records are an excellent source for validating the date and place of a marriage. If a marriage record for a couple cannot be found in the church registers, the civil marriage registers are an excellent source to check.

What is in the Collection?
The collection consists of marriage licenses and records for the city of Copenhagen for the years 1851 to 1961. Civil marriages were first allowed in Denmark in 1851. In Copenhagen city the marriage was recorded by a magistrate. The marriage was recorded in special notarial registers. These registers vary in content and arrangement by area. Some include a considerable number of supporting documents, such as baptismal certificates, while others record only the names and residences of the bridal couple. In 1923 the registration process was changed by legislation enacted in 1922. This made the mayor the registering officer in the cities and the parish sherrif the registrar in rural areas. The registration form was also standardized into a columnar format.

Civil registration of marriage legitimized marriage for members of the population who were not adherents of the state church.

Collection Content
Civil marriage records usually contain the following information:


 * Names of the bride and groom
 * Marriage date
 * Ages, and sometimes the birth dates of the bride and groom
 * Residence of bride and groom
 * Occupation of the bride and groom
 * Names of witnesses
 * Names of parents

How Do I Search the Collection?
To begin your search it is helpful to know:


 * Name of your ancestor
 * Identifying information such as their age, marriage date or residence

Search by name by visiting the Collection page. View images in this collection by visiting the Browse page. ⇒Select "Browse through images" on the initial collection page ⇒Select the appropriate "Archive" ⇒Select the appropriate "Series and Title" ⇒Select the appropriate "Volume and Year" 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. 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.

What if I Can't Find Who I'm Looking For?

 * Look for variant spellings of the names. You should also look for nicknames and abbreviated names.
 * Look for an index. There may be indexes at the beginning of each volume. Local genealogical and historical societies often have indexes to local records.
 * Search the records of nearby localities.

Citing 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