Indiana Marriages, 1811-2019 - FamilySearch Historical Records

Collection Time Period
These records cover marriages from 1790, when the first marriages were recorded in Knox County, to 1957.

Record History
Clerks of the Circuit Court recorded marriages performed by religious or civil authorities. Records consisted of licenses, marriage returns and marriage entries. The state of Indiana began collecting marriages from the counties in 1958.

Why This Record Was Created
Counties in Indiana recorded marriages to legalize marital relationships and to safeguard the interests of wives.

Record Reliability
The marriage date, residence, and other facts that were current at the time the marriage occurred are quite reliable, though there is still a chance of misinformation. Other data such as age or birth place have more chance of error due to the lapse of time between marriage and birth.

Record Description
Early county marriage records were handwritten into bound books with multiple entries to a page. Preprinted register books began to be used about 1850. By 1905, the printed format included only one entry on each page.

Record Content
Genealogical facts in county marriage entries before 1882 are:


 * Marriage date
 * Marriage place
 * Names of the bride and groom

Marriage records from 1882 to 1905 give the additional information:


 * Age, birthplace and residence of bride and groom
 * Names of parents of bride and groom, including mothers' maiden name
 * Race, color and nationality of bride and groom
 * Occupation of bride and groom
 * Number of the marriage for bride and for groom

Marriage records after 1905 contain the additional information:


 * Birth date of the bride and groom (instead of the age)
 * Birthplace and residence of parents of bride and groom
 * Occupation, color and nationality are no longer given

How To Use This Record
County marriage records are the best source of marriage information. Use the marriage as the basis for compiling a family group. Use the birth date and place of each partner to find a couple's birth records and parents' names. Use the place of residence to search for other records that may have information on parents and siblings.

Related Websites
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Related Wiki Articles
Indiana Vital Records

Sources of This Collection

 * "Indiana Marriages, 1811-1959," database, FamilySearch, 2009. Digital copies of originals housed in Circuit Court Clerk Offices in various counties throughout Indiana.

Citations for an image or index published in FamilySearch Collections
An example of citing these records is: Circuit Court, Rush County Courthouse, Rushville, Indiana. Marriage record. From FamilySearch Internet (www.familysearch.org), April 23, 2010. Manly Gifford m. Sarah Davis, 13 Dec 1838, Rush, Indiana, record number 1704.

Instructions for citing this source can be found at: How to Cite FamilySearch Collections