Georgia Church Marriages - FamilySearch Historical Records

What is in This Collection?
This collection includes an index and images of selected church marriages records from 1754-1960. Many of the records are from Bibb, Chatham, Liberty, and Richmond counties. Marriages were recorded by the clerk of the district court for each county from the time the county was formed. Persons desiring to marry obtained a license that they presented to the minister or other person authorized to marry, such as a justice of the peace. Once the marriage was performed, the officiator sent a return to the clerk confirming that the marriage had occurred. The marriage date, place, residence of the bride and groom, and occupations 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.

This collection contains various church records, meeting minutes, membership rolls, and church histories. It may also include some newspaper articles, church programs, and photographs.

What Can These Records Tell Me?
The following information may be found in these records:


 * Full name
 * Age
 * Birth date
 * Birthplace
 * Parents’ names
 * Parents’ residence
 * Marital status


 * Previous spouse
 * Date of marriage
 * Place of marriage
 * Race
 * Titles and terms
 * Notes
 * Page/Volume/Entry/Certificate Number

How Do I Search This Collection?
Before searching this collection, it is helpful to know:
 * The name of the individual
 * The date of the event or the name of a parent or spouse

How Do I Analyze the Results?
Compare each result from your search with what you know to determine if there is a match. This may require viewing multiple records or images. Keep track of your research in a research log.

I Found the Person I Was Looking For, What Now?

 * Add any new information to your records
 * Use the birth date and to find other records such as birth, christening, census, land and death
 * Use the information to find additional family members. Witnesses or bondsmen on marriages were usually relatives
 * Search for civil marriage records

I Can’t Find the Person I’m Looking For, What Now?

 * Try viewing the original record to see if there were errors in the transcription of the name, age, residence, etc. Remember that there may be more than one person in the records with the same name
 * Collect entries for every person who has the same surname. This list can help you identify possible relations that can be verified by records
 * If you cannot locate your ancestor in the locality in which you believe they lived, then try searching records of a nearby locality in an area search
 * Standard spelling of names typically did not exist during the periods our ancestors lived in. Try variations of your ancestor’s name while searching the index or browsing through images
 * Remember that sometimes individuals went by nicknames or alternated between using first and middle names

Research Helps
The following articles will help you research your family in the state of Georgia.
 * Georgia Guided Research
 * Georgia Research Tips and Strategies
 * Step-by-Step Georgia Research, 1880-Present

Other FamilySearch Collections
These collections may have additional materials to help you with your research.

FamilySearch Catalog

 * Sunny Jane Morton and Harold A. Henderson, CG, How to find your family history in U.S. church records: a genealogist's guide Baltimore, Maryland: Genealogical Publishing Co. Inc., 2019 FS Library 973 K27m
 * Rome. St Peter's Episcopal Church. Church records, 1843-1959
 * Jackson Methodist Church. Church records and Jackson circuit records, 1846-1952
 * Fayetteville Methodist Church. Church history, 1824-1958, and church registers, 1869-1907
 * Macon. St. Paul's Episcopal Church. Church records, 1870-1959
 * Savannah. Independent Presbyterian Church. Church membership rolls, 1800-1926, and baptisms, marriages, etc., 1828- 1866
 * Savannah. Saint Paul's Episcopal church. Church records, 1852-1985
 * Wm. K. Miller, compiled and published, History of St. Paul's Episcopal Church, Augusta, Georgia, 1750-1945.
 * Clarence C. Williams. The story of St. Paul's Church, Augusta, Georgia, 1750-1906.
 * Augusta. Christ Church. Parish register, 1887-1904
 * Augusta. Parish register of the Church of the Atonement, 1851-1902
 * Augusta. St. Paul's Episcopal Church. Parish records, 1868-1913
 * Jasper. Methodist Church. Church records, 1878-1924

FamilySearch Digital Library

 * Historical Records Survey, Division of Community Service Programs, Work Projects Administration, Inventory of the church archives of Georgia : Atlanta Association of Baptist churches, affiliated with Georgia Baptist Convention Atlanta, Georgia : Georgia Historical Records Survey, 1941

Citing This Collection
Citations help you keep track of places you have searched and sources you have found. Identifying you sources helps others find the records you used.

Georgia matrimonios de la iglesia (Registros históricos de FamilySearch)