Missouri, County Marriage, Naturalization, and Court Records - FamilySearch Historical Records

What is in This Collection?
This collection consists of and index and digital images of microfilmed marriage records from Missouri counties including recorded marriages, marriage applications, licenses, and certificates. This collection includes records from the microfilm collections of FamilySearch and of the Missouri State Archives in Jefferson City, Missouri. This project is being published as images and index data become available. It covers the years 1800 to 1991.

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

Coverage Table
This table lists the number of marriage records by county included in this collection as of 3 May 2021. Records where the exact county were not identified are listed at the end of the table as Missouri.

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

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
 * Search for the ship manifest
 * Search for vital records, such as birth and death
 * Search for the family in the census records
 * Search for land, military, and probate 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
 * Standard spelling of names typically did not exist. 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 in your research for your family in the state of Missouri.
 * Missouri Guided Research
 * Missouri Research Tips and Strategies
 * Step-by-Step Research

FamilySearch Historical Records

 * Missouri Marriages, 1750-1920
 * Missouri, Civil Marriages, 1820-1874

FamilySearch Digital Library

 * prepared by the Missouri Historical Records Survey, Division of Community Service Programs, Work Projects Administration. Guide to public vital statistics records in Missouri. St. Louis, Missouri : Historical Records Survey, 1941
 * compiled by Elizabeth Prather Ellsberry. Bible records of Missouri 8 volumes. (Typescript)

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