Michigan, County Marriages Index - FamilySearch Historical Records

What is in This Collection?
This collection consists of an index to marriage registers and certificates from county records for the years 1820 to 1937. The content and time period varies by county. This collection only includes some records from the following counties: Allegan, Alpena, Eaton, and Missaukee. These county records will duplicate some of the information already published in the Michigan, Marriages, 1868-1925 collection.

Coverage Map
To see a coverage map of FamilySearch's holdings of Michigan marriages, click here.

What Can These Records Tell Me?
The record contents vary by the record. You may find any of the following:


 * Names of the bride and groom
 * Age of bride and groom
 * Residence of the bride and groom
 * Calculated birth years
 * Parents’ names
 * Marriage place
 * Marriage date

How Do I Search This Collection?
To begin your search, it is helpful to know:
 * The name of your ancestor.
 * The approximate date of the marriage.
 * The place where the marriage occurred.
 * The name of the intended spouse.

Search the Index
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.
 * If your ancestor used an alias or a nickname, be sure to check for those alternate names.
 * Even though these indexes are very accurate they may still contain inaccuracies, such as altered spellings, misinterpretations, and optical character recognition errors if the information was scanned.

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.

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

 * 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.
 * 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.
 * 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 1800s.
 * There is also some variation in the information given from one marriage record to another record.

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

 * Look for variant spellings of the names. You should also look for alias names, nicknames and abbreviated names.
 * Search the indexes and records of nearby localities.
 * Try alternative search methods such as only filling in the surname search box (or the given name search box) on the landing page leaving the other box empty and then click on search. This should return a list of everyone with that particular name. You could then browse the list for individuals that may be your ancestor.

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.

"Michigan, County Marriages Index, 1820-1937." Database. FamilySearch. http://FamilySearch.org : 14 June 2016. Citing various counties.
 * Collection Citation:

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