California Marriages - FamilySearch Historical Records

United States California

What Is in the Collection?
This collection includes marriage records from 1850 to 1945.

This index is not complete for any particular place, region or time period. This collection may include information previously published in the International Genealogical Index or Vital Records Index collections.

For over 30 years, volunteer indexers extracted this information from microfilm copies of the original records. In 1998, a few of the entries were published on 7 CDs by the Family History Department of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints as the "North America Vital Records Index." This index is an index of the births, marriages, and deaths throughout California. The index is not necessarily complete for any particular place or region.

The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints sponsored the indexing to accomplish its program of identifying the ancestry of mankind.

Church records and civil registration were official sources and are some of the most reliable sources of information available on those who were born, married, or died in California.

What Can These Records Tell Me?
The information found in marriage index entries may include:


 * Name of the bride and groom
 * Names of the parents
 * Marriage date
 * Marriage place
 * Family History Library Microfilm and item numbers for the source materials

Coverage Table and Map
A coverage table for this collection is available is the wiki article California Marriages, Coverage Table (FamilySearch Historical Records)

To see a coverage map of FamilySearch's holdings of California marriages, click here.

How Do I Search the Collection?
You can search the index or view the images or both. Before using this collection, it is helpful to know:
 * Name of the individual
 * Approximate date and or location 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.

For more tips about searching on-line collections see the on-line article FamilySearch Search Tips and Tricks.

Each entry in this index has a source listed which includes a batch number. You will need to trace the batch number for the individual entry to learn its source. Please see the following wiki articles for more information on batch numbers:


 * International Genealogical Index (IGI)
 * IGI Batch Number Descriptions
 * IGI Batch Numbers for the British Isles and North America

I Found Who I Was Looking For, What Now?

 * In case you need to find this record again later, copy the citation below in the Citing This Collection section.
 * Use the age or estimated birth date to find other county or California Vital Records such as birth, baptism, marriage, and death records.
 * Use the information found in the record to find additional family members in the United States Census, 1850 (FamilySearch Historical Records) or the United States Census, 1900 (FamilySearch Historical Records). Search the state censuses as well.
 * Use the information found in the record to find California, County Probate Books (FamilySearch Historical Records).
 * Use the information found in the record to find California, Alameda County, Land Records (FamilySearch Historical Records).
 * Search for death or burial information in BillionGraves Index.
 * If applicable, search for immigration and naturalization records as well.
 * Repeat this process with additional family members found, to find more generations of the family.

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

 * If your ancestor does not have a common name, collect entries for every person who has the same surname. This list can help you find possible relatives.
 * If you cannot locate your ancestor in the locality in which you believe they lived, then try searching records of a nearby town or county.
 * Try different spellings of your ancestor’s name.
 * Remember that sometimes individuals went by nicknames or alternated between using first and middle names. Try searching for these names as well.
 * Check the info box above for additional FamilySearch websites and related websites that may assist you in finding similar records.

Citing This Collection
A citation is a note where you find information. Citations help you keep track of places you have searched and sources you have found. Using citations allow others to find the same information.

Collection Citation:

Record Citation (or citation for the index entry):

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