Canada, Prince Edward Island Marriage Registers - FamilySearch Historical Records

Record Description
This collection covers records from 1832 to 1888.

The records included are marriage records that have been taken from newspapers, church records and other sources. The information is handwritten on a printed form. There are two to three records per page.

Marriages took place in churches and before Justices of the Peace. Dates of indexes correspond to dates of marriages, and marriage records are arranged by date of registration so the dates of the indexes and the marriage records do not always match. Indexes are alphabetized by first letter of the surname only. In some indexes, the "Mc" and "Mac" names are indexed by the first letter after "Mc" or "Mac".

The government of Prince Edward Island did not make the recording of marriages mandatory until 1886. This collection was created from newspapers, church records, and other sources. The information given is limited and the source of the information is not always clear or provided. The card index was prepared by the Prince Edward Island Division of Vital Statistics.

These records were created to provide information on the marriages that took place in Prince Edward Island before the recording of marriages became mandatory in 1886.

These records are generally reliable. As they are a compilation of records from other sources transcription errors may exist.

For the marriage index currently published in this collection, select the Browse.

Record Content
Marriage records may contain the following information:


 * Names of the bride and groom
 * Date and place of marriage
 * Marital status of groom
 * Marital status of bride
 * Occupation
 * Names of witnesses
 * Name of officiant at ceremony

How to Use the Records
To begin your search, it would be helpful if you knew the following information:


 * Name of bride or groom
 * Approximate year and place of marriage

Begin your search by finding your ancestors in the index found in the browse. Name indexes to marriages make it possible to access a specific marriage record quickly. If you know the approximate date of the marriage, this may help you in your search.

Search the Collection
To search the collection image by image ⇒Select "Browse through images" on the initial collection page: ⇒Select the appropriate “Record Type and Years” which will take you to the images.

Look at the images one by one comparing the information with what you already know about your ancestors to determine if the image relates to them. You may need to look at several images and compare the information about the individuals listed in those images to your ancestors to make this determination.

As you are searching it is helpful to know such information as your ancestor’s given name and surname, some identifying information such as residence and age, and family relationships. Remember that there may be more than one person in the records with the same name as your ancestor and that your ancestor may have used nicknames or different names at different times.

Using the Information
When you have found the information that you are looking for, you can use the following to further your research:


 * 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.
 * 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.
 * When looking for a person who had a common name, look at all the entries for the name before deciding which is correct.

When you have located your ancestor’s marriage record, carefully evaluate each piece of information given. These pieces of information may give you new biographical details that can lead you to other records about your ancestors.

Tips to Keep in mind

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

Unable to Find Your Ancestor?
If you are unable to find the ancestors you are looking for, try the following:


 * Check for variant spellings of the surnames.
 * Search for the marriage record of the marriage partner if known.
 * Check for a different index. There are often indexes at the beginning of each volume.

Related Websites

 * Canada History Links
 * Canada Historic Maps
 * Covehead Tracadie Marriages from Covehead-Corran Ban-Tracadie area of Queens County, Prince Edward Island

Related Wiki Articles

 * Prince Edward Island Vital Records
 * Prince Edward Island

Citation for This Collection
The following citation refers to the original source of the information published in FamilySearch.org Historical Record collections. Sources include the author, custodian, publisher and archive for the original records.