Nevada County Marriages - FamilySearch Historical Records

Record Description
The collection consists of images of county marriages for the years 1862 to 1993 from the following counties:


 * Carson City
 * Clark
 * Douglas
 * Elko
 * Esmeralda
 * Eureka
 * Humboldt
 * Lander
 * Lincoln
 * Lyon
 * Mineral
 * Nye
 * Pershing
 * Storey
 * White Pine

This collection does not include marriages from Churchill and Washoe counties. Coverage varies between counties.

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

Record Content
Facts usually found in the marriage records include the following:


 * Date and place of marriage
 * Groom's name, age, race and birth place
 * Bride's name, age, race and birth place
 * Groom's place of residence
 * Bride's place of residence
 * Names of parents
 * Name of officiator at marriage ceremony
 * Names of witnesses

How to Use the Records
To begin your search it is helpful to know the following:


 * The name of the person at the time of marriage
 * Other identifying information such as


 * The approximate marriage date
 * The county where the marriage took place
 * The name of the intended spouse

Search the Collection
To search the collection: ⇒Select "Browse through images" on the initial collection page ⇒Select the "County" ⇒Select the "Record Type, Year Range, Volume Number/Letter" which takes you to the images.

Look at each image 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. 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.

Using the Information
Fill in the "Search Collection" area with the requested information and click on the "SEARCH" box. The search feature will return a list of possible matches to your supplied information.

When you have located your ancestor’s record, carefully evaluate each piece of information given. These pieces of information may give you new biographical details. Add this new information to your records of each family. The information may also lead you to other records about your ancestors. The following examples show ways you can use the information:


 * 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.
 * Use the parents' birth places to find former residences and to establish a migration pattern for the family.

Tips to Keep in Mind

 * 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.
 * 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.

Unable to Find Your Ancestor?

 * Check for variant spellings of the surnames.
 * Check for an index (or a different index). There are often indexes created by local genealogical and historical societies.
 * Search the indexes and records of nearby counties.

General Information About These Records
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.

Civil marriage records were created to legalize marital relationships and to protect the interests of the wife and other heirs to legal claims on property.

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.

For a summary of this information see the wiki article: United States, How to Use the Records Summary (FamilySearch Historical Records).

Known Issues with This Collection
For a full list of all known issues associated with this collection see the attached Wiki article. If you encounter additional problems, please email them to [mailto:support@familysearch.org support@familysearch.org]. Please include the full path to the link and a description of the problem in your e-mail. Your assistance will help ensure that future reworks will be considered.

Related Websites
Nevada Marriage Records

Related Wiki Articles

 * Nevada
 * Nevada Vital Records

Citations for This Collection
When you copy information from a record, you should list where you found the information; that is, cite your sources. This will help people find the record again and evaluate the reliability of the source. It is also good to keep track of records where you did not find information, including the names of the people you looked for in the records. Citations are available for the collection as a whole and each record or image individually.

Collection Citation

Image Citation