Canada, Prince Edward Island Marriage Registers - FamilySearch Historical Records

Record Description
This collection is made up of marriage records taken from various sources. The information is handwritten on a printed form. There are two to three records per page.

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

This collection covers records from 1832 to 1888

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.

Citation for This Collection
The following citation refers to the original source of the data and images published on FamilySearch.org Historical Records. It may include the author, custodian, publisher, and archive for the original records.

Record Content
Marriage records may contain the following:


 * Name of the Parties (Bride and Groom)
 * Date of Marriage
 * Whether the Bride and Groom are Bachelor or Widower, Spinster, or Widow
 * Names of Witnesses

How to Use the Records
Begin your search by finding your ancestors in the index. Name indexes to marriages make it possible to access a specific marriage record quickly. Remember that these indexes may contain inaccuracies, such as altered spellings, misinterpretations, and optical character recognition errors if the information was scanned. If you know the approximate date of the marriage, this may help you in your search.

Use the locator information found in the index (such as page, entry, or certificate number) to locate your ancestors in the marriage records. Compare the information in the marriage record to what you already know about your ancestors to determine if this is the correct person. You may need to compare the information of more than one person to make this determination.

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. Add this new information to your records of each family.

For example:


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

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 after the late 1900.
 * There is also some variation in the information given from one marriage record to another record.

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.
 * Search the indexes and records of nearby counties.

Search the collection by image

To search the collection, select "Browse through images" on the initial collection page ⇒Select the “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 which one is your ancestor. You may need to compare the information about more than one person to make this determination.

Related Websites
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

Citing FamilySearch Historical Collections
When you copy information from a record, you should list where you found the information. This will help you or others to find the record again. 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.

Citation Example for a Record Found in This Collection
"Prince Edward Island Marriage Registers, 1832-1888." Digital images, FamilySearch (https://.familysearch.org: accessed April 1, 2011). John S, Ramsey and Magraret Jane Green, July 26,1879; citing Marriage Registers, Marriages 1878-1888, Image 53; Prince Edward Island Division of Vital Statistics, Public Archives of Prince Edward Island, Charlottetown, Prince Edward island, Canada.