Pennsylvania, Civil Marriages, 1677-1950

What is in This Collection?

This collection consists of an index & images of marriage records from the following counties: Allegheny,1885-1905, 1937-1950 (series A-F, S-Z) ; Index 1885-1925; Bucks,1677-1686; Lancaster,1757-1799; Luzerne,1885-1950; Montgomery,1885-1906,index 1885-1973; Philadelphia, 1885-1915,1885-1916.

Marriages were recorded to legalize marital relationships and to safeguard the interests of the wife and other heirs. The most reliable information is the date and place of the marriage and license date. Other information is dependent upon the reliability of the informant.

• On January 12, 1852, the Pennsylvania Legislature enacted its first statewide law requiring the registration of vital records, including marriages. Probably due to lack of compliance, the law was repealed in 1855
• On October 1, 1885, a new law went into effect that made it illegal for any “minister of the gospel, justice of the peace, or other officers, or persons authorized by law to solemnize marriages” to marry any couple who did not first obtain a marriage license. Since then, marriage licenses have been recorded without interruption with the Clerk of the Orphans’ Court within each county
• Before 1885, marriage records created by ministers, justices of the peace, and larger cities may still be kept by the originator, but the bulk of the marriages recorded in Pennsylvania are in this collection

Counties in the state generally achieved 90 percent compliance by 1915

Additional records and/or images may be added to this collection in the future.

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What Can These Records Tell Me?

The following information may be found in these records:

Collection Content

Sample Images

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  Marriage License 1875

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  Duplicate Marriage Certificate 1898

Coverage Map

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