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    Pennsylvania Historical & Museum Commission

    Marriage Records

    Learn about marriage records that are available at the Pennsylvania State Archives.

    Overview

    Since September 30, 1885, marriage licenses have been issued by the Clerk of Orphans Court at each county courthouse. These records are still held at the county level by the County Register of Wills/Clerk of the Orphans Court. The State Archives holds digitized microfilm copies of marriage records for some counties, along with other, earlier marriage-related records.

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    Available marriage records

    For a complete list of county marriage records on microfilm at the State Archives, see Records of County Governments (RG-47).

        Record       Notes             Finding aidDigital images
    Governor’s Accounts, 1742–1763Includes lists of marriages for the periods 1742–1752 and 1759–1762.Records of the Proprietary Government (RG-21)PA Digital Archives
    General Motion and Divorce Docket, 1750–1837Includes references to divorces for the period 1800–1805.Records of the Supreme Court of Pennsylvania (RG-33) 
    Marriage Bonds for Philadelphia County, 1784–1786 Records of Pennsylvania’s Revolutionary Governments (RG-27)PA Digital Archives
    Divorce Papers, 1786–1815Includes case files for divorce cases brought before the Supreme Court of Pennsylvania in the Eastern District.Records of the Supreme Court of Pennsylvania (RG-33)PA Digital Archives
    Record and Indexes of Births, Deaths, and Marriages, 1852-1854Includes returns from 49 of 64 counties that existed at the time, as kept by the local Register of Wills.Records of the Department of State (RG-26)Ancestry Pennsylvania
    Record of Marriages, 1885–1891Includes an incomplete listing of marriages from various Pennsylvania counties.Records of the Department of Internal Affairs (RG-14)Ancestry Pennsylvania

     

    Frequently asked questions

    Marriage licenses from 1885 to the present are maintained by the county that issued the marriage license. You will want to contact the County Register of Wills/Clerk of the Orphans Court to request a copy.

    Divorce records are held at the county level, typically with the county Prothonotary. You will want to contact the Prothonotary for the county where the divorce was filed to request a copy.