Free Pennsylvania Marriage Records Online
Pennsylvania marriage records are gold for anyone digging into Keystone State roots. These documents give you the names of both spouses, their ages, birthplaces, occupations, and parentsâÂÂthe kind of detail that snaps generations into focus.
Pennsylvania started requiring counties to track marriages in 1885. Before that, churches and county courts did the job on their own. That two-tiered system matters: civil registrations at the state level, church records that stretch back decades or centuries earlier. Quaker influence shaped colonial Pennsylvania marriage traditions. Monthly Meetings kept meticulous marriage registers stuffed with biographical detail. Couples married under Monthly Meeting care, and those records stayed with individual Meetings, not county clerks.
Pennsylvania Vital Records Office
The Pennsylvania Department of Health, Division of Vital Records holds Pennsylvania marriage records from 1885 through today. Only for marriages inside Pennsylvania. Nothing for pre-1885. Those live in county courthouses or church archives.
Mail your request to:.
Pennsylvania Department of Health
Division of Vital Records
P.O. Box 1525
New Castle, PA 16103.
Request by mail, phone, or the state online system. A marriage record costs $30 per copy. Expedited service adds extra fees. You need both spousesâÂÂnames, marriage date, county. No exact date? Request a year or a range.
Free Online Sources
FamilySearch.org offers the best free option. Indexed marriage records plus digitized images from county and state collections. Key collections:.
- Pennsylvania Marriages, 1700-1820
- Pennsylvania Marriages, 1820-1900
- Pennsylvania County Marriages, county by county
The Pennsylvania State Archives holds microfilmed marriage records and indexes. Their site at www.phmc.pa.gov/archives lists available collections and research services.
The Pennsylvania Historical and Museum Commission (PHMC) gives access to older vital records through digital collections and research facilities. Their vital records index helps locate marriage information across time periods and counties.
County-Level Records
Pennsylvania runs a decentralized marriage record system. All 67 counties keep their own marriage registers. Each county courthouse holds marriage licenses and records for marriages inside that county. Researchers hit better results by contacting the specific county where ancestors married. Skip state records first.
Marriages in Pennsylvania require a marriage license from the county where the ceremony happened. The license files with the Register of Wills or Clerk of the Orphans’ Court in each county courthouse. Records from 1885 to present usually available through the county marriage license office.
Many counties digitized their marriage records or created online searchable databases. Philadelphia, Allegheny, Chester, and others often have extensive online collections. Contact your target county directly for their specific procedures and fees.
How to Search Step by Step
- Determine the approximate marriage date and location. Gather family sources, census records, other genealogical documents.
- Search free online indexes first. Start with FamilySearch marriage databases. Use both spousesâÂÂnames, estimated marriage date.
- Found a marriage record online? Verify the information from the original document image.
- Not found online? Contact the county courthouse in the county where you believe the marriage occurred.
- Provide the marriage license office with both partiesâÂÂfull names, estimated marriage date or year.
- Request a certified copy of the marriage record. If not found, ask about alternative sources.
- Marriage before 1885? Search church records from the appropriate religious denomination in the area.
- All other methods failed? Check the Pennsylvania State Archives. They maintain microfilmed copies of many county records.
Requirements and Fees
To get a certified Pennsylvania marriage record from the Division of Vital Records, you must provide a valid government-issued photo ID. Standard fee: $30 per certified copy. Expedited processing adds $20. Online ordering through the state system may include additional convenience fees.
County marriage license fees vary by county. Expect $10 to $50. Most counties require the marriage license application in person or through their online portal. Some counties offer same-day processing. Others take several days.
Marriage records are public information in Pennsylvania. No genealogical intent proof needed for historical records. But recent marriages may be restricted. Always verify current fees and procedures before visiting or mailing.
Historical Records
Marriage records from 1885 to 1915 are particularly valuable. They often include detailed information about both spouses and their families. County officials maintained these records. The state archives microfilmed them. Many digitized through FamilySearch.
Records before 1885 are scattered across multiple repositories. Church records from Quaker Monthly Meetings, Lutheran congregations, Reformed churches, Catholic parishes often contain marriage documentation from the 1700s and early 1800s. The Pennsylvania State Archives holds some of these older church records on microfilm.
Colonial-era records (before 1776) may also be found in the Pennsylvania State Archives. They maintain early county court records, including marriage-related documents. Many older Pennsylvania marriages are recorded in family Bibles, newspaper announcements, and court records from the colonial period.
For Pennsylvania marriage records spanning from the colonial era through the present, researchers should plan to check multiple sources: the state vital records office, county courthouses, church archives, and online genealogical databases. A thorough approach combining these resources will yield the most complete results for your family history research.