Illinois Marriages, 1790-1860

DESCRIPTION:

This database is an index to individuals who were married in Illinois between 1790 and 1860. A complete list of which counties are included and the years for which there are records represented in this index is provided below. Information that may be found in this database for each individual includes their name, spouse's name, marriage date, location, and source. Marriage records are great sources for genealogists because they document an individual in a particular place and time as well as provide details about that person's marriage.

It is important that you use the information found in this database to locate your ancestor in the original records that this index references. Usually more information is available in the records themselves than is found in an index. For example, marriage records sometimes provide the birth dates and places of the bride and groom, their parents' names, their addresses, and witnesses' names, in addition to the information listed in this index.

In a few cases a marriage may be listed twice but in two different counties. A couple would obtain a marriage license or bond in one county, but would be married in another county, most often near other relatives. The marriage would be listed in that county as a result of the ministers' returns to the county. We left those marriages listed as such in order to give clues to the research of family in other counties.

While marriage records can usually be found in county courthouses, copies are often located in the state archives, libraries, or historical societies. The specific office in a county courthouse where marriage records may be kept varies from county clerk to probate clerk. Actual records are kept in a variety of forms, primarily as marriage bonds or marriage licenses. These records usually indicate where a bride and groom were wed and details of the ceremony.

The following counties and years are included in this database: