Illinois, Civil Marriages - FamilySearch Historical Records

Record Description
This collection will include records from 1833-1889.

This is an index to selected civil marriages from published transcripts for the counties of Boone, Champaign, Christian, Cook, DeKalb, DuPage, and Hancock. Images are unavailable due to privacy restrictions.

Record Content
Indexed marriage records may contain the following information:
 * Full names of bride and groom
 * Ages of bride and groom
 * Date and place of marriage
 * Parents’ names
 * Previous husband or wife, if any
 * Birthplace of both bride and groom
 * Race
 * Notes
 * Page/Volume/Entry/Certificate number

How to Use the Record
To begin your search it is helpful to know:


 * Your ancestor’s name.
 * Other identifying information such as residence, birthdate or age, names of other family members and family relationships

Search the Collection
To search the collection by name: Fill in the requested information in the boxes on the initial search page. This search will return a list of possible matches. Compare the information about the individuals in the list to what you already know about your ancestors to determine if this is the correct family or person. You may need to look at the information on several individuals comparing the information about them to your ancestors to make this determination. Keep in mind:


 * There may be more than one person in the records with the same name.
 * You may not be sure of your own ancestor’s name.
 * Your ancestor may have used different names, or variations of their name, throughout their life.
 * If your ancestor used an alias or a nickname, be sure to check for those alternate names.
 * Even though these indexes are very accurate they may still contain inaccuracies, such as altered spellings, misinterpretations, and optical character recognition errors if the information was scanned.

For tips about searching on-line collections see the on-line article FamilySearch Search Tips and Tricks.

Using the Information

 * Use the estimated age to calculate a birth date.
 * Use locations to find family in census, church, and land records.
 * Use certificate number to obtain original marriage certificate from county recorder.

Tips to Keep in Mind

 * When looking for a person who had a common name, look at all the entries for the name before deciding which is correct.
 * Remember that there may be more than one person in the records with the same name as your ancestor and that your ancestor may have used nicknames or different names at different times.
 * Titles may be clues to property ownership, occupations, rank, or status within the community.
 * Be aware that, as with any index, transcription errors may occur.

Unable to Find Your Ancestor?

 * Check for variant spellings of the names.
 * Search the records of nearby localities (or military units, counties, parishes, etc.).
 * Try alternative search methods such as only filling in the surname search box (or the given name search box) on the landing page leaving the other box empty and then click on search. This should return a list of everyone with that particular name. You can then browse the list for individuals that may be your ancestor.

Related Websites

 * Illinois State Archives
 * Illinois Digital Newspaper Collections

Related Wiki Articles

 * Illinois Genealogy
 * How to Find Illinois Marriage Records
 * Illinois Church Records
 * Illinois Online Genealogy Records
 * Illinois Newspapers

Citations for This Collection
Citing your sources makes it easy for others to find and evaluate the records you used. When you copy information from a record, list where you found that information. Here you can find citations already created for the entire collection and for each individual record or image.

Collection Citation:

Record Citation (or citation for the index entry):