How to Find Massachusetts Marriage Records

United States US Vital Records  How to Find United States Marriages  Massachusetts  Vital Records  Massachusetts Marriages

Massachusetts Towns have been recording marriages since the 1600s. Statewide registration began in 1841.

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Next Step: When did the marriage occur?

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 * Marriage Records
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 * Marriages before 1841
 * Marriages from 1841 thru 1920
 * Marriages from 1921 thru present
 * Marriage year unknown


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Marriages before 1841
For marriages that occurred during this time period, try the following databases:

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Marriages from 1841 thru 1920
Massachusetts was the first state to initiate statewide registration of vital records beginning in 1841. However, the city of Boston, which had kept records prior to this time, didn't start reporting their vital statistics to the state until about 1850. Records from 1841 to 1920 are housed at the Massachusetts Archives. Every five years, another block of five years is transferred from the Registry of Vital Records and Statistics to the Archives.

For marriages that occurred during this time period, try the following databases:

Return to top: Choose another marriage year

Marriages from 1921 thru present
Marriage records beginning in 1921 to the present are located at the Massachusetts Department of Public Health, Registry of Vital Records and Statistics. The MDPH maintains no online index for these records. Try to find your ancestor in one of the indexes below.

For marriages that occurred during the time period, try the following databases:

Order the Certificate
With an exact date (from your records or an index above) you can order a copy of the marriage record for a fee from the following locations:

If you do not know the exact date or place of the marriage: For a fee, the Massachusetts Registry of Vital Records and Statistics will do a 10 year search. '''If you do not want to order the marriage record, there are other records with marriage information you can search. ''' Return to top: Choose another marriage year

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