An early marriage contract in St Louis provides a wealth of genealogical information about the bride and groom. The early contracts dating from 1764 to 1804 were often recorded in the deed books rather than the marriage registers. The contracts may be several pages. From 1804 to 1854, the contracts were usually recorded in the marriage books.

The deed book may provide the document in the original French or Spanish language. The city record’s office had the documents translated into English in the same book. The documents are extensive, usually listing the names of the parents, property settlements, heirs, and personal items.

This index lists the name of the bride and groom plus the book and page number of the recorded document.

Dorothy Amburgey Griffith and the St. Louis Genealogical Society marriage committee volunteers compiled the original list when it first appeared in the 1972 St. Louis Genealogical Society Quarterly, volume 5, number 1, pages 27–28, and volume 5, number 2, page 53.

St. Louis Marriage Contracts Index, 1764-1854


Last modified: 16-Jan-2019 10:18