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St. Louis marriage records come in various forms. Marriage contracts started in the earliest years of St. Louis to 1803. Some of the records are indexed and available at City Hall, and other documents may be found in other court records, such as probate files.

A marriage register was used from 1804 to 1881, before marriage licenses and applications. The information included is the name of the bride and groom, date of the ceremony, and the name of the clergy or justice of peace. A few entries include the names of the parents.

The marriage license and application were used from 1881 to 1920. These documents provide the name and signature of the bride and groom, their city of residence, date of application and ceremony, name of the clergy or justice of peace, and possibly witnesses.

The above documents and marriages after 1920 are available in the marriage license department at City Hall. Some indexes are available elsewhere, including the St. Louis Marriage Index 1804–1876, published by St. Louis Genealogical Society. Member, Ed Mochel, indexed the City marriages dating from 1877 to 1880.

To locate marriages after 1876, it may be necessary to check the City and County records. In Missouri, a marriage license may be obtained in one county and the couple can marry in any other Missouri county. After the marriage, the license was recorded at the same location where the license was obtained.

The applicants must be at least 18 years of age to marry without parental consent. If the bride or groom was recently divorced, it is necessary to wait 30 days from the date of the divorce to marry again.

Bibliography

Collet, Oscar W. Index to the St. Louis Cathedral and Carondelet Church Marriages: and Index to the Marriage Contracts from the Records in the Recorder’s Office of St. Louis County. St. Louis: Missouri Historical Society, 1918.

Griffith, Dorothy A., and Robert E. Parkin. St. Louis County (Mo.), Index, Marriage Records. St. Louis: Genealogical Research & Productions, 1978.

Mochel, Edward. Index to Marriages Recorded in the City of St. Louis, Missouri, 1 January 1877–31 December 1880. St. Louis: Edward Mochel, 2001.

St. Louis Genealogical Society. Catholic Marriages, Saint Louis, Missouri, 1774–1840. St. Louis: St. Louis Genealogical Society, 1982.

St. Louis Genealogical Society. St. Louis Marriages, 1804–1876. St. Louis: St. Louis Genealogical Society, 1999.

Last modified: 21-Jun-2016 17:52