Marriage Certificates, 1853-present
The marriage certificate is the official documentation that a marriage has occurred. The marriage certificate form has traditionally been completed by the officiator after the ceremony and filed with the appropriate county agency: Probate Court (1852-1891); County Clerk (1891-1947); County Auditor (1947-1969); and, since 1969, the Recorder’s Office. Since 1968, they have been filed additionally with the Washington State Registrar of Vital Statistics. Original marriage certificates exist from 1855 to present (a. Marriage Certificates). These forms must be accessed using indexes (b. Indexes of Marriage Certificates).
After the certificates were returned to the county by the officiator, they were recorded by the appropriate county agency at the time (see above). Originally, this was done by transcribing them into ledger volumes (c. Record of Marriage Certificates). Recorded volumes exist through 1923 in King County. After this date, the certificates forms themselves were bound in volumes rather than transcribed.
The certificates are organized roughly by the date they were returned to the county and then by the date of license issuance. Until 1927, the certificates were required to be returned within 3 months of the marriage. Since 1927, the certificates have been required to be returned within 30 days of the ceremony. Many certificates were still returned and filed well beyond the time limit required by law. There are isolated cases of officiators waiting as long as 14 years to return certificates after marriages were officiated.
Between 1889 and 1916, the Probate Court and later the County Clerk kept monthly lists of certificates filed during that time period (d. Lists of Filed Marriage Certificates).
a. Marriages Certificates, 1855-present
Originally, there was no requirement for items included in the certificates. Since 1866, required information has been the names of the couple, residences of the couple, date of the marriage, place of marriage, name of the officiator, names of two witnesses and the license issue date and location. Certificates from 1952 to 1973 also include the places of birth of the couple. Certificates since 1952 additionally include the ages of the couple. From 1855 to 1927, this series documents marriages that were officiated in King County, regardless of where the license was issued. From 1927 to 1947, this series documents both marriages that were officiated in King County as well as certificates that were performed elsewhere on authorization of licenses issued in King County. Beginning in 1947, this series contains certficates of marriages that resulted from licenses issued in King County, regardless of where the marriage was officiated. The Washington State Digital Archives (external link) has digital images online from 1855 to 1918 and 1924 to 1947 and 1949 to 1951. They also provide certified copies.
The King County Archives has original certificates from 1855 to 1978. We provide photocopies and certified copies. The Recorder's Office has copies of certificates from 1855 to present. They provide photocopies and certified copies.
The Washington State Department of Health's Center for Health Statistics Office (external link) has certificates from 1968 to present.
Search online for certificates from 1855 to 1915 and from 1979 to present.
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Sample Certificate |
b. Indexes to Marriage Certificates, 1853-present
These various finding aids can be used to determine dates of marriage and to locate marriage certificates. 1853-1900 - Online at the King County Archives Website. 1855-1918 and 1924-1947 and 1948-1951 - Online on the Washington State Digital Archives. Index entries are also linked to downloadable digital images of the certificates.
1853-1983 - At the King County Archives. Original volumes from 1853-1983, copies on microfilm from 1853-1947 and on microfiche from 1853-1978.
Entries from 1853 to 1894 include the name of one party while entries since 1894 include the names of both parties. Entries from 1853-1922 also include the certificate number and the recorded volume and page number. Entries from 1923-1947 also include date of marriage and individual who officiated the marriage. Entries since 1947 also include the date of license issuance and omit the recorded volume and page number or the officiator's name. These records may be searched semi-alphabetically by volume (which usually includes a span of a few years).
1853-1986 - At the King County Recorder's Office, as microfilm from 1853-1975 and microfiche from 1976-1983 and 1985-1986. These are copies of the above indexes and contain the same information.
1979-present - Online on the Recorder's Office Website. The online index contains the names of the couple, the date of the marriage and the certificate number (last 6 digits of the instrument number). The website indicates a start date in 1975, yet the index actually begins in 1979. Entries are sporadic from 1979-1982 and excludes 1985 and 1986.
1968-2004 - At the Washington State Library (external link) in Tumwater. These microfiche cards index all marriages in Washington State for these years.
c. Record of Marriage Certificates, 1853-1923
| Originally, King County recorded marriages by transcribing the certificates into these ledger volumes. For some of the earliest marriages, these are the only records that still exist, since the original certificates have not survived. Since these are transcriptions of the certificates, the information contained is usually the same. (Note: because of differences in legibility, it may be helpful to check both the original certificate form and the certificate transcription.) The King County Archives holds the volumes from 1853-1888. (The Recorder’s Office has copies on microfilm.)
The Puget Sound Regional Archives holds the volumes from 1888-1923.
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Sample page of recorded marriage certificates. |
d. Lists of Filed Marriage Certificates, 1889-1916
These are periodic lists that display the marriage certificates that were filed in Probate Court (1889-1891) or with the County Clerk (1891-1916) during the given time periods (one month from 1889 to 1913 and one day from 1914 to 1916). Lists from 1889-1890 only include the names of the couple and the date of the marriage license issuance. Lists from 1891-1896 have not been kept. Lists from 1908-1913 only include names of the couple and the license number. Lists from 1914-1916 only include one surname associated with the marriage and the license number. These records do not include any unique information that cannot be found in other marriage records, but can be useful in researching marriages with missing documentation. Since these lists were usually typed, they may provide a more legible reading of the parties names compared to other handwritten marriage documentation. For records from 1897 to 1901, this series also includes correspondence and receipts from other Washington counties in situations where a couple used a King County marriage license to marry in another county or when they used a different county's license to marry in King County. The King County Archives holds these records.
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