Indiana, 1851-1900 Marriage Index

This data set contains information on approximately 292,000 individuals who were married in Indiana between 1851 and 1900. Indiana was one of only three states whose counties issued marriage applications prior to the Civil War. The first law regulating marriages in Indiana was implemented in 1788 and marriage licenses became mandatory in 1800. If an Indiana ancestor's marriage record cannot be located in Indiana, you may wish to check the Cincinnati marriage records since many couples from Ohio, Kentucky, and Indiana were wed there. While statewide registration of marriages was not required until 1958, prior to 1940 it was necessary for a couple to obtain a license from the county in which the female resided.

Generally, you'll learn the following information about an individual included in this data set:

• Full name
• Name of spouse
• Marriage date
• Marriage location
• Family History Library microfilm roll number where you may be able to learn more information about the marriage or simply verify the information provided here.

It is suggested that you research with copies of the original records to glean additional genealogical information. Often, a copy of an original marriage record will provide ages, dates of birth, residences, parents' names, or previous marriages.

Notes on Using this Online Data Set

In order to provide you with as much information as possible about a marriage, it may occasionally be listed more than once. When two listings are available for a couple, it is most likely because one listing records the filing of a marriage application while the other records issuance of a marriage license. Multiple listings could also indicate that the couple filed for an application in one location and were married in another (most often near other relatives) or that names were spelled differently on an application and a license.

Please note that the date listed for each entry is most often a couple's marriage date. However, when no marriage date was given, the date of the license was substituted.

In some records, you will find three question marks in place of the given name or surname. This indicates that the name was not listed on the original record. You may also find question marks in place of missing letters.

A question mark after a name indicates that the name spelling was unclear. You may also occasionally find the same record listed in the index under two different name spellings. Please note that not all unusual and uncertain names were noted by question marks, so always be sure to check under various spellings if you are having trouble locating a name.