Article summary: Because people change their names or get married in different states, finding marriage records online can be difficult. An online search will find records in all 50 states and is the easiest way to find these records.


Some people say that our past is an indicator of what we will do in the future. This is why private investigators and detectives scour public records searching marriage records. If a person has been married multiple times, you want to know more. How were these marriages ended—by death or divorce? Was this person ever married to two people at the same time? Were they too young to know what marriage entailed and that is why they ended? Often the behavior of a person in past marriages is used in trial and future civil cases.

This is information that future spouses and investigators want to know. But sometimes this information is hard to find. What are some of the stumbling blocks to finding marriage records?

• If each of the past marriages occurred in different states, it can be difficult tracking down these marriage records. You may have to call a long list of courthouses if you are not sure where the marriage took place. And each state has different procedures for handling marriage records.
  
  
• You think the person used an alias. Unless you have a Social Security number, and these can be fake as well, it is hard to discover a ‘serial bride or groom.’ The marriage records will be recorded under different names and perhaps different ages.
  
  
• You are a genealogist searching for very old marriage records. You can find information about these online but if you need an actual copy, you may need to search the back, dusty rooms of the county courthouses. Some of the records may have been destroyed or are in very bad shape and almost unreadable.
  
  
• You don’t know when the person was married. Trying to search for marriage records without dates is difficult. You may even find the wrong marriage record if the person has been married many times!
  
  
• The marriage was annulled. If this was done, it is like the marriage never existed. Those marriage records may not be available.

The solution to finding marriage records that may be hard to find is to search the Internet. An online company can guide you through the process of finding the vital record you need. How is this done?

• You put the person’s name into the search engine. Even if you don’t have specified information, you will get a choice of people based on the data you entered. You should be able to pick out the person you are looking for based on the information given.
  
  
• You will receive information about when and where the marriage record was filed. If you need an official copy, you will learn the agency in that county that keeps marriage records. You can also view other vital records available about that person.

Using an online records search company to find vital records is also cheaper than traveling from courthouse to courthouse looking for the records. Even if you need multiple marriage records, in most cases you can search for less than $100.