Unveiling Your Wedding Date: A Guide For Minnesota Couples

If you're trying to find out your wedding date in Minnesota, there are a few ways to go about it. Marriage records are kept by the county clerk for each county and begin at the creation of the county. You can request a search for a fee from the county clerk if you know the county of marriage. If you know the exact date and place of marriage, you can order a copy of the marriage record for a fee from the county clerk. The Minnesota State Archives also holds marriage records for certain counties for select years, and you can search their library catalog by county name and the search term marriage. Additionally, you can search for marriage records using the online index Minnesota Official Marriage System (MOMS). This index will provide you with information such as the date and county of marriage.

Marriage records are public in Minnesota

Marriage records in Minnesota begin in counties formed in the 1850s, with a few counties, such as Ramsey and Washington, having records dating back to 1849. These records may include applications for licenses to marry, licenses issued by court officials, and returns of certificates from officiants. Records generally include the names and residences of the couple, sometimes their ages, the dates of application and license issuance, the date and place of marriage, and the name of the officiant.

The Minnesota State Archives holds marriage records for certain counties for select years, including Faribault (1857-1917), Hennepin (1853-1996), Kandiyohi (1860-1988), Monongalia (1867-1870), Saint Louis (1871-1944), and Washington (1849-1952).

For marriages that occurred before 1958, records are kept by the county clerk for each county. If you know the county of marriage, you can request a search for a fee from the county clerk. For marriages after 1958, while county clerks began sending copies to the state, these state copies are inaccessible, and you will need to request copies from local authorities.

Certified copies of marriage certificates are restricted

In Minnesota, marriage records are kept by the county clerk for each county and begin at the creation of the county. Since 1958, county clerks have been sending copies to the state, but these state copies are inaccessible; it is necessary to request copies from local authorities. The Minnesota State Archives has marriage records for certain counties for select years. These include:

• Faribault (1857-1917)
• Hennepin (1853-1996)
• Kandiyohi (1860-1988)
• Monongalia (1867-1870)
• Saint Louis (1871-1944)
• Washington (1849-1952)

Additionally, the State Archives also holds Justice of the Peace marriage records for certain counties for select years. To determine what is available in the county records, search the library catalog with the search term "justice of the peace" and the county name.

The State Archives also holds a series of original territorial marriage records (1843-49, 1858) from territorial St. Croix County, Wisconsin, for marriages that occurred in areas east of the Mississippi River (which includes areas that later became Minnesota).

To find out the exact date and place of marriage, you can also search for marriage information in other records. If you know the county of marriage, you can request a search for a fee from the county clerk.

Search the Minnesota Official Marriage System (MOMS)

The Minnesota Official Marriage System (MOMS) is an online service that allows the general public to search for and locate official marriage information. It is also designed to direct users to the county that holds the custodial marriage record. MOMS was created to benefit county offices and licensing centres by using a central system to unify all county offices in the preservation of the record, for internal searching capabilities, and the creation of the marriage record.

MOMS is funded and supported by the Minnesota county government. It is a collaboration of Minnesota Local Vital Record Registrars of Minnesota counties. Availability of records varies by county and participation by county is voluntary. Lac Qui Parle County, Lake of the Woods County, and Yellow Medicine County are among those that participate in the system. However, Scott County and Washington County do not.

Marriage certificates can be searched by applicant name, county, or date. Copies of a record can be requested by submitting an online form. There is no cost to search for a record, but there is a processing fee to request a copy.

MOMS only provides information such as the date and county of marriage. To access the marriage record, you will need to contact the relevant county.

Marriage records are held by the county clerk

If you're trying to find out your wedding date in Minnesota, you'll need to know that marriage records are held by the county clerk. The Minnesota Office of Vital Records does not record marriages or divorces.

Marriage records in Minnesota vary in form and content depending on the time period and the jurisdiction in which the marriage was recorded. The Laws of Minnesota of 1849 included an "act regulating marriages" in the state. Requirements included that the certificate be sent to the clerk of the county district court in which the marriage was solemnized and be recorded by the clerk. Records begin in counties formed in the 1850s, and a few counties—Ramsey and Washington—have records dating back to 1849.

These records may consist of an application for a license to marry, a license issued by the clerk of the district court, court administrator, or other county official giving permission for an authorized officiant (usually a member of the clergy, justice of the peace, or judge) to solemnize the marriage, and a return of the certificate from the officiant noting that a marriage had been solemnized. Records generally include the names and residence (by county) of the bride and groom, occasionally their respective ages, the date of the application and license, the date the marriage occurred, the place of marriage, and the name of the officiant.

The State Archives also holds a series of original territorial marriage records (1843-49, 1858) from territorial St. Croix County, Wisconsin, for marriages that occurred in areas east of the Mississippi River (which includes areas that later became Minnesota). Additionally, the State Archives also hold Justice of the Peace marriage records for certain counties for select years. Search the library catalog with the search term "justice of the peace" and the county name to determine what is available in the county records.

Excerpts from nineteenth-century marriage records for some of Minnesota's counties have been published in local and state genealogical journals.

The Minnesota State Archives has marriage records for certain counties for select years. Here is a list of county marriage records available in the Library:

• Faribault (1857-1917)
• Hennepin (1853-1996)
• Kandiyohi (1860-1988)
• Monongalia (1867-1870)
• Saint Louis (1871-1944)
• Washington (1849-1952)

Additionally, you can search for marriage records using the online index Minnesota Official Marriage System (MOMS). This index will provide you with useful information (such as the date and county of marriage) that you will need to access a marriage record. Please note that every county has its own specific date range, and some counties are not included at this point on this index (such as Ramsey county).

Marriage records include marriage licenses and certificates

Marriage records in Minnesota vary in form and content depending on the time period and the jurisdiction in which the marriage was recorded. The Laws of Minnesota of 1849 included an "act regulating marriages", which required that the certificate be sent to the clerk of the county district court in which the marriage was solemnized and be recorded by the clerk. Marriage records include marriage licenses and certificates, and these generally include the names and residences (by county) of the couple, their ages, the date of the application and license, the date the marriage occurred, the place of marriage, and the name of the officiant.

Marriage records begin in counties formed in the 1850s, and some counties (Ramsey and Washington) have records dating back to 1849. The State Archives also holds a series of original territorial marriage records (1843-49, 1858) from territorial St. Croix County, Wisconsin, for marriages that occurred in areas east of the Mississippi River (which includes areas that later became Minnesota).

The Minnesota State Archives has marriage records for certain counties for select years, including Faribault (1857-1917), Hennepin (1853-1996), Kandiyohi (1860-1988), Monongalia (1867-1870), Saint Louis (1871-1944), and Washington (1849-1952).

To access marriage records, you can search the library catalog by county name and the search term "marriage" (e.g. "Ramsey county marriage"). Additionally, the Minnesota Official Marriage System (MOMS) is a searchable database of marriage certificates that can be used to find marriage records. MOMS is managed by Minnesota counties and can be used to identify the county that is the official custodian of the record.

If you know the county of marriage, you can request a search for a fee from the county clerk. If you know the exact date and place of marriage, you can order a copy of the marriage record for a fee from the county clerk.

Frequently asked questions