Welcome to the . . . . 
Illinois Statewide Marriage Index, 1763–1900

An Ongoing Project of the Illinois State Archives & 
the Illinois State Genealogical Society

Entering Search Criteria
Enter the groom's or bride's name in the format: last name comma space first name space middle initial (for example, Smith, John D). The first name and middle initial may be omitted to accomplish a surname search. Searches are not case sensitive: you may use any combination of upper and lower case letters. The following types of searches may be conducted:

• Enter a groom's name only to return a list of marriages for the groom you enter.
• Enter a bride's name only to return a list of marriages for the bride you enter.
• Enter the groom's and bride's names to return a list of marriages meeting both criteria.
• Use the location option box with any of the above search methods to designate a STATEWIDE search or a search limited to one county.

Tips on Using the Illinois Statewide Marriage Index

• If you are using Netscape, version 4.79 or below, it may be necessary to select a smaller or larger text size to align the column headings in your browser depending on your monitor's screen resolution. Text size can be changed under the View menu by clicking Increase Font (Ctrl+]) or Decrease Font (Ctrl+[).
• Remember to scroll to the right of the results screen to view all of the data for each marriage.
• To print the list of marriages from the results screen, set your printer's page orientation to landscape.
• Illinois marriages were not required to be performed in the county of the bride's or groom's residence. If your search does not find a marriage in the county you expected it to occur, try selecting STATEWIDE in the location option box.

Back to Illinois Statewide Marriage Index page