Oregon, U.S., State Marriages, 1906-1971

Source Information

Ancestry.com. Oregon, U.S., State Marriages, 1906-1971 [database on-line]. Lehi, UT, USA: Ancestry.com Operations, Inc., 2018.
Original data: Oregon State Archives. Oregon, Marriage Records, 1906-1910, 1946-1971. Salem, Oregon.

About Oregon, U.S., State Marriages, 1906-1971

General collection information

This collection contains records of marriage for individuals from Oregon between 1906 and 1971. All documents were recorded on pre-printed forms. Most are typed, but older records may have been hand-written. All records are in English. Marriage records from Oregon are accessible to the public after 50 years.

Using this collection

Records in the collection may include the following information:

  • Name of person
  • Gender
  • Race
  • Residence
  • Occupation
  • Birth date
  • Birthplace
  • Age at marriage
  • Marital status prior to marriage
  • Marriage date and place
  • Name of spouse
  • Age of spouse
  • Marriage certificate number

    • Can't find a record? These records were registered by the county where the event occurred–not where the person resided. Consider checking the counties surrounding your family member's home. If you know your family member's religious affiliation, try searching local church records. Local newspapers are also an excellent resource, as they frequently publish local engagements and marriages.

    You can purchase an official marriage certificate copy at VitalChek.

    Collection in context

    Most counties in Oregon began registering marriages upon incorporation. In some cases, marriages were registered as early as 1845. Oregon became a state in 1859; however, marriages weren't recorded on a statewide level until 1906. Ministers or officiants reported the marriages on "return" documents, which would then be sent to the county clerk. The county clerk would then register each marriage and send copies of the records to the Oregon State Health division.

    Bibliography

    Ancestry.com. "Using Death Records to Find Hidden Children and Married Daughters." Last modified March 28, 2016. https://www.ancestry.com/corporate/blog/using-death-records-to-find-hidden-children-and-married-daughters.

    Cdc.gov "The Organization of the Civil Registration System of the United States." Last modified May 1980. https://www.cdc.gov/nchs/data/isp/008_the_organization_of_the_civil_registation_system_of_the_united_states.pdf.

    Cdc.gov "Where to Write for Vital Records - Oregon." Last modified January 18, 2018. https://www.cdc.gov/nchs/w2w/oregon.htm.

    Oregon Secretary of State. "About Vital Records." Last Modified August 5, 2021. https://sos.oregon.gov/archives/Pages/records/aids-vitalrecords.aspx.

    Powell, Kimberly “10 Types of Marriage Records.” ThoughtCo. Last Modified October 14, 2019. https://www.thoughtco.com/marriage-records-types-4077752.

    Updates:
    10 Mar 2021: Added 813,134 new records.