[or-roots] delayed postings on marriage record research at the State Archives

[SAWYER Layne G]

OR-Rooters,

Sorry for the delay in posting the rest of this series on researching marriage records at the State Archives.  Below is the third installment.  I hope you find it helpful.  The attachment is the image of the marriage return

RESEARCHING MARRIAGE RECORDS IN THE OREGON STATE ARCHIVES - PART 3

MARRIAGE RETURNS, 1946-1965

The larger set of marriage returns currently encompasses a twenty year period beginning in 1946 and today's post features an example of a marriage return from this record series. As you can see that these records provide more detail than the example I posted yesterday, including the bride and groom's dates of birth, and the full names of their parents.

Locating records in the 1946-1965 marriage returns is trickier than the earlier record series, as they are not part of the Oregon Historical Records Index on our web site.  If you belong to ancestry.com, you can search a statewide marriage index that includes the years covered in this set of records . There is also a microfilm version of that same index created by the Health Division that you can search here in the Archives reference room, or that you may find available in other places that provide Oregon family history research resources.

It's important to remember that in both sets of records, we cannot guarantee that every possible piece of information was recorded in any given marriage return.  In some cases you may find that certain pieces of data were left blank by the state when completing these forms.

HOW TO OBTAIN A COPY OF A MARRIAGE RETURN FROM THE ARCHIVES

You can call us with your request at (503) 373-0701, extension 1 or contact us via e-mail (reference.archives at state.or.us<mailto:reference.archives at state.or.us>) and we'll be happy to assist you with your request. You can also visit the Archives, Monday-Friday, 8:00 am to 12:00 pm and 1:00 pm to 4:45 pm, and view the records in person in the reference room.

WHAT ABOUT THE YEARS 1911-1945?

The marriage returns for these years remain in the custody of the Oregon Health Authority Vital Records Office, and you can contact them to request a copy of a marriage return from those years.

WHAT IF THE MARRIAGE RECORD IS NOT AT THE ARCHIVES?

It's important to realize that we do not have ALL of Oregon's county marriage records for any given time period.  In some cases, we have no county marriage records for certain counties.  For others, we have some, depending on the dates involved.  Speaking very generally, when we do have county marriage records, they tend to be older (the 1800's to the mid 1900's, for example).

If it's determined that we do not have the county marriage record you're looking for, the county office that most often has custody of those records is the county clerk and we are happy to provide you with their contact information.  You can also check the Oregon Historical County Records Inventory at http://arcweb.sos.state.or.us/pages/records/local/county/inventories.html . The inventory will give detailed information about marriage records for each county whether they are at the Archives or still with the County.



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