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Marriages that took place between 1763 and 1900 have been kept in records by the Illinois State Archives in collaboration with the Illinois State Genealogical Society. This was in effort to preserve the historical public marriage documents of Illinois residents. Over 1 million of such files can be found which due to the efforts of these two entities, are they accessible by the public.

There is no better way than to make these available to people by using the online method. Additionally, records of this sort are available from before as well as 1901. Indeed, this goes up right to the current date on the index. No longer will one need to visit a government agency for such information with the benefits of this online process. As long as a computer is available with internet access, then marriage records from Illinois can be found.

The County Clerks are the ones responsible for this type of information which they obtain from the original marriage records that entails marriage registers, certificated, licenses and other useful information. The County Genealogical societies also contribute in this way along with private citizens where they upload such documents voluntarily on the internet.

Typically, the information consists of the personal particulars of the marrying couple, their parents’, names of witnesses and officiant of the marriage and the date and place of the occasion. Although a ceremony or wedding is not mandatory, it must be in the county for which the marriage license is granted if one is conducted but neither of the couple need to be a local resident of the county. Therefore, if a search fails in the known county of residence, it’s worth a shot to extend it to a statewide one instead.

The Illinois Statewide Marriage Index lists information which have been officially kept since they were first documented and filed. The Great Fire of Chicago in 1871 did destroy a good many public records but the Illinois Regional Archives Depository System (IRAD) today still has in its holdings of more than 70 of the 102 counties in Illinois. The surest bet are the individual County Offices and they are the only authorized agencies for certified copies but fees are required.

Illinois marriages records are public records. As such, they are freely available from commercial information providers. The top tier of such private data-houses is highly professional. On top of public sources, they also have access to proprietary databases and networks. Competition is intense so only bona-fide can hold their own. This makes for good value for money. It’s no wonder why this form of information search is gaining popularity.

There’s no one-size-fits-all for Illinois Marriage Records Online service. Visit us at Public Marriage Records for information and pointers to help you pick your right one for you.