The long awaited King County Marriage records from 1855 to 1948 are now available online at the Washington State Digital Archives. As of October 1, records up to 1948 have been scanned and indexed and are searchable on the website. Although the project will not be complete until the end of the year, Marriage Certificates from 1855-1990 and Marriage Returns from 1891-1947 will be available and searchable as they are indexed, beginning with the earliest years. The collection contains over 1 million records.

Marriage Certificates, filed with the County Auditor following the marriage ceremony, provide marriage license number, date, and county; place and date of marriage; names and county of residence of bride and groom; names of witnesses; and name, residence, and official station of the person performing the marriage.

Marriage Returns, returned to the County Auditor from the person performing the marriage ceremony, contain more information than Marriage Certificates. Marriage Returns generally provide the names and birthplaces of the bride and groom and their parents; residence, age, race, number of previous marriages, and occupation of both parties; place and date of marriage; name and official station of the person performing the marriage; and names of witnesses.

For more information about King County marriage records program, contact Washington State Digital Archives at (509) 235-7509 or [email protected].