Source Information

Ancestry.com. St. Louis, Missouri, U.S., Marriage Index, 1804-1876 [database on-line]. Provo, UT, USA: Ancestry.com Operations Inc, 2000.
Original data: St. Louis Genealogical Society, comp.. St. Louis Marriage Index, 1804-76. St. Louis, MO, USA: St. Louis Genealogical Society, 1999.

About St. Louis, Missouri, U.S., Marriage Index, 1804-1876

During the 1800s, many people traveled through St. Louis on their journey west. Some lingered for only a day or two, others stayed long enough to record a document, and still others terminated their journey in St. Louis. This database was compiled by members of the St. Louis Genealogical Society and was based on records in the St. Louis City Hall. The data includes more than 150,00 entries, covering almost 77,000 marriages. Each entry includes the surname and the given name(s) of each spouse, the date of the marriage, and a volume and page reference. The records begin in 1804, when St. Louis was part of the Louisiana Purchase, progress through Missouri statehood in 1821, and conclude in 1876, when the city of St. Louis became an independent city and separated itself from the county of St. Louis.

Other than the following two exceptions, the volume and page number refer to the original books found at the St. Louis City Hall.

Marriage Contracts Found in Deed Books, 1764-1804

This index also contains contracts that were made between 1764, the founding of Pierre Laclede Liquests' fur trading post, and 1804, the beginning of U.S. rule for this region. These contracts, recorded in the city archives along with deeds for land, are in their original French or Spanish and are accompanied by English translation. Usually of great length, these records reveal a great deal of information, including names of parents, property settlements, heirs, prior and current places of residence, and other personal items. The records in the database that fall under this category are indicated in this index by the letter "D" preceeding the volume/page reference. These references are to the volume and page of the deed records, not the marriage records.

Marriage Records Found in St. Louis County Records

Recently, the St. Louis County Recorder's office reviewed the marriage licenses it issued since the time of the separation of the city of St. Louis from St. Louis County in 1876. Book 1, which was once presumed lost, has since been located, and part of that information has been entered into the St. Louis County's computer database. Due to computer program limitations all of the records could not be entered. It was discovered that a number of pre-1876 marriages were recorded in the county's records by clergy after 1876, when they should have been recorded in the St. Louis City Recorder's Office. These records have all been included in this index and are so indicated by the letter "C" preceeding the volume/page reference.

Although St. Louis City has a list of these pre-1876 marriage records, the County has the actual record. If you wish to obtain a copy, contact the St. Louis County Recorder of Deeds, 41 South Central Avenue, Clayton MO 63105. Send a check or money order payable to Recorder of Deeds for $2.00 (photocopy) or $9.00 (certified copy), full names of both parties, the year of marriage and a long, self-addressed, stamped envelope. Please do not contact the St. Louis Genealogical Society for follow-up, as they cannot provide any additional information.

To purchase a copy of this index contact the St. Louis Genealogical Society at its Web site. For more information on the data you can contact City Hall.