Estimate a Marriage Date and Place[edit | edit source]
Find Your Ancestor in All Possible Census Records: Find a Date[edit | edit source]
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- Census records 1900 and moving forward in time often list a marriage year or the age at first marriage.
- Find the birth year of the first child and estimate that the marriage took place one to two years before that birth.
- Marriage age for a female's first marriage was about 16-21.
- Marriage age for a male's first marriage was about 18-25.
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Find Your Ancestor in All Possible Census Records: Find a Place[edit | edit source]
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- Marriages most often took place where the bride and her family lived.
- Find the state and county where her family lived in the census closest to her marriage date.
- Next look in the state and county where the groom lived.
- Find the state where the first child was born.
- Other records may suggest a state and county where either the bride or groom lived about the time you expect them to have married.
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Your ancestor's actual marriage date or place may vary widely from these general guidelines. These are guidelines for rough estimates.
- When working with many generations of a family, always begin with younger generations and work backward in time.
