Iowa, U.S., Marriage Records, 1880-1947

Civil registration of births, marriages, and deaths began 1 July 1880 in Iowa. This collection includes indexed images of marriage records held at the State Archives of Iowa for the years 1880 through 1947 for all counties.

Some of the marriage returns will be on certificate forms, while others were entered into registers. Details you may find include the following:

• groom’s name
• bride's name
• bride and groom’s current ages, or age at next birthday
• marriage application date
• marriage date
• marriage county
• places of residence for both parties
• occupations
• how many marriages for each party
• places of birth for the bride and groom
• color and nationality
• parents’ names for the bride and groom (including mother’s maiden name)
• location of the marriage
• name of the officiant
• names of witnesses

You may also find affidavits attesting to the age of the bride or groom, with permission from a guardian to marry.

Updates:
2 Jun 2020: Added new records from 1941 to 1945.