Wednesday, September 18, 2013

Oklahoma Public Marriage Records

By Ben Kingsley


For those who are doing research on their family background, vital records pose a great source of facts as these contain information such as the married parties' background, social status, parents, place of residence as well as occupation during the time. Vital records such as births and deaths are usually available from the States' Health Department whereas marriage and divorce records are available from the county clerk where it was issued or granted. Oklahoma marriage records are available from the clerk of the county and historical records are available from the Oklahoma Historical Society. Requests can also be made to the State's Office and will be forwarded to the county.

US marriage records are often recorded by the county from the time it was first established and as such, many records date back to 1800's. For those requesting for records from the county clerk, one can find several records including marriage bonds, licenses, certificates and affidavits available. To request for copies, one can call, fax or visit the County Clerk Office. Fees collected are standardized, although some counties might charge for other services.

For residents of Oklahoma, records are available from the Oklahoma County Courthouse. The Clerk Office has 175 volumes indexed and this ranges from 1889 up to 1951. The records contain the marriage licenses, certificates of marriage and affidavit of marriage applications. Research requests and copy fees are charged depending on whether the person is a resident or not. For residents, the charge is $20 and for non-residents, it is $30. Other charges include $1 for faxed, computer and microfilmed copies of the records. Standard mailing costs about $.25 per request. Express delivery is available only for Choctaw-Chicksaw marriage records only and costs $10.

For other counties such as Pittsburg and Washington County, marriage records are available from the McAlester and Bartlesville County Clerk Office, respectively. Each marriage record costs about $15 each and requests can be made through online, walk-in or via standard mail.

Unlike divorce and criminal records, access to marriage records is not restricted. Researchers looking for marriage records in Jefferson County would find the records available for their perusal at the Waurika Court Clerk Office. Request fee is the same as those of other County office. For older records, one can also check them out at the Oklahoma Historical Society (OHS) as well as with Southwest Oklahoma Genealogical Society (SOGS). Records for Jackson County are maintained at the Althus Court Clerk whereas those who want to obtain records from Cherokee County have to visit the Tahlequah County Clerk. Old records are also maintained by OHS. Fees and other charges vary as well and orders can be processed online, in person and by standard mail.

Other ways to obtain marriage records free and conveniently is with the use of commercial public research sites. These online sites allow an individual to search for birth, marriage, death and divorce records as well as some arrest or criminal records free. This is highly recommended as one can easily access the records without having to wait few days to receive them or go to the county clerk to request for copies.




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