Philadelphia Roman Catholic Parish Marriages

Each result will provide a transcript and image of the original marriage register from the Archdiocese of Philadelphia. The records currently included in this collection span from 1800 up to 1917.

• First name(s)

• Last name

• Sex

• Birth year

• Age

• Status

• Denomination

• Father’s first name(s)

• Mother’s first name(s)

• Marriage year

• Marriage date

• Spouse’s first name(s)

• Spouse’s last name

• Spouse’s birth year

• Spouse’s age

• Spouse’s status

• Spouse’s denomination

• Spouse’s father’s first name(s)

• Spouse’s mother’s first name(s)

• Parish

• Deanery (group of parishes presided over by a dean)

• Town

• County

• Diocese

The images of the original registers may be able to provide additional details. Please note, however, that most Roman Catholic registers are in Latin. See below in our search tips for help in deciphering the Latin in these records.

Additional information that you may find from the images includes dates and locations of the couples’ baptisms. Catholic priests were charged with keeping records of such vital events for their parishioners. This means that on a baptism record, for example, a later marriage would be noted as well. If the image attached to your ancestor’s transcript is actually from a baptism register, this explains why. If a spouse’s name was not transcribed, be sure to check the image, as the name was likely included on the original register.

These records are from the Archdiocese of Philadelphia. The diocese covers Bucks County, Chester County, Delaware County, Montgomery County, and Philadelphia County. Originally formed as a diocese in 1808 by Pope Pius VII, it was made a metropolitan archdiocese in 1875. The Catholic Church has had a presence in the area since as far back as William Penn’s founding of the Province of Pennsylvania in 1681.

The first Roman Catholic church built in Philadelphia was Old St Joseph’s. It was erected in 1733 and dedicated on 9 February 1839. Marriage registers from Old St Joseph’s from 1908 to 1917 are included in this collection. The Marquis de Lafayette and the Comte de Rochambeau both attended Old St Joseph’s whilst in America during the American Revolution.

The counties included in this collection are Bucks, Delaware, Montgomery, Philadelphia North, and Philadelphia South. Chester County is not included.

• Begin by searching on a name only.

• Refine and narrow your search by adding marriage year.

• If you have a general idea where your ancestor lived or married, you can narrow your search by parish, town, or county.

Some key words to be familiar with in these records (the Latin is in parentheses):

• Date and location of baptism (datum et locus baptismi)

• Fathers (patres)

• Marriage date (datum matrim)

• Name and residence (nomina et residentia)

• Priest’s name (nomen sacerdotis)

• Witnesses (testes)