Scottish Marriage Index
One of the stumbling blocks for any family historian is when ones ancestors have emigrated or married away from their birth parish. Whether you are tracing a sibling of your ancestors from the UK or tracing a line back to the UK, the problem is the same.
The Scottish Marriage Index (SMI) is built around a marriage where at least one spouse is Scots born. An entry will, in most cases, give four family names. The majority of marriages listed took place outside Scotland, but some are where one spouse is well away from their birth parish. As some contributors have sent considerable information, some marriages are of the children of Scottish emigrants. Such marriages link the family back to their Scottish roots.
The index may be searched using a surname only or results may be limited by specifying a forename. This may be helpful if searching for a very common surname.
When specifying forenames, it is not necessary to enter the whole forename - indeed it may be unhelpful to do so. It is best to enter only an initial or the first few letters of the forename. In this way, entering "Tho" will produce results where the forename has been given as either "Thos" and "Thomas".
Using the Index
The SMI may be freely searched by surname and (optionally) forename and will produce a listing of the details of each marriage in which a person of that name is identified as either bride or groom. The details, where provided by the submitter, will include the birthdate, birthplace and parents' names for bride and groom and the date and place of the marriage. Where additional information is available, an email link will enable users to contact either the original submitter (if he or she has given permission) or MLFHS to pursue this.
MLFHS does not guarantee the accuracy of any information given but provides access to data as supplied by contributors worldwide.
Submitting Marriages to the Index
Submissions to the SMI are welcomed. Information is entered via an online form. There is provision to accept information about the birth date, birth place and parents of bride and groom and whilst this is encouraged, if this information is not known, a marriage may still be submitted. However, an entry MUST include the full names of bride and groom and the date and place of the marriage for it to be accepted.
Submitters must also provide their name and email address so that the index manager is able to contact them in the event of an enquiry. Where permission is given, an email contact link will be given when the marriage appears in a list of search results so that the user can contact the submitter for more information. We also welcome a postal address so that in the event of a change of email address we are still able to contact the submitter.
Postal and email addresses will at no time be visible to those searching the index.
Contact MLFHS
If you have any general queries concerning the Scottish Marriage Index or wish to report a technical problem, then please click the button below. Foe enquiries concerning a specific index entry, please click the contact button associated with the entry concerned.