Reliable Tools & Resources Of California Marriage Records

By Joshua Lunar


Before the Internet became available to the general public, acquiring public information such as vital records was the kind of task that only professionals were equipped to handle. And if you factor in a state like California that ranks first in the country in terms of total population, you can see the dilemma in obtaining California marriage records that most of the people back then were facing. Fortunately, getting these types of information these days is no longer as problematic as it was in the past.

Marriage records in the state of California are collected, stored and maintained by the California Department of Public Health's Office of Vital Records. Marriage documents that are ruled confidential are only available at the county office where the marriage license was issued. And due to the California Public Records Act and the Freedom of Information Act of 1966, any member of the public has free access to any public record, for viewing and replication purposes.

When you talk about state marriage records, there are actually two ways to acquire them: free-of-charge or fee-based. Using government information services for access to free marriage records is typically considered traditional even though there are, in actuality, administrative fees involved. It may sound clich but these fees are necessary for the proper maintenance and protection of the vital records that such government agencies are responsible for.

In contrast, fee-based sources such as commercial record providers and data search websites are more convenient and practical, to be honest. In fact, getting access to California marriage records through online record providers is considered by many experienced researchers as the more efficient option. With a type of service that is of the highest standards, you can be certain that the information you are getting is comprehensive and accurate.

With the availability of the Internet and the growing interest towards vital records, commercial record providers have undeniably garnered significant following among genealogists and determined researchers. With an all-encompassing database that houses vital records from every state in the country, people who have tried such services will agree that using these online record providers for vital records research is more efficient and practical.

Opting for this type of service is probably the best decision you'll ever make as far as vital records are concerned. And even though there are data search websites out there that offer free marriage records, the information that they can offer is still limited, not as inclusive as you would want. But if you are serious about collecting accurate marital information, then the one-time membership fee should not be a problem, especially when you get unlimited access to the site's database as an exchange. With this type of resource, you will never have to visit multiple websites again just to gather enough information for your research.




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