For the purpose of preserving historical public marriage records of Illinois residents, the Illinois State Archives tied up with the Illinois State Genealogical Society in joint effort to compile records of marriages that took place in Illinois from 1763 to 1900. More than a million records have been filed and it is the aim of these two organizations to make them readily accessible by people who want to trace them.

One of the main objectives is to avail them to the public in an easy and convenient way and there's no better way than online. Online Illinois marriage records are not restricted to only pre-1901 marriages. They are available for marriages right up through the current index date. People now don't have to travel to a particular government office for information as they can conduct a search on Illinois marriage records online. All that's needed is a computer with internet access.

The main source of information is the offices of the respective County Clerks. It is derived from the original public marriage records which comprise of marriage registers, licenses, certificates and other documents and information. Information is also contributed by the county Genealogical societies and private citizens and can be uploaded directly by volunteers through the internet.

Illinois public marriage records include the names of the groom and the bride, the date and county where the marriage took place, name of the conducting official of the ceremony and marriage license details. If there had been multiple marriages by either of the party, or both, they will all show up as long as they occurred in the state of Illinois and are on its marriage index.

All public marriage records in Illinois are listed on the Illinois Statewide Marriage Index. Original marital records or microfilm copies for several of them are kept under the holding of the Illinois Regional Archives Depository System (IRAD). Uncertified copies of marriages of more than 70 of the 102 counties in Illinois are available at IRAD. Those which are not can be requested directly from the County Clerks. They are also the only officers authorized to provide certified copies of marriage records of their county.

Another increasingly popular option for marriage record search is the commercial record providers. These private enterprises operate record databases on a professional basis. On top of public sources such as the Illinois State Archives, universities and Genealogical societies, they also tap into private and proprietary networks. By and large, they are hassle-free and their coverage is nationwide. This is particularly handy when time is a factor and multiple states are concerned.