Knox County Archives provides online Marriage Index
By Jeaneane Payne
You can now locate Knox County marriage records on the Internet with the Knox County Archives Marriage Index. To locate a marriage record, you simply enter the bride or groom's last name and click on the Submit button. If you search under the bride's name, your results will show the bride's first and last name, the groom's full name, the marriage date, and license number. The web address where you can access the records is knoxrooms.sirsi.net.
A 1901 Knox County, TN marriage certificate
The marriage record generally consists of a marriage license and marriage bond/application. In Knox County between the years 1792-1929, a marriage bond in the amount of $1250 was required from the intended groom. The marriage bond affirmed there was no moral or legal reason why the couple could not be married. The bondsman, or surety, was often a brother, father, uncle or friend of the bride or groom, someone willing to vouch for the groom and accept the liability of the $1250 bond. In 1929, the marriage bond system was changed to the application system that we are familiar with today.
The Knox County Archives are located on the second floor of the East Tennessee History Center, 601 S. Gay Street, Knoxville TN.
