Civil registration of marriages began in Oregon in 1850. They were not registered in Multnomah County, until the creation of the county in 1854. For the few years before that, civil registrations of marriages occurring in the area which would become Multnomah County were recorded in the parent county, either Clackamas County (area east of the Willamette river) or Washington County (area west of the Willamette river).

Church or newspapers were the only recorders of vital records for the very earliest marriages, before civil registrations, or before 1850.

Obtaining original copies of Multnomah County Marriage Records

After microfilming by the county, the custody of the original Multnomah County Marriage Records was transferred to the  Genealogical Forum of Oregon, Inc.  Contact them to obtain copies of the originals.

Copies from the Microfilm can be obtained at a number of repositories, including:

Only the year and the parties involved are included in this abstract. Please consult the original record for for additional material, which might include the date, place, and the officiate of the ceremony; the witnesses; residences, ages, or marital status of the parties.