St. Lawrence County Marriage Records Search

Marriage records in St. Lawrence County are maintained by the town clerks who issued each license across this vast northern New York county. The county clerk's office in Canton handles deeds, mortgages, and court records. Mary Lou Rupp is the St. Lawrence County Clerk at 48 Court Street in Canton. St. Lawrence County is the largest county in New York by land area, covering over 2,800 square miles along the Canadian border. It has 31 towns and several villages, which means marriage records are spread across many clerk offices. Knowing the right town is critical when looking for a specific record.

Where to Find St. Lawrence County Marriage Records

The St. Lawrence County Clerk's office is at 48 Court Street in Canton. Call (315) 379-2272 to reach them. The clerk handles recording of deeds, mortgages, and court records. Marriage licenses are issued by town clerks in New York, so the county clerk does not directly handle those. The county clerk may hold marriage records from the 1908 to 1935 period when state law required county-level copies.

Canton is the county seat and home to two colleges, making it one of the more active towns for marriage licenses. Massena, Potsdam, and Ogdensburg are other significant population centers. Gouverneur and the City of Ogdensburg also have busy clerk offices. With 31 towns spread across a huge area, some clerks are very remote. Towns like Piercefield, Clifton, and Clare have tiny populations and their clerks keep very limited hours.

Under Domestic Relations Law Section 15, both applicants must appear in person to get a marriage license. The fee is $40 at every clerk's office. There is a 24-hour waiting period. The license is valid for 60 days. Given the size of the county and the distances between towns, some couples choose to apply at whichever clerk has the most convenient hours or location rather than their home town.

Searching for Marriage Records

Identify which town clerk issued the license. That clerk holds the record. In a county this large, knowing the general area where the couple lived narrows things down considerably. If they were in Massena, try the Massena town clerk. Canton, Potsdam, and Gouverneur are other likely starting points depending on the part of the county.

The New York State Department of Health keeps copies of marriage certificates from 1881 onward for areas outside New York City. Mail requests go to P.O. Box 2602, Albany, NY 12220-2602, with a $30 fee. Online ordering through VitalChek costs $45 plus processing. Mail requests take 8 to 10 weeks. Priority processing is an extra $15 and shortens the wait to roughly two weeks. For a county with 31 towns, the state option can save a lot of phone calls if you do not know which clerk to contact.

The New York State Archives maintains marriage indexes from 1881 forward. Records more than 50 years old are publicly accessible. The St. Lawrence County Historical Association in Canton has local history materials including some marriage records and church registers from earlier periods. Their research center is open to visitors and can be helpful for genealogy work in the region.

Town Clerks Across St. Lawrence County

The 31 towns in St. Lawrence County are Brasher, Canton, Clare, Clifton, Colton, De Kalb, De Peyster, Edwards, Fine, Fowler, Gouverneur, Hammond, Hermon, Hopkinton, Lawrence, Lisbon, Louisville, Macomb, Madrid, Massena, Morristown, Norfolk, Oswegatchie, Parish, Piercefield, Pierrepont, Pitcairn, Plain, Russell, Stockholm, and Waddington. That is a lot of clerks to track. Each issues marriage licenses and keeps records for their jurisdiction.

Many of the smaller town clerks are only open a day or two per week. Pitcairn, Clare, and Piercefield are among the most remote towns in the state. Call ahead and confirm hours before making a long drive. Canton, Massena, Gouverneur, and Potsdam have the most accessible clerk offices with regular weekday hours. The Ogdensburg city clerk also handles a fair volume of licenses for the western part of the county.

The $40 license fee and $10 copy fee are standard everywhere. Bring valid photo ID, proof of age, and documentation of any prior marriages. Both people must appear in person at the chosen clerk's office. The process takes about 15 to 20 minutes. After the ceremony, the officiant returns the signed license to the issuing clerk for official filing.

Record Access and Historical Research

Certified copies of records less than 50 years old are restricted to those named on the certificate, legal representatives, or close family. Records older than 50 years open to the public. St. Lawrence County's border location means some marriages involved cross-border couples from Ontario, Canada. Those marriages would only show up in New York records if the license was obtained in New York.

The county's long history along the St. Lawrence River means marriage records stretch back well into the 1800s in some towns. Church records from Catholic, Protestant, and other congregations can fill gaps from before 1881 when civil registration began. The St. Lawrence County Historical Association and the Canton Free Library both have genealogy collections that include local marriage-related materials.

Cities in St. Lawrence County

St. Lawrence County does not have any cities that meet the population threshold for a dedicated page. Ogdensburg is the only incorporated city, and its city clerk handles marriage licenses for the area.

Nearby Counties

St. Lawrence County borders several counties in northern New York and shares an international border with Canada.