BIRTHS 1 July 1860 - 30 June 1915 The registration of births in Philadelphia City and County began on 1 July 1860 under the provisions of an Act of the Pennsylvania Assembly approved on 8 March 1860. Under the provisions of this act, the birth records from 1860 to 1904 were to include the full name of the child, sex and color (race), date and place of birth, full name of the father and mother, the father's occupation, the name and address of doctor or midwife making the report, the date of the certificate and the date of registration. Unfortunately for genealogists, only the mother's first name is given on these records, not her full maiden name. ... Continued on the PCA Genealogical Resources page: http://www.phila.gov/phils/Docs/Inventor/genealgy.htm It helps to know what is & is not available, and I find this page very helpful. Marriages prior to 1860 should be searched for in church records and/or family bibles. There are compilations of records as well, and though not a primary source, they can be very helpful in leading to that source. Also, one thing that can be of help is searching the GSP and HSP catalogs for the family name. Good luck! Sandy0412@aol.com wrote: Hello, is anyone familiar with whether or not there are recordings of Philadelphia marriages in registers prior to 1860, and if they are available to the public? I am aware that registers started being kept about 1860 as a result of the civil war, however, I have many marriages to research between 1850 - 1860. --------------------------------- Ahhh...imagining that irresistible "new car" smell? Check outnew cars at Yahoo! Autos.