A Visual History of Johnson County Marriage License Designs
Explore Marriage License Designs Through the Years
Select an era to view marriage license designs from that period.
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About This Collection
To keep the galleries focused on major design milestones, versions involving only subtle changes to borders, decorative artwork, typography, wording placement, or text layout are not shown separately.
Founding Years
1860–1899
Marriage records were recorded primarily by hand in bound record books, creating an official county record of each marriage. Six distinct record styles have been identified for this era. Three representative designs are featured below.
Printed & Decorative Licenses
1905–1920
Marriage records evolved into standardized printed licenses issued to the couple. These designs featured elaborate borders, illustrations, ornamental lettering, and designated spaces for handwritten information, signatures, and official seals. Five distinct marriage license styles have been identified for this era. Four representative designs are featured below.
Modern Recordkeeping
1930–1996
Handwritten entries continued, but typewriters and preprinted fields gradually improved consistency and readability, and efficiency, while many licenses retained decorative borders and traditional imagery. Eight distinct marriage license styles have been identified for this era. Four representative designs are featured below.