The Southern Churchman, a weekly journal representing the evangelical thought within the Protestant Episcopal Church in the United States of America, was founded in 1835 by the Rev. William Fitzhugh Lee in Richmond, Virginia. This work, the Index to Marriage Notices in the Southern Churchman points to a recording of the marriages, over a period of 106 years, of approximately between six and seven thousand persons, most of who were either members of the Protestant Episcopal Church in Virginia, or otherwise directly connected with it, or connected with it through descent from Virginia Episcopalians.

The marriages are arranged alphabetically and, for clarity and convenience, a double entry is given for every marriage notice, one under the name of the groom, the other under the maiden name of the bride. Information provided in each entry include the names of the bride and groom, the name of the minister, the church, the location of the marriage, and the Southern Churchman date of issue. Often times, the names of relatives, bride and groom’s hometowns, and assisting minister’s names are also provided.