Saturday, June 15, 2013

Wedding Bell Blues


Everyone has wedding certificates in their possession.  Working on genealogy, I probably have more than my share.  I have some as current as my own to ones back to the 19th century.  But there are more to wedding records than just wedding certificates.

Marriage bonds--as in money, not the bonds of holy matrimony--were common in some states, particularly in the South, into the 18th century.  They were posted in the county courthouse to help offset any costs of legal action in case the marriage was nullified.  The groom and usually the father or brother of the bride posted a bond; if a woman posted bond, it may have been the bride's mother because the father was deceased.

Licenses eventually replaced bonds in the 19th century.  In some states, however, a license wasn't required for a couple to be married, or the license might be recorded in a different jurisdiction from the marriage.  For those states requiring licenses, sometimes couple took out a license or application but never made it to the altar.

The oldest marriage license I have for the Bruton's is from 1918.  This certificate is for Cornelia Bruton and Perry Leland.  South Carolina licenses did not provide much genealogical information.



If anyone has marriage records in your possession, I would love to have a copy to document the marriage in the family.

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