Semi-weekly south Kentuckian. [volume] (Hopkinsville, Ky.) 1883-1889, 1884-04-01
ARE YOU MARRIED?
YOU SAY YOU.ARE but ARE YoU9
Where Is Your Certifoate2 "A
Few Questions for Married
People - How Minister'S
Fail to Keep up the
Record.

Kentucky has the rcputltion Of be
ing a good State in which TO easily
obtained a divorce on account of the
numerous grounds laid down in the
statutes upon which any court of
jurisdiction can grant a decree of sep
aration to dissatisfied parties. But
while the laws regarding separation
are 50 liberal, those concerning the
licensing Of marriges are extremely
lax. In almost every State in the
Union the minister or magistrate
who solemnizes a marriage is requir-
ed to furnish the contractingp aries Il
the certificate showing thatthcy were
lawful by welded, but in Kentucky
laws do not require the furnishing Of
such certificate. The marriage Ii
ccnse is issued, and attached to the
license is blank certificate to
be filled out by the ministers after the
wedding ceremony has been perform
ed. The laws requires the minister
to return this certificate to the county
clerk and fixes penalty for a fail
urc on his part to do so. When the
certificate is returned then the mar
riage is recorded, but no record can
be made until such a return is made
A failure OH the part of minister to
make a return Of a marriage leaves
nothing to show that wedding ever
occurred. Thus it will be seen what
an immense amount of narm little
carelessness on the part ofthe minis
ters would cause. Neither husband
nor wife would have the slightest evil
dence by which to establish the fact
Of their marriage. There have been
any number of weddings performed
in this city where the officiating min
isters have failed to make returns,
and the records fail to show that the
marriage ceremony was ever per7
formed. Hundreds Of happy couples
in Louisville are living together as
man and wife, surrounded by numer-
GUS children, and should they be
called upon to establish the fact that
they had been lawfully married they
would be unable to do 50.
In conversation with a Commercial
reporter yesterday, Mr. George IL.
Webb, the County Clerk, said:
"a vast number Of marriage Ii
censcs have been issued of which no
return has ever been made by the
minister or magistrate, and conse-
quently the marriages are not record
ed. l can't record a wedding until |
know it has actually taken place, and
my only way of Knowing is by the
return of the minister's certificate. l
searched the records myself the other
day to see that my marriage certiii-
cate had been returned and properly
recorded. WASN'T going to take any
foolish chances on it."
"Is it simply neglect on the part of
the ministers and magistrates in
making their returns ?"
81 can't see what else it can be, for
they wouldn't certainly do it inteu-
tionally on account Of the penalty for
failure on their part to make re-
turn. After performing a marriage
ceremony they fill out the certificate
and stick it in pigeon hole in thcil
desk, and that is the last they even
think Of it probably. Why, sometimes
the certificates are not returned here
until several months after the mar
riages have taken place."
"And no record is made of mar
riage untilthe certificate is returned ?
; "Of course not. How are we Il
know that the parties have been mGr
ried? We know, of course, that Ii
8 cense to marry has been issued, bu
we have no means of knowing tina
the wedding ever took place"
"And the married parties hav