Iron County register. [volume] (Ironton, Iron County, Mo.) 1867-1965, 1884-06-19
A Friends Wedding.

A genuine "FrlendS wedding TOOK
place last evening at the residence OF
Jacob Z. and Matilda Fredericks In
Oak Park, the contracting parties being
Miss Frances T. FredericSs and Mr.
Willard Clark French. Die ceremony
was in the regular form of long ago, in
the days of William Penn. A circle of
invited 'sFriends'' gathered in the oar
lor OF the beautiful home about $50
o'clock and sat speeehlessly quiet for
several minutes This silence was
broken by Jonathan Pltznmer,iaE ap-
proved minister of the 's'Society of
Friends" who rose i'm his place and re-
quested all the Friends" present to
engage in silent prayer for the young
couple who in a few minutes more were to
present themselves at the marriage al
tar. A few minutes thereafter the
young couple marched in accompanied
bv Miss Minnie tredeuieks,. sister of the
bride, as bridesmaid, and George III.
Wessling, as groemsnan. Ike bride
was attired in 3 cream satin dres with
silk blonde and white lace trimmings
and natural flowers The ,dress was
cut plain and straight without overskirt.
The bridesmaid wore "a blue silk
dress trimmed with white lace and orna-
mGnIcu Will udIuI<Il lkOW6IS. ne lOur
seated themselves and Mr.. Plummer
prayed aloud and sergently that the
young couple might dedicate them
selves to the service of the Lord. Bride
and bridegroom then arose together,
with the other young couple. who We're
to stand up with them, and the BRIDE
groom facing his betrothed, grasped
her by the hand and said, -''In the pres
ence of the Lord and these our friends
take thee, Frances T. Fnedericks, to be
my wife, promising, with divine assist
ance, to be unto thee faithful. and low
ing husband until death deLh separate
us'' The bride, without removing her
glove, grasped her partners hand in
the same manner and repeated the
same words with the substitution of his
name for hers, and they were imam and
wife. Next a marriage eeEifieatas was
produced, which was signed FIRST by the
newly married couple (the woman
signing her new name), and
then signed by everybody in
the room, including two newspaper
reporters from Chicago, thirty-six per-
sons in all. Leading the list ,of WITT
nesses to the marriage were THE names
of the overseers of the wedding. iona
than w. Hummer, Phehe Brown,
Alice Mills, and Thomas Brown.
When a young couple intend ttolmar
they are required to present them+
selves before a meeting OF the Execu!
tive Committee of the Society of
Friends and announce their inteation.
If the committee vote for such "a MARI
riage few Ogerseers are appointed,
whose duties extend to investigating
the fitness of the candidates and SUPER
vising the marriage Mr.. and Mrs.
French are the first couple ever married
an Cook County by the Quaker eere-I
anony-a form wl.lch was legalized by!
special act of the Legislature of
Illinois in 1881. a supper of the dain-l
ties of the season and pleasant So
cial followed the ceremony, the many
Chicago guests retaining to the city on
the-eleven o'clock train. Mrs. French,
the bride, was for saany years promI-
nenaly connected with charity works in
prisons and among the poor of Chicago.
-IQ{er- Ocean.