The Bolivar bulletin. [volume] (Bolivar, Hardeman County, Tenn.) 1865-1888, 1886-02-05
CURIOUS MARRIAGES.
Cupid's Disdain for the Consist
emit" Actions of His Victims.

According to some of the novels of
The present day, it is only the lovely
nymphs of seventeen or eighteen, and
the fascinating swains of three or four
and twenty, who have any business to
think of matrimony. The poor plain
ones or those who have passed the me-
ridian of life, are looked upon as COM
pletely shelved; the hymeneal torch is
not to be lit for them, and the little
god of Love passes them over with
contempt. But is this really the factP
On the contrary, there were never
more extraordinary contradictions than
we find in the history of marriages; we
see women marrying men young
enough to be their grandsons; grabbed
Age and Youth often live together in
perfect harmony; and May and Decem-
ber are constantly united with the hap
piest results. Almost every marriage is
a nine-days' wonder, and creates
much astonishment, speculation and
lifting up of hands. Quite recently, a
Dorsetshire clergyman of eighty years
of age electrified his congregation by
publishing his own banns in the parish
church. II is always necessary to be
prepared for these surprises. The
blind, deaf, halt and manned are not
exempt from the contagiOn of matri-
mOny; and so far from youth and love-
illness being the only victims of Hymen,
we find some of the loveliest women
consigned to ngle-blessedness; while
their less favored sisters are happy
wives and mothers. The particulars of
many curious marriages are not re-
vealed to the public; but during the
last century less reticenee was observed
in the matter; the ages of the respective
parties were frequently put down with
out reserve, and the fortunes of the
ladies were mentioned with much unc-
tiOn and gustO.
Among these announcements a few
of the more remarkable are worth Sc
lecting. Here is one from an old mag
aZine for June, 1878: "a few days
ago, was married at St. Bridget's
Church, in Chester, Mr.. George Hard
ing, aged one hundred and seven, to
Mrs. Catherine Woodward, aged
eighty-three. So singular a union
could not fail of exciting the admira-
ton and surprise of a numerous con-
gregatiOn, before whom the ceremony
was performed. The bridegroom
served in the army thirty-nine years,
during the reigns of Queen Anne,
George l., and part of George III. He
is now particularly hearty, in great
spirits, and retains all his faculties to
an extraordinary perfection. This is
his fifth wife; the last one he married
in his one hundred and fifth year; and
ne is Mrs. Woodward s fourth husband.
1t is also worthy of observation that
the above old mans diet has been for
the last thirty years past chiefly butter
milk boiled with a little -four, and
bread and cheese" As a pendant
to this, we come across another an
nOuncement few years later: 'Mr.
Thomas Dawson, of Northallerton,
aged ninety, to Miss GOlightlY,
bouncing damsel of sixty-four. The
anxious bridegroom had been a wild
over almost six weeks"
As instances of youth and age going
together, we may give the case Of
Mrs. Horn, an agreeable widow with
a genteel fortune, aged seventV-nine,
who married Mr. William Steptoe
aged about thirty" We are again
startled by the following announce
ment in the month of January, 1906:
cat Tynemouth Church, a young man
about twenty-three to a woman aged
eighty-six, who had been the mother
of seventeen children. NOtwithstand-
ing the banns had been but twice pub
lished, the experienced lady repaired
to the church, where she was soon
joined by her lover, and declared
she would not leave it without her
errand. She waited till the forenoon
service was over, during which time
she was frequently requested to leave
the vestry, but all to no effect. She
1os, 1.
in having forgotten to bring her pocket
bottle and tobacco-pipe with her The
groom apolOgized for not being ac-
quainted with the forms of the church,
as he had never been in one since he
was christened; and if appearances
could be believed, water did not seem
to have been upon his face since that
period"
We find another curious marriage,
which is announced in the following
terms: Lately, at Newcastle, Mr..
Silvertop to Mrs. Pearson. This is the
third time that the lady has been be-
fore the altar in the character of a
bride, and there has been something
remarkable in each Of her three connu-
bial engagements. Her first husband
was Quaker; her second, a Roman
Catholic; and her third is a Protestant of
was twice her age. At sixteen, she
married gentleman of thirty-two; at
thirty, she took one Of sixty; and now,
at fOrty-twO, she is united to a gentle
man of eighty-four."
A great sensation was created in the
year 1878 by the marriage Of the then
celebrated female historian, Mrs. Cath !
crime Macaulay, who was far advanced !
in years, with a surgeons mate, under
age, of the name of Graham. Mrs.
Macaulay was quite a literary lioness;
and DR.. Wilson, an elderly and learned
admirer of her talents, had actually
built a house for her, called Albert |
House; this he presented to her with
furniture and a valuable library. He
went so far as to have medals struck in
her honor. Great, therefore, was the
amazement amongst the literary and
fashionable world of Bath when Mrs.
Macaulay, who had always been con-
sidered a rock of sense by her friends,
made this extraordinary match.
IN Mr.. Cudworth's s interesting book,
Round about Bradford he mentions
the low status Of the colliers Of Wibsey
in the year 1851, and says that the ]