Delaware gazette and state journal. (Wilmington, Del.) 1883-1902, 1893-03-02
OLD MARRIAGE LICENSE BONDS.
An Important Work Performed by
Gilbert Cope of West Chester.

Gilbert Cope of West Chester.
The Old Marriage License Bonds OF New
| CASTLE County Arranged in Systematic
! Order--An Interesting Proceeding.
Mention was made in the columns of
| HE GAZETTE some weeks ago of the fact
| that the Levy Court had authorized the put
| ting into book form, by Gilbert Cope, of
! West Chester, Pa, of the old marriage
| license bonds, which since the removal of
| therecnrds from New Castle had been stored
| in tho loft of the court house in this city,
| they having been siftcd out Of the large
mass OF records by Amos G. Brinton. The
work has been completed and the volumes,
| IL i'll number, arc now in the Office of the
clerk Of the peace. They cover a period
of ~ years, From l7ii to 1886 but an OK
animation shows the series TO he very in
complete, whole years being blank in
many cases. For some reason not ascer-
1 tanned there are considerable number
| from Sussex and a few from Kent county,
and this suggests that possibly some Of
| those belonging to New Castle county have
| gone astray elsewhere. Some of these may
/ appear hereafter to have been misplaced,
| but it is feared that the most of them are
/ irrceorerably lost, as has been the case
| with many others of our old records,
notably from the office oil register of wills,
The origin and authority for the grant
| ing OF marriage licenses III colonial days
| appear to be involved in obsCurity. 1t was
asserted in Pennsylvania that it was not
only without law but contrary to law and
Of an evil tendency. The records Of the
| Old Swedes' Church here as well as of
churches elsewhere, show that licenses
| were granted at an earlier date than l742,
but the official records thereof have not
| been discovered. In New Jersey where
the bonds have also been put into book
form in recent years, they commence with
| 1877.
Marriage by license was sought by those
| who did not belong to any church organi-
cation or did not wish to have their bans
published in advance, and the marriage
usually though not always, occurred OH
the date Of the license
The following is copy of the oldest
bond on file here, the italics indicating the
part filled up at the time of execution, on
a printed blank:
Know all Men by these Presents, That We
Adam G oper Of ChsstF Conny IN The Proc'nce Of
pshhsgtra ia, ysOnldn, and John Emmy Of the
Cotuiy If NetD Caste D-lGpdrs, ESgr., are
ilrmy bound unto the Honorable George
| Thomas Esq; Lieutenant Governor and Com
manderin Chief of tho Province Of fennsyl-
yanlu, and counties OF New-Castle, Kent and
| Sussex On Delaware, In the sum Of Th"Fs Hun
| dred Pounds good AMI lawful Money Of
America, to be- paid IN the said George Thomas,
hsi' his certain Attorney, Executors, Admin
! istfatOEs, or Assigns: 10 the which Payment
well and truly to bo made, We bind ourselves
Jointly and seyeraly for and in the whole, our
Hers Executors and Administrators, firmly
| by these Presents Scaled with our SEALS
dh'ed The h'rd Day OF AoUen.beT In tho Year OF
our Lord lI44.
Tho Condition Of this Obligation Is such,
| that ii there shall not hereafter appear any
| lawful Let or lnpediment by reason Of any
| Pre-ContrnGi, C1nsanglinltS, Affinity or any
other Just Cause Whatsoever, but that tho
above bounheu diam Cooper 1t Margaret Hdp-
iCeA or the County of Chester ai'd may lawfully
marry together: and that there Is not any suit
| depending before any Judge Ecclesiastical or
civil, Tor r concerning any such Pre-Contract;
and do AMI snail save harmless and keep in
domnilcd the abOge-named George Thomas,
Esq; his Heirs Executors, and Administrators,
Tor and concerning the Premises: Then this
Obligation 10 be void, and of no Effect, or else
to stand and remain in Full Force and Virtue.
sealed and deiiyerodI idlm Cooper, [seal,l
Riehd NJ William.
Many of the early bonds were taken by
Richard McWillian, clerk of the courts,
and ii is probable that they were generally
taken by him and his successors, though
they only appear thereon as witnesses.
some were also taken by justices and
others by ministers, and among these
papers is a list Of IS bonds returned BY
John Lea, Esq, of Wilmington, in 1895.
ON which the fees were 81 each. In 1773
the fees were 20 shillings on each license.
The amount of the penalty appears to have
been discretionary with the person taking
lle npllu, anu NhTlcu from izOu 10 diDD IN
the same year, 1850. The term pounds
continued in use until 1897, when the sum
Of 5000 was substituted i'll the printed form.
The bonds continued to be taken in the
name of the governors of Pennsylvania
"and counties of Newcastle, Kent
and Sussex, on Delaware" until 1916.
john Penn being the last to hold that
position. In LII they are to Ills Ex-
cellency, John McKinly, Esquire, Presi-
dent aud Commander in Chief of the
Delaware State" This form remained in
use under the successive governors until
1897, when the bonds were simply to "'the
state of Delaware"
In 1850 the number of bonds is rs, but
in the next year we find only half as
many, and in 1902, only "A; showing that
many are probably missing, The greatest
number i'll any one year is 99 in 1927,
Those of early date specify the residence
and occupation OF the parties, but after
1900 these facts are generally omitted.
August 9th, 1862, Bayard and BouChell,
of Bohemia River, write TO William Till
for q license in behalf of their factor,
William Wheaand, who cannot come for
it on account of the hurry of business,
The following are a few of the prominent
names noticed in looking over these
bonds August sd, 1865, David Finney
sometime chief justice OF Delaware) and
Ann Thompson, his bOndsman being his
cousin Thomas Mexican, the signer of the
Declaration, governor of Pennsylvania
&c; June 23d, l777, Donaldson Yeates of
Kent county, merchant and Mary Syng of
Philadelphia; November Both, 1856 Caleb
Rodney and Elizabeth West of Sussex
county; February Sth, 1903, samuel Shiplcy
and Elizabeth JGffGris September 18th,
1876, Antoine Bidermann and Eyelina
Gabrielle Dupont; August 9TH, 1872 John
3 VI. Clayton and sally Ann Fisher October
5tn, 1924, Charles Irene Dupont and Doracs
NJ. Van Dyke; September Sd, 1855, Henry
d. Gilpin, Esq, of Philadelphia, and
Eliza Johnson.
some clerical errors are manifest, such
rs continuing to write the old year after
the first OF January, the omission of some
part of the date, the substitution of the
bOndsmcn's name where that Of the bride
. should occur; to which may be added care
less writing by which the proper spelling
of names is left in doubt. The value of
these records will, however, be appreciated
in the future even more than at present.
The volumes are neatly and very sub
stantially bound, thereby instring the pre-
} seryation Of the papers in shape in which
they are perfectly accessible and they are
: suggestive of the probability that other of
Our records might well be placed in the
same condition.
-----4ns------
Visit Of III LII Temple.
. Lu Lu Temple, NJ. s., of Philadelphia,
went to Baltimore Friday afternoon, bv
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