The Jersey City news. (Jersey City [N.J.]) 1889-1906, 1897-01-18

MARRIAGE LICENSES.
The Experiment Was Once
Tried in New Jersey
and Abandoned.
CLERGYMEN AS LOBBYISTS
Difficulties in the Way Of Those
Wishing to Marry in the
Last Century.
CLERGYMEN AS LOBBYISTS
soecial 10 the Jerscp Citp .Ne,us.


with the revival of the agitation for a
marriage license law, it has been discov-
cred that New Jersey was one of the first
States in the Union to enact marriage
license law.
The experiment was tried for eighty or
more years, and the forefathers and the
grandnlothers of the present generation
of Jerseymen were united in marriage
not only by a license but they had to file
bond to guarantee their neighbors that
all the conditions were proper and there
was no danger of a public shock.
The story that New Jersey is the mod
ern Gretna Green is always revived when
ever the Legislature convenes, because of
the perennial agitation for a marriage
license law.
Jersey marriages are of the assorted
kind, and some of the Jersey brides and
grooms are frequently of the freak order.
There are many people in New Jersey
who deeply feel that the State is scam
dalized by the 1900 or more foreign mar
riages in the State every year.
This year Assemblyman Lloyd of Cam
den will make another attempt to get a
marriage license law enacted for the
State. All attempts at this species of
legislation have failed, for reasons not
generally known, but it is proper at this
time to note that the opposition to the
bill came from the clergymen who bought
town lots with the money they secured
by solemnizing marriages that are not
made in heaven.
There is an unwritten chapter of the his
tory of the New Jersey lobby which is
exceedingly interesting. It tells of the
underground wire-pulling of certain pc
nurious clergymen.
1t is {. well established fact that when
a dominic goes to lobbying, the decorated
artists of that profession must take a
back seat. This year the argument is
being made that New Jersey is only one
of five States that has no marriage IL
cense law and gives full sway to the
crooked and the bogus cupids.
While New Jersey may be slow getting
a license system, 1t is not generally known
that New Jersey was the pioneer mar
ancient history, of course, but it is a
resurrected chapter of history that has a
decidedly rich flavor, not only to anti
quarians but to those of this generation,
for it shows THAT in .syes olden times in
New Jersey it was more difficult to get
married than to find the wife.
FROM I'LL TO 1fJu IQGfe was IN TOrco a
law thar compelled all people who desired
to set up a family on their own account
to get a. license from the Governor him
self, and that official could not issue the
license until bond for $500 sterling was
approved and filed.
1t Is rather novel to find such govern
mental protection to the marriage con-
tract in the times when the country was
new and social custom was regulated by
candle light and puritanical maxims, and
in looking for the cause of such severe
precautionary measures, a condition of
affairs was found to exist analogous to
those which furnish the motive now for
the agitation for the latter day marriage
license.
Facts show that Cupid was just as
reckless and indiscriminate in the early
part of the eighteenth century as he is
today. The law enacted in iii, govern
ing the issuing of licenses to those con-
templating matrimony, was enacted be-
cause conditions existed which are de-
scrihed in the preamble that prefaces the
act itself. The language of it is
Whereas, Of late years persons have
been by the wicked practice of evil-dis-
posed persons and their confederates, en-
ticed, inveigled and deluded away and
clandestinely married which has often
been to the ruin of the party so married,
as well as to the great grief of their
parents and relatives, and in order. there
fore, to prevent the like as much as may
be possible for the future. be it enacted
Then follows the very lengthy bill,
Win all IQG 6XlraVaBanC6S OF phrase
ology that loaded the acts that were
passed early in the eighteenth century.
The net provisions of this old marriage
license act were that it became necessary
for those contemplating marriage to se-
cure from the Governor a license and
that no license should be granted to any
person under the age of twenty-one
years, and such persons must have CEN
sent of their parents, guardians or those
responsible.
To secure such license fee of thirty
shillings was charged. 1t was very evil
dent that the trainers of this bill in
tended that it was to be enforced, for
a very grievous penalty was demanded
from those who should grant a license
without all the conditions being salts
factory.
The fine was $500 for any one who
should fTaudulently issue bogus license,
and the penalty was H200 for any minister
or justice of the peace who performed a
marriage without the license or with a
license that had been improperly secured.
A provision was made for those under
the age OF twenty-one, who, for reasons
peculiar to themselves, desired to be mar
ried, for the fee of, twelve shillings The
clerk of the county or township was au-
thorized@to to publish in three public places
in the sttid county a notice of their in
tentions to marry, SO that all the people
could be given an opportunity to register
any reasons why they should not be
bound in holy wedlock. and license
after the publication could not be granted
uIiieSS lile coiiSeul oi liiS pdieiltS oI near
relatives of the parties to the contract
was obtained.
For the edification of those who are
advocating the new marriage license bill.
the successful working of the ancient law
can easily be studied by the inspection
of the several thousand marriage bonds
that are. now filed in the vaults of the
Secretary of States office.
The bonds have been gathered together
and bound chronologically with a double
index alphabetically giving the names of
the males and females in separate in
dexes 1t is needless to say that they are
the most valuable of the State archives.
The licenses issued, of course, are not
on record, except it be in the family
collections. These bonds and the indexed
books are in constant demand at the
gagged in the business of completing
archaeological records.
Some of these bonds have affixed to
them a direct communication from the
parents Of some of the contracting par
ties to the Governor, giving over their
signatures their consent to these mar
riages.
given. and in a few cases the reasons as
stated are of a character quite likely to
shock the descendants of this day and
generation.
It is very evident that the marriage
bond an6 license law was enacted to
counteract the young people of the State
rushing Into matrimony.
Attached to the bend of James Banks
of Newark, who married Catharine john
son. Newark spinster, there Is a special
affidavit to remove any evident suspicion
that the bride was somewhat uncertain
as to her age, twithStanding that James
Banks. JIt, the groom, and James Mar