The times. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1890-1903, 1899-08-20
IS YOUR MARRIAGE
ON THE RECORDS?
Many Ministers Very Careless About
Making Returns.
SOME UNRETURNED LICENSES.
Partial List Given - Many Blank
Spaces for Years Back-A Heavy
Penalty - Provided for Ncgli-
gcncc, But Not Enforced.


Are you married?
II So are you sure the fact could be
proven to-day 81 80 was questioned
An examination Of the MARRIAGE license
register in the Office of the clerk OF the
Hastings Court OF Richmond reveals the
fact hat n NOT O. few. bat in great
many instances. the officiating minister
has made uo returns and thc only thing
the books show ls that license was Use
sued. That hy uo means c11o .o ace
copied as proof of marriage.
NEGLIGENT MINISTER'S
a physician would as soon think Of
forgetting lo call 0u worry Sick patient
as to neglect to report births and deaths
10 the Board of Health. ln striking cone
trast with This - the negligence OF
great many minister. who receive fees
Tor marrying couples I'm their capacity
as officers of the courts. and then are
20 careless OF The danger 20 the future
happiness OF thc couples that they do not
certify the marriages 20 the courts
when "a minister ls authorized 20 coie-
brate the rites OF matrimony, he is re-
qu.rcl 90 give bond in the sum of 500
that 30 VIII comply with the laws of The
State .u regard Go marriages. one of the
laws SIS that returns shall Doe made of all
marriages within TWO months from the
date OF the ceremony. Failure to DO $50
makes thc ministers boud-men liable FOR
the amount of the bond.
30 cases are known .n which the pen
atty has been imposed. hut that IS be-
cause of the difficulty of securing inior-
nation. A license ls issued by me clerk
Of tho court 10 the parties t0 Boz married
and no mention is made of the per-
d"
the return s. not made. blank space Us
left in the place provided for the date OF
the marriage The only way in which
the delinquent minister can be reached
IS by one of the interested parties dis
covering that the marriage has not been
certified To- the court and thereupon
filing Information against him.
Many suggestions have been made COM
corning melns Of overcoming the diff
Guilty but none has been found prac-
ticable So far Very few people ever
think al necessary TO see if their mar
riaRe IS q matter of record. so the NUM-
Der of unrecorded marriages increases
every year.
PARTIAL LIST.
An examination of the record from
June Dist back to january l. 1891 re-
veals the fact that thirty-hve licenses are
still out for that period The names OF
the couples the grooms residences, II not
Richmond. and the date OF the licenses
are given below. The books show 70
CREST many names prior 10 1891, but u
s. impracticabie to publish a list farther
back Those referred 90 above follow:
June g-I7rcd r. Allen Newport News,
ana Miss Mary =. Reynolds.
June Edward +. Roberts Newport
News. and Miss Elizabeth r. Jusus.
rnre r5 John n Kane and Miss Bertha
T. Harding. ~.
V. Houchcns.
May &-Wm. ]. c. Fox and Miss Mary
ELIZA fiohson.
Moy ANDREW B. Bragg and Miss Flor
cncc i. smith
Anil 2Q-Drsary S. TIA dy. Norfolk AM
Miss Lille A. Slaughter
March NV Eugene Mechanism hlii-
ton. w. va. Miss 1rau3e E. Perkins
March 22-Wnns w.. Edward Southamp-
ton county, and Miss Frances il. Aar0o-
r0uch
February l5-IAwis c. Allen. Philadel-
phia. and Miss Cora H. Davis.
February lA-Andrew D. Bankenship,
Henrico county and Miss Maggie r.
Icirne
February 9-Patrick J. McKcnna. Lynch
burg. and Miss Alice German
February s-John O.. Powell and Miss
NJ rgaret d. Higgins
February S-Frederick c. Angle AM
Miss Minnie w. Stanley.
February Emmett @. Davidson and
Miss Laura Lee McGhee.
January Edward r.. Bailie and Miss
Marie Fife Brooks.
january 19-Jenefer p. Davis and Miss
Cora Lee Tinslev.
January lS-John w s,affan and Miss
Annie J. Perry.
1sss-October 27-Henry Pye and Mrs.
lula Bransford smith.
September lo-John T. Ryan and Miss
Nellie O'Grady.
August 3l-Jsmes r. Conway and Miss
Lillian j.. Davis
Aurust 9-Frederick A. Kosslow, Jr.,
and Hiss Bessie Ross Allen.
August S-John j.. FROST and Miss Jen-
ME May Ford.
July l9-Wlliam J. Johnson and Miss
Minnie Lee Mann.
January Z-Gcorge NIcC johnson and |
Miss IT lset a. Mooney.
January l2-Bemard IT. Houchings and |
Miss Cora j.. Bel.
December 1G-John Reed, Hanover coun- |
IS. and Miss Matte Ann Carey.
1s97-Novcmher l6-JOhn w Clark Hen |
rico county. and Miss Myra Collins
November l0 Michael Irwin and Miss |
Teresa NJ. Burns
september l6-Ceorge D. Davis and Miss /
Belle W. Edwards
August 30-Arthur Nichols and Miss Nel-
lie Jenkins
June S-Wm. O. Saunders and Miss Elya /
V Hawin.
tS97-May 1S-Henry l. Caravau and |
Miss Lena NJ Mahoney
March 25-John j. Webber ana Miss An
ME v. Burgess
February august +. Knlmeyer and
Miss Nora =. Burke.
January .O-John H. MCNAMARA and Miss
Lucia j.. Gilmer.