Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1901-04-20
The Preliminar es Necessary Before
Entering Upon Welded Life.
LICENSES IN THE VARIOUS STATES
Those Authorized to Issue Them
and to Join Loving Couples.
THE REGULATION OF FEES

| Persons who contemplate entering the
| holy state of wedlock may find it to their
| interest to consult a publication recently
| issued under the superintendent of Mr..
Carroll ID. Wright on the subject of Mar
| Rage" From this work it is learned that
! in nearly all the states and territories a
| license-termed by the laws of some states
| certificate-is required to be procured
| by parties intending marriage prior to the
contamination thereof, for the issuance OF
| which fees are eXacted.
Probably the most unique regulations on
| the subject exist in Delaware. where the
| fees appear to vary according to the To-
cality and the officer Of whom the license
! is obtained The law provides in the first
| place that the state shall receive a reve
| nue. of 81 for each marriage license issued.
In addition to this the clerk of the peace"
| is entitled to a fee of 33 cents. 1t is also
made the duty of the latter official to des-
| ignate ct least six justices of the peace
| in his county to dispense marriage licenses,
| and the justice dispensing such license is
| entitled to fee of 20 cents In the city
OF Wilmington it is made the duty of the
| clerk of the peace to appoint a suitable
| person to dispense licenses of all kinds,
| for which service the person so appointed
shall receive a fee of % cents In each case
| in addition to the fee to the clerk.
In the District Of Columbia the license
preme Court and the fee is 81 In Ala
bama the probate judge is the issuing off,
Ger, and the fee $3.50: in Arizona. the
| county recorder, fee $50; in Arkansas,
the clerk of the county court fee, $50; in
| California, the county clerk. fee. 81; in Col
orado. county clerk. fee. 81; In Connecticut,
register of births. marriages and deaths.
fee, 80 cents: in Florida, clerk OF circuit
| court, fee. s.; in Georgia ordinary or clerk
to ordinary. fee. 81: in Illinois. county clerk,
| fee. So in Indiana. clerk Of circuit court,
fee, 81; in Iowa clerk of circuit court. fee.
81; in Kansas. probate judge. fee. 81; In
! Kentucky, county clerk. fee, $3.50; In Louis
lana, clerk of district court, fee, 81; in
! Maine, the town clerk, fee. 80 cents; IN
| Maryland, clerk of circuit court, fee, 81;
| in Massachusetts. town clerk or registrar,
fee, 80 cents; in Michigan, county clerk. fee,
| so cents; in Minnesota, clerk of district
court, fee 50; in Mississippi, clerk Of cir
cult court fee. 50; in Missouri. the county
recorder fee. 81: in Montana, the probate
judge, fee, s.; in Nebraska, the county
judge, fee $50; In Nevada, the county
| clerk, fee, 81; In New Hampshire. town
clerk, fee 81: in North Carolina. the regis
ter of deeds, fee. $50; in Ohio. probate
judge, fee. IS cents; in Oregon, county
| clerk fee S2.67: in Pennsylvania, clerk or
orphans court. fee, 80 cents; in Rhode Is
land town or city clerk, fee, 30 cents; in
Tennessee, clerk of county court, Zee, sI'
| in Texas clerk of county court, fee, $3.50;
| In Utah clerk of probate court, fee, SO;
| in Vermont, the town clerk. fee, 10 cents
In Virginia, clerk OF county, city or cor
poration court fee, 81; in washington
| county auditor. fee. 81: in West Virginia
| clerk of county court, fee, 81, and IN wy
omng, the county clerk, fee 81
Authorized to Perform Ceremony.
The statutes Of all the states and terri
tories except Pennsylvania and South caro-
lima expressly stipuiate the classes OF per-
sons authorized to perform the marriage
ceremony In Pennsylvania no legal provi-
sions are found directly authorizing or re-
| stricting the right to solemnize marriage
| TO any particular classes of persons or Of
| ficers except in the laws of 1880, which
provide that the parties may solemnlze
| their own marriage. In an act passed IN
17O1 it was stipulated that an act previ-
ously In force which provided tor publlca-
| ton parental consent, form Of solemniza-
ton, etc, and specified penalties for It's vio-
lation, shall not extend to any VINO small
| marry or be remarked in the religious So
| ciety to which they belong, SO as notice
| shall be given by either of the parties, to
| the parents. masters, mistresses or guard
| ianS, one full month at least before any
| such marriage be SolemniZed.' This provi-
| sion seems to authorize religious societies
| to celebrate marriage according to their
| usages.
In South Carolina the only reference to
| the parties by whom marriages may be
| Solemnized is found in the general statutes
| of 1882 which provide a penalty for the
| SolemniZation of marriage between white
| and colored persons by ANY clergyman,
person authorized by law to perform the
| marriage ceremony.
The persons most commonly authorized
| by statute to perform marriage ceremonies
| are the following: Ministers, priests or
preachers of the gospel in all the states and
| territories; judges of one or more classes
! of courts, in all the states, except Della
| ware, District of Columbia, Maine, Mary
| land, Massachusetts, Michigan. New Hamp-
| shire, North Carolina, Ohio. Vermont, Nir-
| ginia and West Virginia; justices of the
l tn, JA.l., ~.
Columbia, Maryland. Rhode Island, Virgin
| Ia and West Virginia; Quakers or other re-
| ligious societies having as such any pecu-
| liar mode of celebra ting marriage In all ex-
| cept Arizona, California, Colorado. Connec-
| ticut. Dakota. District Of Columbia, Flori-
| da, Idaho, Louisiana, Tennessee, Texas and
| Utah.
| In those states and territories whose
! statutes provide for sOlemnization of mar
rage by Quakers or other religious socie-
| ties. having as such any peculiar mode of
| celebrating marriage, it is generally pro-
| vtded that the ceremony or other act Of
| marriage may be in accordance with their
customs: and where not specially stat
| ed 1t Is. OF course implied.
| Other Requirements.
| In California and Idaho the person per-
| forming the marriage ceremony must have
personal knowledge of. or ascertain prior
to solemnization, the identity. names and
| residence of the parties their legal right
!
| been given. If necessary. In Dakota he
| must ascertain to his satisfaction the iden-
tity, names and residence of the parties.
| and that they are of sufficient age. to-
gether with the name and residence Of the
witness or witnesses to the marriage. Also
| in the following states, the person per-
forming a marriage ceremony must first
| ascertain Of unknown to him) whether the
parties are legally entitled to marry: Min
nesota, New Mexico. New York and Wis
! consin. In Ohio, If the marriage is of a
minor, without
| the person solemnizng is required to as
! certain that the intention of marriage be-
| tween the parties has been duly published
and that parental consent has been OBJ
tanned.
The presence Of one witness at the cere-
mony is required in Dakota and New York
Two witnesses are required to be present
| in Idaho, Michigan, Minnesota, Montana
Nebraska, Nevada. Oregon, Rhode Island
Washington, Wisconsin and Wyoming In
Louisiana three witnesses are required.
In Pennsylvania the original statutory re-
quirement Of twelve witnesses has not been
in reOeale0- the 10