The Saint Paul globe. (St. Paul, Minn.) 1896-1905, 1903-01-18

The st. Paul marriage license bureau
Will be thirty-eight years old the I'd
of next March.
1t was established by the legislature
in 1865, previous to which time no mar
riage licenses were required, ''marri-
age contracts" being entered into. The
SO,O0Oth license was issued Thursday Of
this week, and went to George Walter
and Maria Lutovsl1y, both of st. Paul
The greatest number of licenses issu-
ed in any one year was in 1901. The
total was 1885. In all the years of
the bureaus existence. the banner
month has been November, the banner
week the week before THANKSGIVING,
and the banner day the day before
Thanksgiving.
Wednesday is the day most popular
for the taking out of marriage licen-
ses, and Friday the day least in favor
Many Fridays pass without a license
being issued. and only once in the his
tory Of the county has a license been
issued when the day fell on the 18th Of
the month.
The first entry of a marriage contract
in a book of record in Ramsey county
is dated Dec. IS. 1S49. It is under The
heading of marriage contracts" and
is contained in a little paper covered
book, which is still kept in a good state
of preservation in the vaults connected
new court house. The entry reads:
This is to certify that the under
signed did, on the 18th day of Deem
Der, 1919, solemnize the bonds of mat
rimony between Christopher Davis, re-
siding at Coon Creek, and Miss Chloe
Stone, near st. Anthony Falls, both in
Ramsey county, Mimi"
IRA KINGSLEY.
Justice of the Peace.
Fifty similar entries are contained
in this little book, which covers a period
of several years. This was before the
passage of the law requiring mar
=51iage license, the only official entry be-
ing that made by the justice of the
peace. There are indications in the
first book that no particular form was
followed. Good Scribes did the pen
work, and after all of these years there
Is no DETACHMENT
Since the passage of the first law re-
qufTing marriage licenses, many i'm
preyements have been made by chang
ing and amending the law as passed at
that time. The first law passed was
very lax, and as result it was with the
utmost difficulty that marriages could
be proved after witnesses and ministers
and Justices of the peace were dead
or moved away. Estates could not
be administered. Pensions were hard
to obtain. Testimony demanded in
courts of law could not be obtained.
The Legislature saw that amendments
to the law were needed and provided
them.
Violations Are Numerous.
Even at the present time there are
many violations Of the law regarding
marriages. The greatest trouble is
with ministers and others who perform
the ceremony. Oftentimes the returns
are not made until long after the time
prescribed by the statutes. The law
says these returns shall be made with
in ninety days, but those who are inter-
ested in and watch such things say the
time should be reduced to thirty days.
There are some ignorant persons who
= believe a marriage license is a certifi-
cate of marriage.
There was a case of this kind here
in st. Paul." said a deputy in The
clerks office, when questioned about the
matter. 1t was brought to light by
looking over one of the books which
had been put away, when we noticed
that no return had been made for one
of the licenses. The young fellow and
the girl thought they were married, and
went to housekeeping. They had the
marriage license framed and hung up