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Archiver > PHILLY-ROOTS > 2002-02 > 1012860159


From: Lynn Jefferies <>
Subject: Re: [PHILLY-ROOTS-L] Odd Marriage License
Date: Mon, 4 Feb 2002 14:02:44 -0800 (PST)
In-Reply-To: <3C5EF08B.DB8A72E5@home.com>


Claire,

A likely explaination for the "voucher" is that
someone was identifying them as being the ages they
gave on the marriage license. This would be necessary
to prevent underage couples from eloping and giving
false ages.

As for the minister, it was not unusual for a minister
to travel to marry people. Or for people to be married
by clergy who formerly were assigned to their local
church and had moved on. Or for a ceremony to be
performed at a private home. If you match the
minister's name on the certificate with an ME church
in Camden, you would probably find a notation about
the marriage and where it was performed.

One scenario you didn't touch on in your speculations
was: perhaps this clergyman was the pastor of the
groom's church in Camden.

Lynn


--- Claire <> wrote:
> Has anyone ever seen anything like this? Or is
> anyone able to explain?
>
> I have a 1904 Phila. marriage license. The groom
> was born in
> Morristown, NJ and was living in Camden, NJ; the
> bride was born in
> Lancaster Co., PA and was living in Parkesburg, PA
> (out Lanc. Co. way) .
> . . but they got their marriage license in Phila.
> The license has two
> notations not usual on these certs: "Identified and
> vouched for by"
> someone in Phila. (name and address provided) and
> "Marriage to be
> performed in Phila." (not sure if this is an
> explanation or an
> instruction). The couple was married by a minister
> who identifies his
> church . . . in Camden, NJ. On the return (third
> page), the minister
> did *not* cross out the standard "married at Phila."
> line.
>
> So, it sounds to me like a Camden ME minister
> married this couple in
> Phila. (Why didn't they just cross the river and
> get married in his
> church?) Can anyone figure out a way to determine
> where they were
> *actually* married? (Would the Camden ME church
> have a notation that
> the minister married this couple in Phila.?) Would
> a ME minister marry
> them in someone's house? (Maybe the "vouch-er" is a
> relative and they
> were married at her house? Maybe both families
> disapproved and only
> Aunt Adelaide supported the marriage???) Would the
> NJ minister have to
> present credentials to someone to be allowed to
> officiate in Phila.; if
> so, would those records be somewhere searchable)?
> I'm not even sure
> they're relatives, but this cert. has me intrigued .
> . .
>
> I'm having fun coming up with scenarios to explain
> this one -- I should
> have been warned when I saw that the bride's name
> was Lulu -- it sure is
> a lulu of a cert.! I'm interested to know if anyone
> has come across
> anything similar and if they ever figured out what
> was going on.
>
> Thanks for any insights. Or, just enjoy the oddity
> of the cert.!
> Claire
>
>
>
>
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