I have a legal paper dated 24 Apr 1869. "Know all men by these .............that we, William Taylor and William J Devine are held and firmly bound to the state of Delaware, in the sum of two hundred dollars........................ the condition of the above written obligation is such, that if William Taylor and Lydia Nethery may lawfully unite themselves in marriage, and if there be no legal objection to celebrating the rites of marriage between them, then this obligation shall be void: otherwise, to be and remain in force. signed by above names "in presence of Chot? Gooding" What does this mean? imply? Help please. Cath

Cath, It sounds like it is a marriage bond. I believe when people married they had to put up a bond in assurance that they were marrying legally. I also believe that if they did indeed legally marry, the two hundred dollars was returned to them after a certain length of time, but I don't know for certain. I guess I'm not much help, but these are my thoughts. I have a copy of a marriage bond from my gg grandparents who married in Mississippi and it reads very much the same as your paper. They were married in 1865. I have a legal paper dated 24 Apr 1869. "Know all men by these .............that we, William Taylor and William J Devine are held and firmly bound to the state of Delaware, in the sum of two hundred dollars........................ the condition of the above written obligation is such, that if William Taylor and Lydia Nethery may lawfully unite themselves in marriage, and if there be no legal objection to celebrating the rites of marriage between them, then this obligation shall be void: otherwise, to be and remain in force. signed by above names "in presence of Chot? Gooding" What does this mean? imply? Help please. Cath