My friend Virginia Crilley posted the following in her Bertie Countie mailing list. I thought many of us could use the review. Marriages in NC The earliest marriages (of which there are no records) followed a 1669 law which said that the bride and groom, together with 3 or 4 neighbors, should go to the Governor or any member of the Council, and say their "vows" and receive a certificate which was supposed to be registered in the Precinct Register. >From 1741 to 1868, grooms desiring to marry were required to post a bond in the bride's county of residence. Not all of these have been preserved, so they probably represent a small percentage of actual marriages which took place. These BONDS are the only public record of marriages before 1851. The "Act Concerning Marriages" passed by the General Aseembly of April, 1741, granted the power of performing marriage ceremonies to every clergyman of the Church of England and to all Justices of Peace as well. Permission from a local minister had to be granted to the Justice of Peace, though, before he could solemnize the marriage. Marriages by either required the publishing of banns or obtain a license. Licenses County Clerks (of the Bride's county) issued the license once the groom had posted a bond in the sum of 50 pounds, payable to the King. This bond assured that there was "no lawful reason" to prevent the marriage. The consent of parents/guardians was required if either person were under 21 (age is much lower by 1839, see below) or had never been previously married. Servants required the permission of their masters. Banns From the Book of Common Prayer of the Church of England First the Banns of all that are to be married together must be published in the Church three several Sundays, during the time of Morning Service, or of Evening Service (if there is no Morning Service) immediately after the second Lesson: the Curate sahing after the accustomed manner, I Publish the Banns of Marriage between _________ and __________. If any of you know cause, or just impediment, why these two persons should not be joined together in holy Matrimony, ye are to declare it. This is the first/second or third time of asking. The clergy then issued the certificate stating that the banns had been published, and this certificate could be taken to the Justice or the clergyman (instead of a license). Unfortunately there are rarely records of these banns. Eventually other non-Anglican denominations were allowed to perform marriages. Resources: Leary, Helen. North Carolina Research .. Carol P. Martoccia .. 903 East Fifth Street .. Greenville, NC 27858 .. Pridgen Home Page: http://www.geocities.com/Heartland/Meadows/6297 .. Pridgen Archives: http://searches.rootsweb.com/cgi-bin/listsearch.pl