Another factor to remember is that there was reduced longevity around 1900. Childhood deaths were a big part of this, but I have seen statistics indicating that a majority of children had lost at least one parent by the time they were 21. The death of what we now consider to be young adults, either in childbirth, by TB, or through industrial accidents, was much more common. In the case of my grandparents, who married at 21 and 18 in 1901, the father of neither was alive at the time of the marriage, having died at ages 45 and 60. If both parents were dead and one of the parties to the proposed marriage was less than 21, that person would have needed to hire a lawyer to have a guardian appointed so the guardian could consent to the Philadelphia marriage. It was both easier and much cheaper to take the ferry to Camden. Bert Herbert Lazerow U. of San Diego Law School, 5998 Alcala Park, San Diego CA 92110-2492 lazer@sandiego.edu, fax 619-260-2230, phone (619)260-4597