Many thanks to all who posted very helpful responses to my questions about the Robert Bond and Anny Starkey marriage bond. I believe that I now have as accurate a reading as possible from my photocopy, the quality of which is really quite good. I repost, following my signature, a new copy, cleaned up in its presentation, corrected, and annotated. Roy Harris Know all men by these presents that we Robert Bond & Samuel Ozburn are Held and firmly bound unto Robert Brook Esquire Governor or Chief Magistrate of The state of Virginia in the sum of one Hundred dollars Current Money of Virginia to Which payment well and truly to be Made We bind ourselves our Heirs & E[xecutors]* firmly by these presents sealed with our seals and dated the 18th** day of October 179[6]*** The condition of the above obligation is such That whereas there is a marriage Shortly Intended to be Had & Solemnized betweeen the above Bound Robert Bond & Anny Starkey Now if there shall be no lawfull Cause to obstruct the said Marriage then the above obligation to be Void else to remain in full force & Virtue Robert Bond [Seal] Joshua Starkey [Seal] *"Executors" is abbreviated by E- joined to the ampersand before it; in the language of the period, the longer expression "Executors and Administrators" is more common. **The day was read as 18 by Ann Lowery Worrell when preparing her book published in 1934. I had previously read it as 15, but now believe it to be 18. ***The last digit of the year is unreadable today, having been lost in the wear resulting from the folding of the paper. There appears to be a stroke that could be the ascender expected in the number 6. The fact that Robert Brooke was Governor from Dec. 01, 1794 until Nov. 30, 1796 supports the reading 6.