June 4, 1905 - That is the day Cleveland Martin Bayne and Pearl Green were joined in holy matrimony. Marriages were not registered nationally in the U.S. For the most part, we find marriage certificates authorized at the state level. Understandably, there is some variation in the requirements from state to state, most notably for issues such as parental consent. The minimal age was generally 21 for males and 18 for females.
Cleveland and Pearl were wedded in Trimble County, Kentucky. The following is their marriage certificate.
Cleveland and Pearl were wedded in Trimble County, Kentucky. The following is their marriage certificate.
The document shows that Cleveland and his father James W. Bayne committed one hundred dollars bond as was customary to cover legal costs in case of a nullification. The right half of the certificate shows that Cleveland was 21 and Pearl was 18, but this is most likely not accurate. According to my records, they were both just under these ages. Hence the need for consent. |
Notice at the top left the handwritten portion from Pearl's father Stout B. Green. This served as a sufficient consent affidavit.
This all seems strict to us today. Still, I can't help but wonder if greater parent involvement in the early union of a couple might increase the chances of a long-lived marriage. After all, Cleveland and Pearl stuck it out for well over fifty years, all the way until her death in 1959. And they had a household full of children to show for it.
Below is the wedding photograph I received from the son of James Horace Bayne, who was one of Cleveland's sons. Cleveland is standing in the back with the white shirt. On his left are his parents, Julia Barclay McCord and James Wesley Bayne. Pearl Green is in the back to the left with the dotted dress. She is standing between her mother Mary Roxie Serber and her father Stout B. Green. Are you curious about the four people in the front? So am I! Both of Pearl's grandmothers had passed away by this time. But Cleveland's grandmothers were both living well past the wedding in 1905. James' mother was named Sarah Gibbons, and Julia's mother was named Rebecca Nichols. Food for thought...
Below is the wedding photograph I received from the son of James Horace Bayne, who was one of Cleveland's sons. Cleveland is standing in the back with the white shirt. On his left are his parents, Julia Barclay McCord and James Wesley Bayne. Pearl Green is in the back to the left with the dotted dress. She is standing between her mother Mary Roxie Serber and her father Stout B. Green. Are you curious about the four people in the front? So am I! Both of Pearl's grandmothers had passed away by this time. But Cleveland's grandmothers were both living well past the wedding in 1905. James' mother was named Sarah Gibbons, and Julia's mother was named Rebecca Nichols. Food for thought...
*Cleveland Martin Bayne and Pearl P. Green were my great grandparents on my mother's paternal side.