A light snow fell over Rhode Island on October 21, 1895, the day Rosa Lebowitz and Berna (Banna/Barnhart) Markell were married in Providence.
Now, 119 years later, I'm staring at their marriage certificate, thanks to the advice I was given by members of the FB Rhode Island Genealogy Network. They told me how to obtain this document--and the cost was the princely sum of $2.30.
Rosa said she was 20 (she was actually younger) and Berna said he was 21 (his correct age). His occupation was listed as brush maker, the same occupation he listed on his naturalization papers. Not every detail fits what I know of these ancestors, but there are enough points of agreement (her parents, their birthplaces) for me to conclude that this marriage document is theirs.
Although the couple said they were residents of Providence at the time of their marriage in 1895, Rhode Island was known throughout New England as a Gretna Green.
As this Connecticut newspaper article so eloquently states, couples from nearby states would seek out Rhode Island for "spur-of-the-moment marriages" without the consent of either parent. They "would be man and wife a few minutes after touching Rhode Island soil." Instant marriages continued until late in 1909, when the RI legislature required a five-day wait between license and marriage.
Were my ancestors seeking an instant marriage or were they really living in Providence at the time? The Providence directories for 1895 and years around then weren't arranged alphabetically. No, businesses and residents were listed according to the street where they were located. There was a separate directory listing for businesses ("brush manufacturers," not "brush makers"), but my ancestor was an ordinary worker, not an owner.
I have to be more creative to find Rosa and Berna if they're really in the Providence directory--which I suspect they're not.
Adventures in genealogy . . . learning new methodology, finding out about ancestors, and connecting with cousins! On Twitter as @MarianBWood, on Mastodon as @MarianBWood@genealysis.social
Pages
- Home
- Wm Tyler Bentley story
- Isaac & Henrietta Birk's story
- Abraham & Annie Berk's Story
- Farkas & Kunstler, Hungary
- Mary A. Demarest's story
- Rachel & Jonah Jacobs
- Robt & Mary Larimer's story
- Meyer & Tillie Mahler's story
- McClure, Donegal
- Wood family, Ohio
- McKibbin, Larimer, Work
- Schwartz family, Ungvar
- Steiner & Rinehart
- John & Mary Slatter's story
- MY GENEALOGY PRESENTATIONS
Subscribe to:
Post Comments (Atom)
Snow in October, nothing new in this part of the country. Maybe they thought the snow was especially for their wedding day!
ReplyDeleteSo right--snow in October isn't unusual in New England! Luckily it was quite light that day. Thanks for reading and taking a moment to comment!
Delete