Marriage Certificate for William Cahoon and Nancy Gibbs, 18 January 1836
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Source Note
JS, Marriage Certificate, for and , , Geauga Co., OH, 18 Jan. 1836. Featured version copied [ca. 19 Jan. 1836] in JS, Journal, 1835–1836, p. 131; handwriting of ; JS Collection, CHL. For more complete source information, see the source note for JS, Journal, 1835–1836.
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Historical Introduction
JS performed marriages in late 1835 and early 1836 for members of the according to the church’s rules and regulations. On the afternoon of 17 January 1836, JS solemnized three marriages, including that of and . Cahoon, the son of and Thirza Stiles Cahoon, was twenty-two years old at the time of his marriage to Gibbs. He had traveled and proselytized in with and in 1832 and 1833 and had participated in the 1834 expedition before returning to to labor as a carpenter on the . He was a member of the on 28 February 1835. Little is known about Gibbs at this time. She was eighteen years old on her wedding day and had lived in Kirtland since the fall of 1833, having previously resided in , Vermont.Although a couple intending to marry could obtain a license from the county clerk for permission to wed, they could also gain authorization to enter into marriage through publishment, or giving sufficient public notice of their intent to marry. According to state law, this required giving notice “in the presence of the congregation” on “two different days of public worship” with the first notice occurring “at least ten days previous to such marriage.” In his autobiography, noted that he and did not obtain a license but that notice of their marriage was “published several times previously in the church which custom was allowed by the laws of the state.” After JS performed the ceremonies and dismissed the “publick congregation” of about three thousand that had assembled for the day’s weddings, he and many others attended a feast at the home of and Thirza Cahoon. JS’s journal notes that he enjoyed the “rich repast” and good company at the gathering.On 18 January 1836, the day after the wedding, JS signed a marriage certificate for and , and the day after that, 19 January, made a copy of it in JS’s journal. JS was required by law to file a marriage certificate with the county clerk within three months of a wedding. On 22 February 1836, JS sent Elijah Fuller to with a copy of Cahoon and Gibbs’s marriage certificate along with certificates for ten other couples. Fuller delivered the certificates to clerk , who subsequently recorded the marriages in the county’s marriage record ledger.
Footnotes
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1
See Marriage License for John F. Boynton and Susan Lowell, 17 Nov. 1835.
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2
JS, Journal, 17 Jan. 1836.
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3
Cahoon, Autobiography and Family Records, 22–25; see also Minutes, Discourse, and Blessings, 14–15 Feb. 1835.
Cahoon, William F. Autobiography and Family Records, 1891. CHL.
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5
Obituary for Nancy Miranda Cahoon, Deseret News, 25 Dec. 1867, 368.
Deseret News. Salt Lake City. 1850–.
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6
An Act, Regulating Marriages [6 Jan. 1824], Statutes of Ohio, vol. 2, chap. 623, p. 1407, sec. 6.
The Statutes of Ohio and of the Northwestern Territory, Adopted or Enacted from 1788 to 1833 Inclusive: Together with the Ordinance of 1787; the Constitutions of Ohio and of the United States, and Various Public Instruments and Acts of Congress: Illustrated by a Preliminary Sketch of the History of Ohio; Numerous References and Notes, and Copious Indexes. 3 vols. Edited by Salmon P. Chase. Cincinnati: Corey and Fairbank, 1833–1835.
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7
Cahoon, Autobiography, 44–45.
Cahoon, William F. Autobiography, 1878. Microfilm. CHL. MS 8433.
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8
Cahoon, Autobiography, 45.
Cahoon, William F. Autobiography, 1878. Microfilm. CHL. MS 8433.
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9
JS, Journal, 17 Jan. 1836.
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10
An Act, Regulating Marriages [6 Jan. 1824], Statutes of Ohio, vol. 2, chap. 623, p. 1407, sec. 8.
The Statutes of Ohio and of the Northwestern Territory, Adopted or Enacted from 1788 to 1833 Inclusive: Together with the Ordinance of 1787; the Constitutions of Ohio and of the United States, and Various Public Instruments and Acts of Congress: Illustrated by a Preliminary Sketch of the History of Ohio; Numerous References and Notes, and Copious Indexes. 3 vols. Edited by Salmon P. Chase. Cincinnati: Corey and Fairbank, 1833–1835.
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11
JS, Journal, 22 Feb. 1836.
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12
Geauga Co., OH, Probate Court, Marriage Records, 1806–1920, vol. C, p. 144, 17 Jan. 1835, microfilm 873,461, U.S. and Canada Record Collection, FHL.
U.S. and Canada Record Collection. FHL.
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