Marriage Certificate for William Cahoon and Nancy Gibbs, 18 January 1836

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Marriage Certificate for William Cahoon and Nancy Gibbs, 18 January 1836
Source Note

JS, Marriage Certificate, for
William Cahoon
7 Nov. 1813–6 Apr. 1893. Shoemaker, carpenter, joiner. Born at Harpersfield, Ashtabula Co., Ohio. Son of Reynolds Cahoon and Thirza Stiles. Baptized into Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints by Parley P. Pratt, 16 Oct. 1830, at Kirtland, Geauga Co....
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and
Nancy Gibbs
27 July 1817–6 Oct. 1867. Born at Benson, Rutland Co., Vermont. Daughter of Aaron Gibbs and Prudence Carter. Baptized into Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints by Jared Carter, fall 1831. Moved to Kirtland, Geauga Co., Ohio, fall 1833. Married to William...
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,
Kirtland Township
Located ten miles south of Lake Erie. Settled by 1811. Organized by 1818. Latter-day Saint missionaries visited township, early Nov. 1830; many residents joined Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints. Population in 1830 about 55 Latter-day Saints and...
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, Geauga Co., OH, 18 Jan. 1836. Featured version copied [ca. 19 Jan. 1836] in JS, Journal, 1835–1836, p. 131; handwriting of
Warren Parrish
10 Jan. 1803–3 Jan. 1877. Clergyman, gardener. Born in New York. Son of John Parrish and Ruth Farr. Married first Elizabeth (Betsey) Patten of Westmoreland Co., New Hampshire, ca. 1822. Lived at Alexandria, Jefferson Co., New York, 1830. Purchased land at...
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; JS Collection, CHL. For more complete source information, see the source note for JS, Journal, 1835–1836.

Historical Introduction
JS performed marriages in late 1835 and early 1836 for members of the
Church of the Latter Day Saints
The Book of Mormon related that when Christ set up his church in the Americas, “they which were baptized in the name of Jesus, were called the church of Christ.” The first name used to denote the church JS organized on 6 April 1830 was “the Church of Christ...
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according to the church’s rules and regulations.
1
See Marriage License for John F. Boynton and Susan Lowell, 17 Nov. 1835.
On the afternoon of 17 January 1836, JS solemnized three marriages, including that of
William F. Cahoon
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and
Nancy Gibbs
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.
2
JS, Journal, 17 Jan. 1836.
Cahoon, the son of
Reynolds
30 Apr. 1790–29 Apr. 1861. Farmer, tanner, builder. Born at Cambridge, Washington Co., New York. Son of William Cahoon Jr. and Mehitable Hodges. Married Thirza Stiles, 11 Dec. 1810. Moved to northeastern Ohio, 1811. Located at Harpersfield, Ashtabula Co.,...
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and
Thirza Stiles Cahoon
18 Oct. 1789–21 Nov. 1866. Born in Lanesborough, New York. Daughter of Daniel Olds Stiles and Abigail Farrington. Moved to Newport, Herkimer Co., New York, by 1810. Married Reynolds Cahoon, 11 Dec. 1810. Moved to Harpersfield, Ashtabula Co., Ohio, 1811. Moved...
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, was twenty-two years old at the time of his marriage to Gibbs. He had traveled and proselytized in
New York
Located in northeast region of U.S. Area settled by Dutch traders, 1620s; later governed by Britain, 1664–1776. Admitted to U.S. as state, 1788. Population in 1810 about 1,000,000; in 1820 about 1,400,000; in 1830 about 1,900,000; and in 1840 about 2,400,...
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with
David W. Patten
14 Nov. 1799–25 Oct. 1838. Farmer. Born in Vermont. Son of Benoni Patten and Edith Cole. Moved to Theresa, Oneida Co., New York, as a young child. Moved to Dundee, Monroe Co., Michigan Territory, as a youth. Married Phoebe Ann Babcock, 1828, in Dundee. Affiliated...
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and
Amasa Lyman
30 Mar. 1813–4 Feb. 1877. Boatman, gunsmith, farmer. Born at Lyman, Grafton Co., New Hampshire. Son of Roswell Lyman and Martha Mason. Baptized into Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints by Lyman E. Johnson, 27 Apr. 1832. Moved to Hiram, Portage Co....
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in 1832 and 1833 and had participated in the 1834
Camp of Israel
A group of approximately 205 men and about 20 women and children led by JS to Missouri, May–July 1834, to redeem Zion by helping the Saints who had been driven from Jackson County, Missouri, regain their lands; later referred to as “Zion’s Camp.” A 24 February...
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expedition before returning to
Kirtland
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to labor as a carpenter on the
House of the Lord
JS revelation, dated Jan. 1831, directed Latter-day Saints to migrate to Ohio, where they would “be endowed with power from on high.” In Dec. 1832, JS revelation directed Saints to “establish . . . an house of God.” JS revelation, dated 1 June 1833, chastened...
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.
3
Cahoon, Autobiography and Family Records, 22–25; see also Minutes, Discourse, and Blessings, 14–15 Feb. 1835.
Comprehensive Works Cited
Cahoon, William F. Autobiography and Family Records, 1891. CHL.
He was
ordained
The conferral of power and authority; to appoint, decree, or set apart. Church members, primarily adults, were ordained to ecclesiastical offices and other responsibilities by the laying on of hands by those with the proper authority. Ordinations to priesthood...
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a member of the
Seventy
A priesthood office with the responsibility to travel and preach and assist the Quorum of the Twelve Apostles, similar to the seventy in the New Testament. In February and March 1835, the first members of the Seventy were selected and ordained. All of those...
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on 28 February 1835.
4
Minutes and Blessings, 28 Feb.–1 Mar. 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
Benson
Located in western Vermont, near south end of Lake Champlain. Settled 1783; organized ca. 1786. Population in 1830 about 1,500. Scene of many early religious revivals. Location of first branch of Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints in Vermont, 1831...
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, Vermont.
5
Obituary for Nancy Miranda Cahoon, Deseret News, 25 Dec. 1867, 368.
Deseret News. Salt Lake City. 1850–.

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
Ohio
French explored and claimed area, 1669. British took possession following French and Indian War, 1763. Ceded to U.S., 1783. First permanent white settlement established, 1788. Northeastern portion maintained as part of Connecticut, 1786, and called Connecticut...
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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.”
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.
In his autobiography,
William Cahoon
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noted that he and
Gibbs
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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.”
7
Cahoon, Autobiography, 44–45.
Cahoon, William F. Autobiography, 1878. Microfilm. CHL. MS 8433.
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
Reynolds
30 Apr. 1790–29 Apr. 1861. Farmer, tanner, builder. Born at Cambridge, Washington Co., New York. Son of William Cahoon Jr. and Mehitable Hodges. Married Thirza Stiles, 11 Dec. 1810. Moved to northeastern Ohio, 1811. Located at Harpersfield, Ashtabula Co.,...
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and
Thirza Cahoon
18 Oct. 1789–21 Nov. 1866. Born in Lanesborough, New York. Daughter of Daniel Olds Stiles and Abigail Farrington. Moved to Newport, Herkimer Co., New York, by 1810. Married Reynolds Cahoon, 11 Dec. 1810. Moved to Harpersfield, Ashtabula Co., Ohio, 1811. Moved...
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.
8
Cahoon, Autobiography, 45.
JS’s journal notes that he enjoyed the “rich repast” and good company at the gathering.
9

On 18 January 1836, the day after the wedding, JS signed a marriage certificate for
Cahoon
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and
Gibbs
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, and the day after that, 19 January,
Warren Parrish
10 Jan. 1803–3 Jan. 1877. Clergyman, gardener. Born in New York. Son of John Parrish and Ruth Farr. Married first Elizabeth (Betsey) Patten of Westmoreland Co., New Hampshire, ca. 1822. Lived at Alexandria, Jefferson Co., New York, 1830. Purchased land at...
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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.
10
On 22 February 1836, JS sent Elijah Fuller to
Chardon
Located eight miles south of Lake Erie and immediately east of Kirtland Township. Settled by 1812. Included village of Chardon. Population of township in 1820 about 430; in 1830 about 880; and in 1840 about 1,100. Two of JS’s sisters resided in township. ...
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with a copy of Cahoon and Gibbs’s marriage certificate along with certificates for ten other couples.
11
JS, Journal, 22 Feb. 1836.
Fuller delivered the certificates to
Geauga County
Located in northeastern Ohio, south of Lake Erie. Rivers in area include Grand, Chagrin, and Cuyahoga. Settled mostly by New Englanders, beginning 1798. Formed from Trumbull Co., 1 Mar. 1806. Chardon established as county seat, 1808. Population in 1830 about...
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clerk
David D. Aiken
20 Sept. 1794–12 Dec. 1861. County clerk, associate judge, merchant. Born in New York. Baptized into Episcopalian church, 9 Aug. 1818, in New York. Married Laura Loomis. Moved to Brown, Stark Co., Ohio, by 1820; to Painesville, Geauga Co., Ohio; and to Chardon...
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, who subsequently recorded the marriages in the county’s marriage record ledger.
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.
Footnotes
[1]
See Marriage License for John F. Boynton and Susan Lowell, 17 Nov. 1835.
[2]
[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.
[4]
Minutes and Blessings, 28 Feb.–1 Mar. 1835.
[5]
Obituary for Nancy Miranda Cahoon, Deseret News, 25 Dec. 1867, 368.
Deseret News. Salt Lake City. 1850–.
[6]
[7]
Cahoon, Autobiography, 44–45.
[8]
Cahoon, Autobiography, 45.
[9]
[10]
[11]
JS, Journal, 22 Feb. 1836.
[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.
Asterisk (*) denotes a "featured" version, which includes an introduction and annotation. *Marriage Certificate for William Cahoon and Nancy Gibbs, 18 January 1836 Journal, 1835–1836 History, 1838–1856, volume B-1 [1 September 1834–2 November 1838] “History of Joseph Smith”
Page 131
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I hereby certify that agreeably to the rules and regulations of the
church of christ of Latter-Day Saints
The Book of Mormon related that when Christ set up his church in the Americas, “they which were baptized in the name of Jesus, were called the church of Christ.” The first name used to denote the church JS organized on 6 April 1830 was “the Church of Christ...
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,
1
For more on changes to the name of the church, see Historical Introduction to Minutes, 3 May 1834.
on matrimony,
2
For the published rules and regulations of the church, see Statement on Marriage, ca. Aug. 1835.
were joined in marriage Mr.
William F. Cahoon
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and Miss
Nancy M. Gibbs
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, both of this place, on Sabbath the 17th instant.

Joseph Smith Jun

Presiding
Elder
A male leader in the church generally; an ecclesiastical and priesthood office or one holding that office; a proselytizing missionary. The Book of Mormon explained that elders ordained priests and teachers and administered “the flesh and blood of Christ unto...
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of said church

Kirtland
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Ohio Jan. 18th 1836 [p. 131]
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