Register of Marriages
9/30/1865
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While many enslaved couples formed lasting bonds during their enslavement, their marriages had no legal foundation or protection. The abolishment of slavery not only meant citizenship, but the ability to have legally recognized marriages without fear of the loss of a spouse through sale.
Congress established the Bureau of Refugees, Freedmen, and Abandoned Lands — better known as the Freedmen’s Bureau — as the Civil War neared its end, in 1865. The Bureau helped facilitate and record marriages.
The Freedmen's Bureau recorded the county marriages seen in this document, performed by D Maxwell, Clerk of the Court in North Carolina, for the quarter ending on September 30, 1865.
Congress established the Bureau of Refugees, Freedmen, and Abandoned Lands — better known as the Freedmen’s Bureau — as the Civil War neared its end, in 1865. The Bureau helped facilitate and record marriages.
The Freedmen's Bureau recorded the county marriages seen in this document, performed by D Maxwell, Clerk of the Court in North Carolina, for the quarter ending on September 30, 1865.
Transcript
Record of Marriages for Which licenses were issued by D Maxwell Clerk of County during the quarter ending September 30, 1865.[Entries include the following information in the following order:] Date – Names: Males – to – Females – Remarks [this column is entirely blank]
July 8 1865 – Albert Wheatly – to – Cressy [illegible]
[July] 5 [1865] – Elias Winthrop – [to] – Hannah Willson
[July] 21 [1865] – Joseph Gentile – [to] – Rebecca Sims
[July] 28 [1865] – Milas Owens – [to] – Sylva Brown
[July] 29 [1865] – Robert Johnson – [to] – Martha Blair
Aug 12 [1865] – John Sandford – [to] – Ellen Graham
[Aug] 17 [1865] – Monroe Harris – [to] – Miriam Simmons
[Aug] 17 [1865] – Thos Simmons – [to] – Charity Orr
[Aug] 26 [1865] – Thos Barnwell – [to] – Anny Houston
[Aug] 26 [1865] – Anozie Stile – [to] – Elina Stile
[Aug] 26 [1865] – Sandy Johnson – [to] – Roxana Pitts
[Aug] 31 [1865] – Doctor Sheppard – [to] – Indy McNealy
Sept 7 [1865] – John McCullough – [to] – Amanda Taylor
[Sept] 14 [1865] – Thos Orr – [to] – Louisa Orr
[Sept] 18 [1865] – Stephen Torrence – [to] – Dovy Maxwell
[Sept] 16 [1865] – James Sawson – [to] – Mary A Davis
[Sept] 18 [1865] – Amos Caldwell – [to] – Dinah Wilson
[Sept] 21 [1865] – Adolphus Young – [to] – Martha Lewis
[Sept] 25 [1865] – Edward Willson – [to] – Francis Johnson
[Sept] 27 [1865] – James Walker – [to] – Alicia Garth
The above is a correct Record transcribed from the Marriage Record in its Clerks office of this County.
[signed] John C Barnett
Capt & Asst Supt F.M.B.
Bu R F & A L
Charlotte NC
Oct 10th 1865
Barnett John C
Capt. & Supt.
Report of Marriages registered
During quarter preceding
September 30th 1865
This primary source comes from the Records of the Bureau of Refugees, Freedmen, and Abandoned Lands.
National Archives Identifier: 595052
Full Citation: Register of Marriages; 9/30/1865; Reports, 1865 - 1869; Records of the Bureau of Refugees, Freedmen, and Abandoned Lands, Record Group 105; National Archives Building, Washington, DC. [Online Version, https://docsteach.org/documents/document/register-marriages, April 25, 2025]Activities that use this document
- How Effective were the Efforts of the Freedmen’s Bureau?
Created by the National Archives Education Team - The Civil War: Commemorate or Celebrate?
Created by the National Archives Education Team
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