Monday Diggings

Charles Mentzer and Nettie Wells Marry in 1893

Have you ever looked at a marriage record and realized how much more it tells you than simply the date of the wedding?

As I continue digging through the records in my genealogy files, I came across the marriage record for my maternal great-grandparents, Charles O. Mentzer and Nettie A. Wells. They were married in Woodson County, Kansas, in October 1893.

While I already had their marriage date in my family tree, the actual record adds several details about the beginning of their married life.

The Marriage License

The license was issued by the Woodson County Probate Court on 14 October 1893. At the time, both Charles and Nettie were residents of Yates Center, Kansas.

Charles was listed as 24 years old, while Nettie was 20.

The couple did not marry on the day the license was issued. Instead, the certificate on the lower portion of the record documents their marriage four days later, on 18 October 1893.

The completed license was then returned to the probate court on 25 October 1893.

Transcription

STATE OF KANSAS, }
COUNTY OF WOODSON. }

Office of Probate Judge of said County.

Be it Remembered, That on the 14th day of October, A.D. 1893, there was issued from the office of said Probate Judge, a Marriage License, of which the following is a true copy:

MARRIAGE LICENSE.

Woodson County, State of Kansas, Yates Center, Oct. 14, A.D. 1893

To any Person Authorized by Law to Perform the Marriage Ceremony, Greeting:

You are hereby authorized to join in Marriage Charles O. Mentzer, of Yates Center, Ks., aged 24 years, and Nettie A. Wells, of Yates Center, Ks., aged 20 years, and of this License you will make due return to my office within thirty days.

[Seal]

A. J. Jones
Probate Judge.

And which said Marriage License was afterwards, to-wit: on the 25th day of October, A.D. 1893, returned to said Probate Judge, with the following Certificate endorsed thereon, to-wit:

STATE OF KANSAS, County of Woodson, ss.

I, the undersigned, a Christian Minister of Yates Center in said Co., do hereby certify that in accordance with the authorization of the within License, I did, on the 18 day of Oct., A.D. 1893, at Groom's home in said County, join and unite in Marriage the within named Charles O. Mentzer and Nettie A. Wells.

Witness my Hand and seal this day and year above written.

O. H. Lamb
Christian Minister

Attest:
A. J. Jones
Probate Judge.

Married at the Groom’s Home

One detail in this record particularly caught my attention. The minister recorded that the ceremony took place at the groom’s home.

That small phrase gives the record a more personal dimension. Instead of simply knowing that Charles and Nettie married somewhere in Woodson County, I now know that their wedding took place at Charles’s home.

It makes me wonder what that day looked like. Was it a small family gathering? Were relatives and neighbors present? Was the home in Yates Center itself or nearby?

The record does not answer those questions, but it gives me a more specific setting for the event and another detail to add to the story of my great-grandparents.

The person performing the ceremony also provides another potential avenue for research. The signature appears to be that of O. H. Lamb, identified as a Christian minister of Yates Center. Learning more about him and the congregation he served might provide additional context for the wedding.

More Than a Marriage Date

This record documents three separate events surrounding the marriage:

• 14 October 1893 — marriage license issued in Woodson County

• 18 October 1893 — Charles O. Mentzer and Nettie A. Wells married at the groom’s home

• 25 October 1893 — completed marriage license returned to the probate court

It also places both Charles and Nettie in Yates Center at the time and gives their ages as 24 and 20.

None of these details dramatically changes what I know about my great-grandparents. However, together they help place their marriage in a particular time and setting.

And that simple notation, “Groom’s home,” makes the record feel a little less like a form and a little more like a glimpse into their lives.

That is one of the reasons I keep returning to the original records in my files. Even when I think I already know what a record says, another look can reveal a detail that helps turn a date on a family tree into part of a family story.