This volume is the fifteenth in the author’s series on Maryland marriages and the seventh book for Harford County. It is a comprehensive compilation of about 1,000 marriages for the five-year period from 1881 through 1885 inclusive. Information was gleaned from marriage licenses and certificates, newspapers, tombstone inscriptions, church registers, Bible records, obituaries, death certificates, and some family histories and other secondary sources, all of which have been cited within the text.
As with his previous marriage books this one is much more than just a listing of names and dates. In many instances the readers will find complete dates of birth and death, full names of parents, children and other relatives and friends, places of residence and burial, occupations, some children’s births and their marriages, nicknames, some divorces and subsequent marriages, names of ministers, and places of marriage. A few marriages have also been noted for persons who resided in other states and counties and had a family connection to Harford County. In many cases there is information about family relations to enable researchers to establish some family lines into the late 1900s. While many of those listed herein have a brief Addendum with more information about the bride and groom's families, some contain detailed biographical sketches.
There is also information gleaned from local newspapers in which the marriage ceremony is presented in detail, describing the affair and the attire of the bride and groom and the names of family and friends who attended. It is interesting to note that most brides did not wear white, but dressed instead in very colorful clothing with floral accessories. And twenty-fifth and fiftieth wedding anniversaries of some marriages are also described, including the place of the festive celebration and those who attended.
The marriages herein have been arranged alphabetically by the surnames of the grooms, while the brides’ names and other persons have been cross-referenced within the text, thus precluding the need for a separate index.
Henry C. Peden, Jr.
2023, 8½x11, paper, alphabetical, 264 pp.
ISBN: 9780788429132
101-P2913
