Early Brooke County Marriages Submitted to the WVGENWEB PROJECT by Dale Patterson ********************************************************************** USGENWEB NOTICE: These electronic pages may NOT be reproduced in any format for profit or presentation by any other organization or persons. Persons or organizations desiring to use this material, must obtain the written consent of the contributor, or the legal representative of the submitter, and contact the listed USGenWeb archivist with proof of this consent. ********************************************************************** Copied from " History of the Panhandle, being Historical Collections of the Counties of Ohio, Brooke, Marshall and Hancock, West Virginia". Compiled and Written by: J.H. Newton, G.G. Nichols, and A.G. Sprankle Published by: J.A. Caldwell, 1879, Wheeling, W. VA. MARRIAGES: There seems to be no regular book kept in this county, showing the issuing of license to marry. The only record is a book in which the returns or certificates of ministers or other persons authorized by law to solemnize marriages are recorded. In earlier years these certificates do not appear to have been returned with any degree of promptness or regularity, and many of them are imperfect, lacking dates, and sometimes one part of the name, of one or both, of the parties, themselves, it is quite probable that some of these certificates, have never been returned, and no authentic record of the marriage can ever be found. The first marriage certificate returned, and recorded, in Brooke County, is dated and certified as follows: No.1 I do hereby certify that on the twenty third day of June, one thousand seven hundred and ninety seven, Bezeleel Wells, of Washington, and state of Pennsylvania, and Sarah Griffith, of Charlestown, and state of Virginia. Were married pursuant to a license from the clerk of Brooke County, bearing date June 23, 1797, by me, Joseph Doddridge, Minister of the Gospel in Brooke County. This is however the second marriage in the county as the next return on the record precedes it in dates. It is as follows: I hereby certify, that on the eighteenth day of June, one thousand seven hundred and ninety seven, Robert Withers and Nabby Brown, both of Charlestown Brooke County Virginia, married, pursuant to a license from the clerk of said county, bearing date June 17, 1797, by me, Joseph Doddridge, Minister of the Gospel in said county. The third license was issued October 31, 1797, for Joshua Meek and Elizabeth Hedges, both of Brooke County, and solemnized November 2, 1797, by Rev Joseph Doddridge. The fourth license was issued November 15, 1797, for Robert Colwell and Sally Brown, both of Brooke County, and solemnized the same day by the Rev Joseph Doddridge. The fifth was issued November 10, 1797, for Benjamin Gossage and Nancy McGuire, and was solemnized November 16, 1797, by the Rev Joseph Doddridge. December 14, 1797, Rev Joseph Doddridge certifies two marriages, to wit: James McGuire and Margaret Smith, John Smith and Sally Harper, all of Brooke County. December 4, 1797, Rev James Hughes, V.D.M., whatever that may mean, certifies the marriage of John Brown and Ann Glass. Rev Joseph Doddridge certifies without date the marriage of Edward Warrell and Ann McMahan, on license issued October 15, 1797. The records show but two marriages in 1798: Joseph Nilson and Ann Colman, September 18, and Hugh Rogers and Catherine Beaty, November 1, as certifies by Rev James Hughes, V.D.M. In 1799, there are three marriages certified towit, James Ackinson and Nancy Brown, January 2; John Glendennin and Anna Sharon, April 15; James Wilson and Elizabeth Henderson, July 4. In 1800 five marriages were certified, as follows: April 8, John Barnes and Rebeca Welch. August 12, Josiah Dunlap and Sarah Cox. November 13, Enoch Shepherd and Margaret Giss, December 2, Enoch Rush and Martha Kirk; December 18, Hugh Ford and Nancy Kirk. The records show no marriages for 1801. In 1802 there were six certificates of marriages filed all by the Rev. James Hughs, V.D.M., as follows: April 14 Samuel McKuhan and Elizabeth Blair; April 29, William Watt and Estie Andrews, by publication; June 1. James Brown and Sarah Henderson: July 7, David Wilson and Elizabeth Maxwell, by publication. August 15. William Hedges and Sarah Dunlap. September. James Sellers and Elizabeth Robinson. In 1803, there were four marriage returns - by Elisha McCurdy, as follows. February 1. Samuel Brown and Betsy Dolty. May 12. Matthew Lyons and Nancy Colgrave. June 27. William Beall and Jean Wilson. August 16. Andrew Elliot and Lurea Stevenson. All after publication. In 1804 there are five marriages reported, as follows: April 24, Moses Gilston and Nancy Stevenson, August 24, Hugh Lee and Hannah Orr. After Publication; July 1, Samuel Gist and Ann Baxter, September 6. David Davis and Patty Freeman. The last two are certified by John Pritchard B.T.M. The next one is August 16, between Benjamin Brown and Margaret Hyatt, certified by William Willson [L.S.] In 1805, there were five marriages certified, three of them, Joseph Tipton, of Belmont County, Ohio, and Elizabeth Pritchard of Brooke County, VA. Edward Holly and Mary Wartenbee, Abednego Gooding and Hannah Tipton, are certified by John Pritchard B.T.M. The other two, Asher Wycoff and Annie Snidaker, John Pumphrey and Nelly Boon, by William Willson [seal] In 1806, there were fifteen marriages certified, in 1807 eighteen were certified, and William Willson under seal, certifies that on February 5, 1807, he performed the marriage rite between Cornelia Crouch and James Beeke. This wife probably believed in womens rights. In 1808, there are seven certificates of marriage returned, and in 1809, five certificates are returned, and in addition, a list of fifty-two certificates is returned by Rev. Joseph Doddridge, ranging in dates from 1799 to 1809. The careless and loose manner in which these records are kept, is shown in the fact that many of them have no dates, and many times, but one of the names, as in this list of fifty-two marriages, certified to by the Rev. gentleman, we find September 4, 1800, Jesse Wells and ---Davis---[Blank date]---Bell and Suky Hammond and---Bell,---1809, John Hulford and --- Caxton,---1809---Fowler and---Atkinson, ---Samuel Galloway and Nancy--- ---Lazier and ---Gorsuch. So it is difficult to tell from the records, exactly who were married, or when. From the date of these last certificates, down to January 1, 1879, the records show by certificates returned, one thousand five hundred and fourty- three---making a grand total of marriages in the county from its organization in 1797, to January 1, 1879, of one thousand six hundred and seventy-three.