Ancestry Magazine

The shotgun wedding, which has come to refer to any hasty marriage arranged because of an unplanned pregnancy, has deep roots in American family legends and folk songs, probably with good reason.

For years, the rule seemed to be that American couples were married in the bride’s hometown or county. However, there are exceptions to all rules, and the advent of the automobile suddenly enabled our ancestors to go to a surrounding county or even another state to tie the knot.

Back in the 17th century, fathers—supported by churches and courts—exercised close control over their children’s lives, including their sexual behavior and when or whom they would marry. By the middle of the 18th century, parental influence had declined, as evidenced by fewer daughters marrying in birth order and the rates of illegitimacy and pregnancy prior to marriage beginning to rise.

For the genealogist interested in exploring the family tree for skeletons or confirming a suspected “shotgun wedding,” searching areas where birth records were not kept widely or consistently until the late 19th century or early 20th century (which in truth was almost anywhere outside of New England) can be a challenge. Illegitimacy, which can create a problem for the genealogist, did not always carry as great a social stigma prior to the Victorian era (ca 1837–1901). Times and social attitudes change. It is not uncommon to discover that your ancestors in rural America might have been a bit late in getting married, but as long as they did and settled down in their community, their families and society tended to accept the situation.

Of course, a reluctant bridegroom, especially in the 18th and 19th centuries, would have to deal with his intended’s papa and rifle, as well as her brothers and uncles. The shotgun wedding, which has come to refer to any hasty marriage arranged because of an unplanned pregnancy, has deep roots in American family legends and folk songs, probably with good reason.

However, an unwed woman who had a child out of wedlock often faced social stigma and economic difficulties, and the town and county court records may reflect this through what are commonly known as “bastardy bonds.” The bond was usually made in the county court where the mother resided; its intent was to protect the county from being forced to support the child. When a woman’s pregnancy or the birth of a child was brought to the attention of the court, a warrant was issued and the woman brought into court. She was examined under oath and asked to declare the name of the child’s father. The reputed father was then served a warrant and required to post bond, and sometimes the mother and reputed father together posted the bond. If the woman refused to name the father, she, her father, or some other interested party would post the bond. However, if the woman refused to post bond or declare the father, she could be sent to jail.

When the United States entered World War I on 6 April 1917, marriages began to soar as men jumped to marry their girlfriends before going off to war. Another surge in the number of marriages took place during and just after World War II. However, by 1940, when many states had passed laws requiring medical exams prior to a marriage license being issued, many of the marriage mills and favorite elopement spots had gone out of business.

Finding Shotgun Marriages and Old-fashioned Elopements
How do you find out where an ancestor was married? Start by looking at the time period of the marriage. Say, for example, your ancestors were married during World War I or World War II. A quick check of draft registration cards at Ancestry.com for the husband may lead you to a likely locale where your ancestors were married.

Marriage records in the United States can be found primarily at county and town clerks’ offices, but in some instances they will be found in the records of churches, ministers, justices of the peace, and the military; state vital records and boards of health offices; and records of colonial governors. Check U.S. Vital Records for U.S. state and territory records—mostly modern ones—that are kept at the state level.

Myra Vanderpool Gormley, CG spends her days untangling her illustrious roots and pruning her family’s notorious branches—the latter being a seemingly full-time job. Reach her at myravg@wamail.net.

Favorite Elopement Spots
If you suspect your ancestors eloped or had a shotgun wedding, you might check one of several so-called Gretna Green marriage localities in the U.S.—named for the famous village in Scotland where many 18th-century English couples eloped to circumvent the laws in England—for a possible elopement.

New Jersey. Considered America’s Gretna Green in the 1890s.
Crown Point, Indiana. From 1915 to 1940, this town in Lake County was the Gretna Green of the Midwest. It was a well-known marriage mill, with an estimated 175,000 couples going to the courthouse there to be wed. Couples could marry 24 hours a day, seven days a week. Among the famous who were married there were Red Grange, Tom Mix, and Rudolph Valentino.
Richmond, Wayne County, Indiana.
Aberdeen, Brown County, Ohio.

In the 1870s, Kentucky couples often went to communities on the Ohio side of the Ohio River, especially places with river crossings. Other popular Ohio destinations were Cincinnati in Hamilton County and Scioto County. Milwaukee, Milwaukee County, Wisconsin. West Alexander, Washington County, Pennsylvania. Waukegan, Lake County, Illinois. Elkton, Cecil County, Maryland. Saint Joseph, Berrien County, Michigan. In the early 1920s Saint Joseph attracted Chicago residents who would take a four-hour steamboat ride, often on a Sunday, for a quickie wedding. Marriages were performed day and night in as little as 30 seconds.

Warning Flags
No shotgun-influenced wedding ceremonies in your family tree? The following warning flags might make you want to check the records a little more closely:

The youngest child in a large family that arrived several years after the next youngest sibling—note especially if the purported mother is in her 40s or older. The child may be a grandchild, perhaps the child of an unwed daughter. If the birth took place in more recent times, a delayed birth certificate could indicate an irregularity—especially if the other children’s births were registered in a timely manner.

A child with double surnames, such as William Smith Jones, or a distinctive first or middle name. It may not mean anything, but it might.

A marriage prior to World War I that took place hundreds of miles from where the couple lived.

A young “widow” with a child whose father was unknown and supposedly died soon after the marriage—but with no existing marriage record in her home county or neighboring counties.

The temporary disappearance of a daughter—she may have been sent to visit a relative in another state—from the family unit. She may have had a child and given it up for adoption.

A marriage that took place soon after the birth of a child. The stepfather may actually be the child’s father.

An ancestor or relative named in the will of an apparently unrelated person.