Gay marriage has become a hot topic in this
country. I believe the Supreme Court
made an unconstitutional ruling when they struck down Section 3 of DOMA. Basically, five justices decided our
federalist system is antiquated and our elected representatives are window
dressing when it comes to passing laws.
Ultimately, we have a judicial oligarchy who will dictate policy from on
high.
Obviously, this is a back door attempt at striking down a constitutional amendment that was approved by more than 60% of the citizens of North Carolina. But that doesn’t matter to the 25% minority that rules this country. They will use the federal courts to impose their will upon us all. Why not? They’ve done it for the past 70 years.
What I find fascinating is how marriage developed in
the state of North Carolina. Here is an
excerpt from the Encyclopedia of North Carolina:
Marriage in North Carolina, until 1868, could be
either by license or by banns (public announcements) in the county where the
bride lived. It is estimated that in
North Carolina two-thirds of all marriages prior to 1868 were by banns, as they
were quicker and cheaper than licenses.
If a marriage by license was desired, a marriage bond, which was free of
charge, was procured to ensure that there was no legal impediment to the union. The bond was not proof of marriage but only
of the intent to marry. The consent of
parents or guardians was required if either party was under age 15 and had not
previously been married. Those not
wishing to bother with licenses and bonds could publish the banns on three
successive Sundays and then be married by a clergyman or magistrate. No public record was made of this
procedure. An act of 1868 transferred
the power to issue marriage licenses to the register of deeds and made the
license the only legal public record of the nuptials.
After 1851 all justices and clergy were required to
return licenses for marriages they had performed to the clerk of court; these
marriages were recorded chronologically in the Marriage Registers of each
county, few of which have been published.
Therefore, the absence of a marriage bond in North Carolina does not
indicate that the couple was not married in the state, but only that there is
no extant civil record of it. The
percentage of extant records of marriages performed in North Carolina prior to
1868 would be generously set at 20 percent.
The counties with the largest number of extant marriage bonds are Rowan
and Orange.
I don’t believe there is a single record of a
same-sex marriage during that period of time.
In retrospect, we don’t have the same sense of community or morality
either
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