Amanuensis AND Marriage Monday

 

Adam Tapley and Anne Brannen
Marriage Bond
February 16, 1786
Johnston County, North Carolina, USA

    "We Adam Tapley & William Hobbs are held and firm bound unto Richard Caswell Esq Governor & or his successor in office in the sum of Five hundred Pounds Current money to which payment well and truly to be made we bind ourselves our heirs Exors and admrs jointly and severally firmly by these presents sealed with our seals and dated this 16th day of Febry 1786

    The Condition of the above obligation is such that whereas the above bound Adam Tapley hath on the Day and Date of these presents obtained a licence for a marriage to be celebrated between him and Anne Brannan  Now if there doth not hereafter appear any just cause to obstruct the said marriage then the above obligation to be void else remain in full force and virtue

Signed Sealed and                                                        Adam Tapley (Seal)
Deliverd in presence of                                              

                                                                                        William Hobbs (Seal)"

   

     - Transcribed by Google Gemini who offered the following insights:

    This document is a North Carolina marriage bond.

    In colonial and early American legal practice, a marriage bond served as a financial guarantee posted by the prospective groom and a surety/co-signer to the state governor. It legally certified that there was no lawful impediment - such as an existing marriage or close kinship - preventing the marriage between Adam Tapley and the bride, Anne Brannen.

    In many historical marriage bonds, a relative, close neighbor, or local landowner acted as a surety alongside the groom to guarantee the legitimacy of the marriage, though the exact familial or social relationship between Adam Tapley and William Hobbs is unknown at this time.  

    I was going to switch things up this week and do a Marriage Monday post, but I got the bonus of also having a marriage bond transcribed.  

Mappy Monday: My Tapleys and Drakes in North Carolina

 After being inspired by my genealogy friend, Annette, I decided to map my Tapley and Drake families' origins in North Carolina.  It was an experiment in using the Paint program, so don't expect perfection!   But it gives you the general idea.  The Tapleys migrated from Virigina and arrived in North Carolina first, in the late 1740's.  The Drakes also migrated from Virginia, but about 30 years later, in the late 1770's.  The Tapleys left North Carolina about the time the Drakes arrived and migrated to South Carolina for a few years and then ultimately to Georgia.  The Drakes left North Carolina in the early 1820's and headed straight to Georgia.

Please click each map to view them larger in another window. 

Hosea Tapley was my 6th great-grandfather.  His son, Joel, of course, was my 5th great-grandfather.

 

Exum Drake was my 5th great-grandfather, with his son, Richard, being my 4th great-grandfather.

Maps courtesy of Catawba County NCGenWeb site at http://www.ncgenweb.us/catawba/countyfm.htm.