What does a "publishment of marriage" mean?

Question

I am looking at an original source marriage record in Maine Town & Vital records under the category "Marriages published in the Town of Machias"; I am also cross referencing with an excellent genealogical book source that states the couple was married "in Columbia or Jonesport, Maine." (with no record cited but both references have given the exact same day/month/year). So I'm wondering...does "published in Machias" necessarily mean that they were married in Machias? Could they still have been married in Columbia or Jonesport meaning that there is another record out there?

Edited: I did find that the marriage was "recorded" in Columbia, Maine, along with several other marriages that had been performed by the same justice of the peace and he was living in Columbia at the time.

Comments

One of "those days" for me (need some sleep I guess).  I thought it was about PUNISHMENT of marriage ...

I mean, was it a shotgun wedding? Eh. And wondered if the Authorities could enforce a forced wedding. Hah. 

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Haha, that's hilarious!...especially considering I was just reading this document "Sex Downeast: Adultery and Fornication in Colonial Maine." I think there was at least one couple potentially forced by the court to marry because they wouldn't stop their hanky panky ways and the community grew tired of it. Most got fines and lashes. https://scholarworks.wm.edu/cgi/viewcontent.cgi?article=5272&context=etd

Answer 1

I believe they are referring to "being published in a newspaper in Machias, Maine".

Newspapers Published In Machias ...

We know of 6 newspapers that have been published in the immediate area of Machias:

Countywide

Years of publication:   198? to 1985

Locate a copy thru WorldCat:   OCLC 11380700

Locate a copy thru the Library of Congress:

Catalog Card for the Countywide

Holdings for:   LCCN SN84001828

 

Machias Republican

Years of publication:   1856 to 1920

Locate a copy thru WorldCat:   OCLC 10443724

Locate a copy thru the Library of Congress:

Catalog Card for the Machias Republican

Holdings for:   LCCN SN84022498

 

Machias Valley News-Observer

Years of publication:   1932 to current

Locate a copy thru WorldCat:   OCLC 33827499

Locate a copy thru the Library of Congress:

Catalog Card for the Machias Valley News-Observer

Holdings for:   LCCN SN95067991

 

The Machias Union

Years of publication:   1853 to 1920

Locate a copy thru WorldCat:   OCLC 10387620

Locate a copy thru the Library of Congress:

Catalog Card for The Machias Union

Holdings for:   LCCN SN84025747

 

The Machias Valley News

Years of publication:   1930 to 1932

Locate a copy thru WorldCat:   OCLC 38203855

Locate a copy thru the Library of Congress:

Catalog Card for The Machias Valley News

Holdings for:   LCCN SN97070844

 

The Union-Republican

Years of publication:   1920 to ????

Locate a copy thru WorldCat:   OCLC 38245062

Locate a copy thru the Library of Congress:

Catalog Card for The Union-Republican

Holdings for:   LCCN SN97069015

Comments

Wow, I'm definitely saving that info for later, good stuff. I should have mentioned the marriage was 1802.  These are the two records I am looking at for David Kelley & Dorcas Sawyer.

https://www.familysearch.org/ark:/61903/3:1:3QS7-99N7-X4YK?i=18&cat=117084 (top of page image 19)

https://www.familysearch.org/ark:/61903/3:1:3QS7-99NW-HFK5?i=30 (middle of page image 31)

Edited: And to top it off, the couple resided in Moosepecky Reach, which was considered Jonesport not Machias. I am unsure what to put for their marriage info at this point.

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It is possible that the marriage was published because the banns had also been published for consecutive weeks.  You'd need to check to see if banns were regularly published in that area.

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So is a published marriage or bann just a public announcement to the townsfolk and may not be the same as where they were married? Also, is a bann the same as an "intention"?

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Banns were called out, or published (it wasn't a written/typed publication, although some churches DID post a notice on the church calling the banns) .. in order to give people time to show up if there was "just cause" to prevent the marriage.  We retain that phrase in many church based wedding ceremonies (and everyone holds their breath and looks around surreptitiously — some with the hope that there WILL be a dissenter!) even today.

Once the marriage took place it was also published .. often times in two or three places depending on where the couple were from.  If it was his, or her, home Parish, but not the home Parish of the other, then the marriage (and the banns prior to) would be called in both Parishes.  If they were living in a Parish that was not where either was from, then it would be published (as would the banns) in all three Parishes.

It was the best way known, for a long time, to find a bigamist, or an underage runaway (unless in England and they'd made a run for the border .. in which case there were NO banns called), or whatever other reason/s they were calling/publishing banns in the first place.

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Thank you, Melanie. I was busy greeting, and not able to answer. You are so sweet.

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Thank you Susan, for selecting my answer.

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Thank you to everyone. Melanie I appreciate your reply, that is very interesting to know. I think I will stick with the book reference that they were "married in Columbia or Jonesport." It is my understanding that sometimes the couple traveled to the justice of the peace and sometimes the justice of the peace traveled to nearby towns?

Edited: Also, Melanie, did you notice I found these records on family search with no citation again? I don't know how I keep doing it, haha. But I am going to apply your strategy for citing it that we discussed in a previous post, that will come in very handy.

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Edited: Also, Melanie, did you notice I found these records on family search with no citation again? I don't know how I keep doing it, haha. But I am going to apply your strategy for citing it that we discussed in a previous post, that will come in very handy.

commented by Colleen Griffin

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Some of us DO develop a knack for doing certain things.  Perhaps this is yours.   

(Happy to have been of help.)

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Yep, I'll add that one to my wheelhouse, lol. Enjoy your day!