From THE COLONIAL FAMILY IN AMERICA
“While we think of the early New England settlers as very religious, they actually viewed marriage as a civil contract, not a religious contract. Consequently, marriage was a function of the magistrates more than the clergy.”
From LEGISLATIVE GUIDE TO MARRIAGE LAW Iowa.gov
“They (Puritans founders of Massachusetts) believed that marriage was not a religious ceremony but a civil contract. They required that this covenant must be “agreed” or “executed” (not “performed” or “solemnized”) before a magistrate, and not a minister. They also insisted that if the terms of the marriage covenant were broken, then the union could be ended by divorce. These attitudes became the basis of regional marriage customs throughout New England.”
The beginning of their fall from grace. Now they are communist Massachusetts, and the Godless Universalist Unitarians.
Very interesting info. I’m learning a lot lately about the history of marriage.
When I did Canadian family research marriages were found in church records. I don’t recall seeing any civil records. When researching German immigrants in the 1800’s I also found the marriages in church records. I’d have to go back through my research. They may have also been registered with the state or county.
I do recall when I was married we had to obtain a license to present to the church official who conducted the ceremony.