This information on "bondsmen", or witness on a marriage bond, came from 
someone who used to run a family assocition:

"Please note that the bondsmen listed in these early marriage records did 
not necessarily have to be a relative of the groom or the bride.  He could 
also have simply been a friend or someone they paid a fee (a bondsman) to in 
order to give bond with sufficient security that there was no lawful cause 
to prevent the marriage so that in due course the County Clerk prepared a 
license which was presented to the minister who would perform the ceremony."

Margaret Kerr Beckwith

----- Original Message ----- 
From: "Bill Davidson" <[log in to unmask]>
To: <[log in to unmask]>
Sent: Tuesday, October 13, 2009 5:41 PM
Subject: [VA-ROOTS] Surety versus Witness on a Marriage Bond


If one man was a witness on a marriage bond in 1798 in VA, and
another man provided surety on that same marriage bond, from that
information alone, can one determine which man was the father of the
bride (assuming that one of the men was, in fact, the bride's father)?  I
have a case where a widowed woman was getting married for the
second time (and the last name used on the marriage bond was her
married name versus her maiden name...and her maiden name has not
been proven).  One man served as a witness and another man provided
surety (and these two men had different surnames).  Which one was
likely the father of the bride (again...assuming that one of them really
was her father...which I suspect)?  Thanks.

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