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. To subscribe, change options, or unsubscribe, please see the instructions at http://listlva.lib.va.us/archives/va-roots.html To subscribe, change options, or unsubscribe, please see the instructions at http://listlva.lib.va.us/archives/va-roots.html