Did some colonists in the new world trade corn for marriage linceses?

Answer 1

I'm unaware that such a trade ever occurred. The problem is that "marriage licenses" are a relatively recent concept that the American colonists would have thought absurd. Marriages are performed by priests or ministers; why should you need a government "license" to get married?

Answer 2

It is possible a party might pay for the license in corn but that would have been a carefully planned business deal where the issuing authority would make certain they had received enough corn to cover the cost of the license.

Marriage licenses were expensive and most people couldn't afford one. Also, in the early colonial times, a legal marriage could only be performed by a minister of the Church of England and not everyone belonged to that church. Fortunately, marriage licenses were not required in early Colonial times. Marriage banns could be substituted for a license. The marriage would be announced publicly, usually at church services for three consecutive meetings, or posted in a public place. However, marriage banns may not have created a legal marriage. That was not much of a problem in those days since marriage was often a somewhat informal arrangement.

It was common for a community to accept a couple as married by their very act of setting up a household together. The rules varied in the various colonies and at different times. Marriage became more formal by the mid-1700s. Early marriages were recorded in church registers, which ministers were required to share with civil officials. Marriages were reported to the town clerks once a town was incorporated. However, very early marriage records are scarce and were not kept in some locations.

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Answer 3

false