More on Womble Marriage Bonds

After researching more closely what North Carolina marriage bonds are available via the FHL, I knew that these records were next on my Womble research list.  While I was at FGS in Springfield, IL, I was talking with the president of the non-profit that I work for about my research.  I told her how I much I wanted to find a marriage record for John Womble and Catharine Greene in Edgecombe County, North Carolina.  We discussed marriage bonds that are at the state archives in Raleigh and I mentioned that these are available on at the FHL. 

When I returned home from Illinois, I decided to make a trip out to my local Family History Center in Annandale to order the microfiche of these records.  It was a Thursday morning and the place was dead.  I sat at a table filling out the order forms for the records I wanted.  I chatted a bit with the volunteer who was working there about what I wanted.  I had been to this facility many times and they never seemed to have any Edgecombe County, North Carolina records on site.  The gentleman looked up the records; even though, I told him that he probably wouldn't find them.

Surprisingly, he found that they had them there-pretty much the whole slew of North Carolina marriage bonds on microfiche!  I was so bowled over by surprise that I could barely tell him or think which records it was that I needed to look at.  I looked through the records for both brides and grooms, but didn't find one for John Womble marrying Catharine Greene.  I did find bonds for most of their children, which was nice.  I already had gotten those marriage records on a previous trip, but it was good to see these listed.  The records covered the whole state of North Carolina, so it wasn't as though I could just not be looking in the right county or something.  I'm still not sure if this is a record area where I should do further research to see if there's something else available.  Obviously, I should still make a trip to the North Carolina State Library and Archives in the future.

The main lesson to take away from my experience is that just because you always seem to have bad luck at a repository not having what you're looking for doesn't mean that this is necessarily a hard and fast rule.  The funny thing is that I typically never visit that FHC on Thursdays and if I had gone there on another day, I most likely would've paid money to order records that the place had already.  As it was, I was not only there at some time that was abnormal for me and the volunteer actually took the time to ask me about my research.  Sometimes when I've ordered records there the volunteer manning the desk will inquire if I know whether or not they don't have the records onsite.  At times, when I've said yes, they've gone further and looked it up in their system, but there have been those days when they don't.

Don't be discouraged if your research hits a slump and, even though I wasn't really successful in my research that day.  I still feel that I learned from the experience because I learned not only that most likely John Womble's marriage record to Catharine Greene just doesn't exist, but also that just because you believe that a repository doesn't have the records you're looking for doesn't mean they don't have any of the records you need.

Womble Marriage Records in Edgecombe County, NC

Years ago, back in 2005 I had found in a book, North Carolina Marriage Records, Edgecombe County, North Carolina 1760-1868 by Frances T. Ingmire at the Library of Congress.  It contained marriage records for many of John Womble’s children. 

 

I noted down the information, but never actually went in search of the actual records.  The reason being was that I wanted to feel that I had researched everything else about the family before going back that far.  So in a sense, I wanted to feel comfortable with the research I had already done before tackling John and his son, John Washington Womble’s siblings’ lives.

In genealogy it very important to work only with original records, when available.  I looked at what marriage records were available on microfilm through the Family HistoryLibrary.  What I was really hoping to find was a marriage record for John Womble and Catharine Green(e).  I ordered the microfilm titled Marriage Bonds, ca 1741-ca 1868 N-W, Edgecombe County, North Carolina.

The film arrived and I searched first for John Womble and Catharine Green(e) or even any other woman, but he wasn’t listed.  I did find marriage bonds for some of his children.  John’s daughter, Celia’s marriage bond to Joshua Sory on 17 Aug. 1830 was found.  Son, Enos Womble bond to Lucinda Ford dated 31 May 1854.  As well as, Jacob Womble to Nancy Fryar on 2 Feb 1830. 

There was a marriage bond for an Edwin Womble to Betsy Crisp on 25 Aug. 1826.  I have no idea if he's some unknown relation to John Womble, but I noted this down anyway.  You never know when random bits of information will prove useful later in your research.  Lastly, there were all of Nathaniel Womble’s marriages.  Nathaniel was married four times in Edgecombe County.  My belief is that his wives kept dying on him, so that’s why he married so often.  His first marriage was to Martha Friar on 3 Dec. 1823.  Next, he married Celia Sorrell on 9 Jan. 1823 and then Martha Taylor on 13 July 1857.  His last wife was Elizabeth Etheridge who he married on 2 May 1864.

I couldn’t find marriage bonds for John's daughter, Mary Ann Womble who married Elisha Proctor in ca 1819.  It’s possible that they married in another county.  There wasn’t a bond for either for her sister, Finetta Womble’s marriage to Willie Lee on 27 Dec. 1826. 

John Womble and Catharine Green(e)’s oldest son, Warren married twice in North Carolina.  His first wife, according to my information was Mary Anderson and they married in 1821 in Wake County.  She died within a year and he married again.  His second marriage was in Nash County to Mary McDade on 22 Oct. 1832.

I also couldn’t find the marriage bond for Warren’s younger brother, Benjamin F. who married Mary McDade’s sister, Silana in abt. 1831. 

I haven’t given up hope of finding John and Catharine Womble’s marriage bond.  I did manage to find out that there’s on index to marriage bonds filed in the North Carolina State Archives available on microfiche through the Family History Library.  It seems quite extensive and I’m very hopeful that I will at last find this vital document.  If not there still a chance that I may be able to at least locate more marriage bonds for John and Catharine’s children.