Marriage Mill, N. C.
The couples flock to Elizabeth City
where getting' married is romantic —
.and convenient.
By FRANK »l. RORFRTS
For many years — and no one is quite
sure when it first began — Elizabeth City
has been the spot for a speedy "I do.”
Its North Carolina’s marriage mill,
and business is booming "'because, al¬
though area residents may not realize
it, the notion of getting married in
Elizabeth City is a romantic idea lo
many." said Joe Spence, register of
deeds for Pasquotank County.
And getting wed in the Northeastern
North Carolina community is easier
and faster than in most other places.
In the time it takes to see a movie
and coming attractions, a couple can
have their physical and blood tests,
take out the necessary papers, become
Mr. and Mrs., and be honeymoon-
bound.
The whole thing costs just $25. Of
that amount, $5 goes to the county
for the license, only a dollar jump from
about 35 years ago. And some of the
money is returned to the newlyweds in
the form of a gift package of soap
products.
The office of the Register of Deeds
earns about $40,000 per year from the
sale of marriage licenses, making it the
only office in the county that pays its
own expenses, equipment, and salaries.
For more than a decade those sala¬
ries have gone to the same people, who
together probably create some sort of
longevity record.
Spence has been there since 1924. at
first working under his father, then tak¬
ing over as Register of Deeds in 1935.
In spite of being constantly surrounded
by the atmosphere of romance, he has
remained a bachelor.
Mrs. Edna Sawyer and Mrs. Lois
Foster, deputy registers of deeds, have
each been in the office for 34 years.
Mrs. Marie Brinson, the junior mem¬
ber, has been a deputy for only 23
years.
“I still find the work fascinating,"
Mrs. Sawyer said "although maybe not
as romantic as in the old days. Many
today don't scent to take marriage as
seriously."
It was the old days that provided the
county with its heaviest marriage busi¬
ness. "World War II years were the
Shown with Mr». Edna Sowycr,
о
deputy in the
Register of Deed» office, Joseph Homric ond
Jeonnie Slone ore obout to become Mr. ond Mrs.
busiest in our history," Mrs. Sawyer
said.
Evidently it was also a neater era.
"Now some young couples come down
wearing jeans and such and some are
even barefoot." she said.
Young and old keep the office of
Register of Deeds busy.
"We often get couples in their 80s
and 90s who met at a Senior Citizens
Club in Virginia," Mrs. Sawyer said.
"We get them all — rich, poor, and
in-between, the courteous and dis¬
courteous." she said. "And a few who
are drunk.
"We don’t issue them a license,"
Mrs. Sawyer said. "They might not
realize what they are doing."
There are a number who have done
it often enough to know the routine.
"We've had a few who have been mar¬
ried four times." Mrs. Sawyer said.
"One man wed his seventh here."
There are also many couples who re¬
marry one another. "This happens
quite often. People divorce, then
realize they made a mistake."
Mrs. Sawyer tells of one couple that
probably made a mistake several years
ago.
"The young man, very seriously,
said he was marrying so that he could
have a tax deduction.
"She said she was marrying him for
his money.
"Then he asked me if I'd take a
nickel for the marriage to be successful.
"Not even two cents," she told them.
In 1961 a young couple applied for
a license but their efforts became null
and void when it was realized both
were women.
The most tragic occurrence took
place a few years ago "when a dentist
THE state, October 1973
