- Title
- State
-
-
- Date
- May 1982
-
-
- Place
- ["North Carolina, United States"]
-
State
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The Champion
Nuptialist
Squire Baile» wasn’t exactly modest
about bis preeminence in the marry¬
ing profession.
By BILLY
ЛВТН11В
life, but no money was involved, only
barter.
Following the American Revolu¬
tion. traders came into the community
from three directions. Down the Shen¬
andoah Valley from Virginia, oxen-
drawn wagons crossed the corner of
Ashe County loaded with apples, rifles
from Pennsylvania, and tobacco for
chewing or smoking. From across the
Blue Ridge, from the Piedmont, all the
way from Wilmington on the coast,
came others, their wagons laden with
white oak casks of whiskey, cotton and
flax for weaving, needles and knives,
and fireplace cooking-ware. Out of
Kentucky and Tennessee, from as far
away as Missouri, the New' West,
came wagons piled high with buck¬
skins and furs, to meet at Trade, then
in North Carolina.
For Boone and the pioneers moving
westward. Snake Mountain, towering
more than a mile high stood like a sen¬
tinel and marked the place where three
trails converged into one. One trail
crossed the mountains from the direc¬
tion of Meat Camp, one meandered up
the mountains from Cove Creek, and
the third crossed the mountains from
the Holston and the Watauga Settle¬
ments to meet at the Trading Grounds
to join with the Wilderness Road into
Kentucky.
Boone's Mare
According to legend. Roan Creek at
Trade got its name from Boone's roan
mare which gave out on him near the
little stream and had to be abandoned.
When Boone relumed from his trip
many months later, he found his mare
not only fully recovered, but fat and
lively from the excellent grazing along
the little stream.
From Trade. Tennessee, the buffalo
trail continues and follows the same
route as the Boone Wilderness Trail
marked by the DAR into Kentucky in
1912.
The buffalo trail was important to
the development of Northwestern
North Carolina, and played a signifi¬
cant role in the westward movement of
settlers to the Watauga Settlements,
being the most direct route to the
Holston. It was the route followed by
the Boone settlers into Caintuck. and
was the trading path of the Indian long
before the coming of the whiteman.
The last herd of buffalo seen in
North Carolina came down the old trail
from Tennessee into Watauga County
toward the end of the colonial period,
and the last sighting of a buffalo in the
state was reported near Asheville
around 1790.
About the turn of the century w'hcn
South Carolina was considered the
"southern Gretna Green." the best
known and self-styled champion
marrying-man for years was a Tar
Heel who established and promoted
his nuptial business barely across the
state line from Pineville. N.C.
Squire W. O. Bailes’ property, large
enough to be called an estate, lay 90%
in North Carolina and 10% in South
Carolina, but on that small portion the
squire lived and looked northward
for the bulk of his business: couples
wanting to be married.
In the early part of the 20th century.
Squire Bailes claimed to have married
more couples than any other living
man. Records for 1897 through 1902
show that he performed 527 cere¬
monies. How many before or after is
conjecture. Back then South Carolina
marriage laws were more lax than
North Carolina's and required no ad¬
vance marriage license or license fee.
Squire Bailes* estate on the north
side of the border included a profitable
farm with a large cotton gin. However,
he was not content with the return on
that investment only; so he made get¬
ting married a big-time production-line
business, replete with showmanship
and advertising that seemed to pay off
handsomely.
"Sundays." the squire maintained,
"were the best days for marrying,"
and he was available at all hours. When
the horse and buggy, or surrey or
wagon stopped before the residence,
Squire Bailes would greet his pros¬
pects. "Light and come in." There
were few other greetings or prelimi¬
naries. and formal introductions were
by-passed. He methodically and pleas¬
antly proceeded to record their names,
ages and date so that they could get
on with the ceremony.
If there were no accompanying
witnesses. Mrs. Bailes or the children
would stand. After the couple were
pronounced man and wife. Squire
Bailes would collect his fee and hand
out some of his advertising literature to
the happy pair, who were expected to
pass it on to some prospects.
One of the squire’s cards read:
"Squire Bailes — Professional
Nuptialist
Marriage Fees
Poor Man's Price . SI
Common Fee . $2
Secret Service . S5
Rich Man's Price . $10"
On the back of the card was this:
"Printed marriage certificates in dif¬
ferent styles and sizes free. Have no¬
body but Squire Bailes. Don't be mar¬
ried at home. An economical bridal
tour."
At intervals he sent printed post
cards to newspaper editors and tavern
owners requesting publication and
posting. "If there is anybody in the
neighborhood wanting to get married
anytime, call on Squire Bailes." the
cards read. "He has had more wed¬
dings this year already than any year
previously. It is not unusual to see a
half dozen couples get married there
any Sunday. He marries over 100
couples a year. He has married more
couples during the last four yeai s than
anybody on record. He is well-known
by his reputation. He lives just across
the state line on the South Carolina
side where they have no marriage
license: anybody 15 years old can get
married down there. He marries a lot
of runaway couples. The Squire
charges SI; in your case, that is cheap.
He lives in an admirable situation, very
convenient, too. or one mile west of
Pineville railroad station and 1 1 miles
south of Charlotte."
The squire also gave away pr.nted
celluloid nuptial buttons to be wpm on
the lapels of men’s and women's suits,
reading:
"Go to Squire Bailes to gel married.
The greatest of all philanthropists.
Post Office. Pineville. N.C."
10
THE STATE, May 1902