A Broad View by Jerry Hogan: A follow up to “The Marriage Capital of Texas”

A Broad View by Jerry Hogan: A follow up to “The Marriage Capital of Texas”

Rockwall, TX (January 27, 2025) – If you remember, several weeks ago this column discussed how Rockwall County was once called the “Marriage Capital of Texas”. This was because of the marriage licenses that departed from the classical, nondescriptive government form.

Instead, the county had forms that were decorated with colored pictures of flowers that were a far cry from the normal, drab, typical black and white government pieces of paper.

Great story…except now there is an accompanying, more detailed version!

I received an email from long-time Rockwall resident, Ms. Kathleen Morrow who relayed to me another story about marriages in Rockwall County!

She told me how she had been the historian for the Methodist Church in Rockwall and also taught one of the Sunday School classes for individuals over 75 years of age.

Some of her students are names familiar in the history of Rockwall including Amy Parks, Celia Hays, Vern Klutts and his wife, Irene Springer, and Mabel Dalton.

She relayed how at one time she had spent a considerable amount of time going through church records looking for a marriage record for an individual that was preparing for their grandparents 50th anniversary. It was to be a surprise, and the individual didn’t want to ask for any pictures or records as they wanted to surprise them with the memorable document.

The individual was adamant that the grandparents had been married in the Methodist church in Rockwall. They went on to tell how the relatives had described driving out from Dallas across the old rickety bridge and getting married.

Unfortunately, they were adamant that the grandparents had been married in the Methodist church, even though they never said that.

But no records could be found.

When Ms. Morrow said she told this story in her bible class, several of the ladies burst out laughing.

Then the real story came out!!

During the time when this “search” was going on, Rockwall County had no regulations regarding marriages-they required no blood work, no parental signature for underage participants, no 3-day waiting period, nothing!!

So, if a young couple got carried away on a Saturday night, all they had to do was drive out to Rockwall and knock on the door of the Justice of the Peace. No matter the hour.

Then, according to the Sunday School ladies, the JP would crawl out of bed, get his wife up and about so she could be a witness, and the marriage ceremony was completed right then and there—in the living room of the Rockwall JP.

The ladies then went on to proclaim that the JP’s wife said that there were many couples married in their living room while she and her husband were still in their pajamas and bathrobe!!

So, after hearing this, Ms. Morrow then declared that in the future when someone called from Dallas “SURE” their grandparents had been married in the Methodist church, she just told them they had no records, and they should check with the county to see if the marriage had been recorded.

One small story from the history of the county where we now live. Makes one wonder how many such stories are still out there that we haven’t even heard yet!!

Jerry Hogan is a former Rockwall County Judge who can be reached at jerryhogan@sbcglobal.net or 214-394-4033