52 Ancestors: Wedding Bells - When Love Nearly Missed Its Chance

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Sometimes the most charming stories in our family history come from the unexpected hurdles our ancestors faced on their way to "I do." This week's theme of "wedding bells" brings me to a delightful tale of bureaucratic obstacles, young love, and a sympathetic clerk who saved the day for my great-great-grandparents.

A Saturday Surprise

On Saturday, May 7, 1893, David Isaiah Rollett had everything planned perfectly. He would visit the recorder's office in St. Joseph, Missouri, obtain his marriage license, and wed his beloved Rosa W. Clark the following day. What could go wrong?

Everything, as it turned out.

When David appeared at the recorder's office that Saturday afternoon, eager to make his upcoming nuptials official, he was met with disappointing news: the license was refused. Rosa was underage, and her father's consent was required. The catch? Her father was in St. George and couldn't possibly arrive before the office closed for the weekend.

Picture the scene: a young man with wedding plans for the very next day, suddenly faced with the possibility that his carefully laid plans might crumble due to a technicality and geography.

Love Finds a Way

But this story has a hero – License Clerk Karnes. The St. Joseph News-Press reported that "at the earnest pleading of the young man," Clerk Karnes agreed to meet them on Sunday morning. True to his word, he issued the marriage document, and "the nuptials took place last night as per arrangement."

The newspaper headline captured the drama perfectly: "Wanted a License Very Much."

More Than Just a Wedding Story

David Isaiah Rollett and Rosa D. Clark's almost-thwarted wedding is more than just a charming anecdote. Their union would produce my great-grandmother May Elizabeth Rollett, born April 5, 1899, in Missouri. This single wedding, nearly prevented by bureaucratic timing, set in motion the continuation of a family line that would see remarkable transformations across generations.

From this young couple who desperately wanted their license "very much," the family would grow to include stories of Mormon missionaries, mysterious disappearances, cross-country relocations, and bootleggers. David and Rosa's determination to marry despite the obstacles speaks to the kind of persistence that would characterize their descendants' lives.

The Human Side of Records

As genealogists, we often encounter vital records as cold, factual documents – dates, names, places. But occasionally, we're blessed with newspaper accounts like this one that reveal the human drama behind those official papers. The earnest pleading, the sympathetic clerk, the Sunday morning meeting – these details transform a simple marriage record into a vivid snapshot of two people determined to start their life together.

License Clerk Karnes probably never imagined that his weekend kindness would be remembered and celebrated more than 130 years later. His willingness to accommodate young love ensured that wedding bells would ring for David and Rosa, creating ripples that extended far beyond that May evening in 1893.

A Perfect Beginning

David and Rosa's wedding story reminds us that sometimes the best family tales begin with obstacles overcome by determination and the kindness of strangers. Their marriage, nearly derailed by bureaucracy, became the foundation for generations of family stories – each as compelling as the last.

So here's to License Clerk Karnes, whose Sunday morning accommodation allowed wedding bells to ring as planned, and to David and Rosa, whose persistence in wanting that license "very much" gave us a family story worth telling.

What wedding stories have you discovered in your family history? Sometimes the most memorable ones are those that almost didn't happen at all.

Sources: 

1. 1900 U.S. Census, St Joseph Ward 7, Buchanan, Missouri, Roll 843, Page 9, ED 0073, David Rollat household, accessed 4 February 2025, Ancestry.com. 

 2. 1910 U.S. Census, Platte, Clinton, Missouri, Roll T624_777, Page 6a, ED 0040, David Rollett household, accessed 4 February 2025, Ancestry.com. 

 3. 1920 U.S. Census, St Joseph Ward 7, Buchanan, Missouri, Roll T625_908, Page 9A, ED 109, John W. Stephenson household, accessed 4 February 2025, Ancestry.com. 

 4. 1930 U.S. Census, St Louis, Pottawatomie, Oklahoma, Page 20B, ED 0058, Frank Roe household, accessed 4 February 2025, Ancestry.com. 

 5. California Death Index, 1940-1997, Mae Elizebeth Roe entry, 22 December 1949, San Francisco, accessed 4 February 2025, Ancestry.com. 

 6. St. Joseph News-Press/Gazette (Missouri), 27 December 1949, May Rallett obituary, accessed 4 February 2025, Newspapers.com. 

 7. Wilcox, Pearl. "Roots of the Reorganized Latter Day Saints in Southern Iowa." 

 8. "The Heritage of Buchanan County, Missouri, 1984," Johnson, Herman, author. 

9. Blog post, "May Elizabeth Rollett and Ancestors," Untangled Family Roots, accessed 4 February 2025, https://untangledfamilyroots.blogspot.com/2014/07/may-elizabeth-rollett-and-ancestors.html 

10. Blog post, "May Elizabeth Rollett and Ancestors Part 2," Untangled Family Roots, accessed 4 February 2025, https://untangledfamilyroots.blogspot.com/2014/07/may-elizabeth-rollett-and-ancestors_14.html 

11. "Wanted a License Very Much," St. Joseph News-Press (Missouri), 8 May 1893, p. 6, col. [insert], Newspapers.com (https://www.newspapers.com/clip/153639715/ : accessed 4 February 2025).

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