Marriage: A Different View
by F.E. McConvey
Published 15 June 1988
The province of New Brunswick has a pamphley available for those planning to become united in marriage. It offers guidelines to the prospective bride and groom to ensure they follow the proper procedures for a legal union.
Wedding banns are public announcements in church of a proposed marriage. In days gone by, a couple was allowed to become joined in matrimony after their banns had been read for three successive weeks. If they were not affiliated with a church, or did not wish to follow this age-old custom, they were required to purchase a marriage license before the ceremony could be performed.
Effective 01 September 1987, a marriage license is required before a couple may be wed. Banns may still be read, but the cold, hard cash must be laid down for the marriage license before the vows are taken.
Included in this publication is a page entitled, "Prohibited Degrees of Affinity and Consanguinity Barring Lawful Solemnization of Marriage in the Province of New Brunswick." That is certainly a mouthfull and a half. Translated it means: People who may not be legally married in New Brunswick because of their kinship by blood or marriage. Acccording to the laws of this province, marriages are forbidden between the following people.
| MAN | WOMAN |
| MOTHER | FATHER |
| STEP-MOTHER | STEP-FATHER |
| MOTHER-IN-LAW | FATHER-IN-LAW |
| DAUGHTER | SON |
| STEP-DAUGHTER | STEP-SON |
| DAUGHTER-IN-LAW | SON-IN-LAW |
| SISTER | BROTHER |
| GRANDMOTHER | GRANDFATHER |
| GRANDFATHERS'SWIFE | GRANDMOTHER'S HUSBAND |
| WIFE'S GRANDMOTHER | HUSBAND'S GRANDFATHER |
| GRAND-DAUGHTER | GRANDSON |
| WIFE'S GRAND-DAUGHTER | HUSBAND'S GRANDSON |
| GRANDSON'S WIFE | GRAND-DAUGHTER'S HUSBAND |
| AUNT | UNCLE |
| NEICE | NEPHEW |
I was surprised to discover that first cousins are not included in this list of taboo marriages. Cousins are individuals who share the same gene pool from one side of the family. In 1960 nearly half of the States in the US would not permit marriages between cousins. In addition to genetic reasons it was felt that the legal rights of inheritance were in question for children of cousins.
According to Ashley Montagu in his book, Human Heredity, New York 1960, "If the marrying partners come from good healthy stock....one in which no significantly disturbing disorders have been noted then the changes are high that the offspring will not exhibit any such disorders. We have pedigrees of many distinguished families which bear abundant testimony to this fact."
In ancient Egypt brothers and sisters frequently married to assure their rights to the throne of the Pharoahs. The Eighteenth Dynasty (c1580-1350 B.C.) produced some of the most gifted rulers of that ancient land from these brother-sister matings.
The Ptolemies, rulers of Egypt from 323-30 B.C. are often cited as one of the good examples of inbreeding, but evidence now indicates this family was not so closely inbred as once believed.
Abraham of the Old Testament said of Sarah his wife, "....she is really my sister, the daughter of my father though not of my mother; and she became my wife." From the family record of Moses and Aaron in Exodus, we find, "Amram married his father's sister Jochebed, who bore him Aaron and Moses." The laws given to the Isrealities by Moses prohibited these marriages.
As early as 1215 A.D., the Christian Church "decreed that only persons related beyond the degree of third cousins might marry."
In general terms, restrictions on the marriage of close kinfolk are good. Because of the large distribution of recessive genes for defective traits around the world population it stands to reason that there is a greater possiblity of cousins pasing a matched set of recessive genes along to their children that of unrelated parents. First cousins share two common grandparents which means that they have more than one-eighth of their genes in common.
The chance that an unrelated couple will carry the recessive gene for albinism is 1 in 70; with first cousins the odds become 1 in 8.
Many rare diseases are due to recessive genes. When the parents of the people who suffer these diseases are first cousins, the incidence of these maladies is extremely high.
One geneticist suggests that in addition to preparing genealogical charts on your family, it could be advisable to compile one showing certain traits such as alcoholism, blindness, deafness and epilepsy. Other problems including diabetes, multiple sclerosis, lupis, etc., could be shown as well.
There are many disorders which are inherited-- hemophilia, sicklecell anemia, clubfoot, bunions, hammer toe, flat foot, cataracts, colour blindess, glaucoma, baldness, phenylketonuria (PKU), migraine, muscular distrophy, eczema, psoriasis, clelft palate and/or harelip, to name a few.
If individuals carrying a single recessive gene produce offspring, the chances of their children inheriting this abnormal gene is one in four. Therefore one can easily perceive that there is less risk for children if their parents do not have family connections.
"Love is blind" according to an old adage, but it might be wise to open up your eyes enough to take a squint at the family especially when both parties are native to a small area, like Charlotte County, where intermingling of families has taken place for over a century.
QUERIES
43. THOMAS DONALD ROBERTSON (b. 31 Dec 1863 in the vicinity of Calais, ME/St. Stephen, NB) first appears in ME at South Princeton in the home of PETER SMART in 1870-80. He d. at Weston, ME in Jan. 1941. His parents may have been DONALD ROBERTSON b. Scotland and ELSIE HENDERSON b. St. Johns, NB. PETER SMART was b. Pleasant Ridge, NB on 21 Aug 1839, the son of JOHN SMART (b. 16 Sep 1814 in the Parish of Kirkmaden Co., Wigton Scotland). PETER m at Bancroft, ME on 14 Jun 1862 to MINA CRAFTS (b. 14 Apr 1843 at Alexander, ME).
It is known that both parents of THOMAS DONALD ROBERTSON were deceased probably as early as 1870. THOMAS was known to have had a half-sister MARY -?- who is thought to have remained single and to have been an organist in a St. John Church. Some relationship may have existed between PETER SMART, THOMAS DONALD ROBERTSON and/or MINA CRAFTS.
PETER SMART went to Bancroft c 1849/50 with his parents. He married there in1863 then moved back to Princeton. His mother was ANN POMEROY, dau. of RICHARD and ANN (TUFTS) POMEROY. She was born at Magaguadavic, NB on 23 Mar 1811. She mar. PETER on 18 Oct ? 1838.
Seek any info on these families.
Note: In-Laws, Outlaws and Kinfolk articles have been published on this site with the permission of the St. Croix Courier. Special thanks goes to the Courier for allowing me to reprint my mother's articles.