SPANISH RECORDS
Adams County, Mississippi
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submitted by Robert Shumway, and may be downloaded by private individuals
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Why Check Spanish Records
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Order respecting Matrimony
- 1777 - 1802
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Why Check Spanish Records
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A regular question is why should I look in the Spanish records (which
are all Roman Catholic) when the person I am searching for was a
good solid rock hard Baptist?
The answer is that everyone living in Spanish held territory had
to swear an oath to the King (most did so with their fingers crossed).
This made them citizens of Spain and subject to it's laws and regulations.
The local commandant was very liberal and looked the other way, knowing
that he had protestant preachers, etc. running around loose, but still
wanting and needing people to fill up his territory, work, and bring in
taxes.
The King found out and was not happy. The King reminded everyone
that Spain was a Catholic land, and only Catholic services would be recognized.
If you wanted your children to be legal, and be able to inherit property,
you had better obey his rule and be a Catholic.
Some people did, some people did not. Some married "out of
the Church" and then had their marriges recorded by the church.
SO - you can frequently find someone in the Catholic church records even
though they were not Catholic - at least during the Spanish reign.
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Order
respecting Matrimony
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Transcript
of Original Spanish Records, 1777 - 1802
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ADAMS COUNTY, MISSISSIPPI
BOOK NINE, PAGE 413-414.
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BY HIS MAJESTY'S ORDINANCE -
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WHEREAS our gracious Sovereigh is always attentive to the welfare
and real????? of all his beloved subjects, and wishing by all means to
promote among those of his new acquired Dominion the same advantages that
are enjoyed by his other subjects, His Majesty has taken into mature consideration
the situation of the Inhabitants of Louisiana and both Flordias, not only
by the exact complyance of the Treaty of the year 1783 with Great Britain,
but likewise extending further his Royal ??????? views has considered as
a very great advantage to the domestic concern of his beloved subjects
of said Louisiana and Flordias that do not profess the Catholic R. Religion
to furnish them the means of legitimating their posterity establishing
a fixed and permanent method of celebrating their contracts of Matrimony.
In consequence thereof His Majesty having consulted this important matter
has determined and ordained that hence forth all the contracts of Matrimony
among his beloved subjects either Protestant with Protestant or R. Catholic
with Protestant shall be celebrated by the Parish Priests established in
his said Dominions who are by the same Regulation are ordered to make an
exact record thereof under the rites prescribed to ??????? for the said
purpose and likewise to Christian Children of the said Inhabitants without
distinction and pay the greatest attention to ??? instruction it being
one of the principal Duties of their Pastoral Obligations.
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In Consequence of the antecedent ???? Royal determination: All the
persons hereto for authorized to celebrate Contracts of Matrimony are prohibited
to preform any more of the said contracts, the publick [sic] being hereby
informed that they will be of no value, deemed nul and subject to be reproved
by the law.
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All the Alcaldes of this goverment and every person to whom it may
appertain are ordered to publish this regulation and see it exactly complyed
with.
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Given under my hand and countersigned by His Majesty's Secretary
Goverment at Goverment House the 20th September 1793.
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Manuel Gayoso de Lemos
Jh. Vidal
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