The marriage of Charles Taylor, a man enslaved at Georgetown College, to Mary Ann Boarman, a free woman of color, took place on September 22, 1836 at Holy Trinity Church in Georgetown. Taylor appears to have been sold to the college by the Jenkins…
The marriage of Ben and Nell, took place on March 13, 1803 at Holy Trinity Church in Georgetown. Their union, officiated by Rev. Francis Neale, SJ, took place at the "request" of their owners, a Mr. Key & Thomas Sim Lee. The witnesses for this…
In this letter from 1814, Fr. Francis Neale, describes his difficulties arranging marriages for Enoch, Charles, and Nelly, three enslaved persons owned by the Jesuits in St. Inigoes, their farm in St. Marys County, MD.
In this letter from 1816, Bishop Neale explains the rules governing Catholic marriages between enslaved persons. Priests had to get permission from the slaves' owners and the owners had to promise not to separate husbands and wives.
Four permissions for enslaved people to marry granted by their owners in 1831 and 1832. These permissions are part of the records of Holy Trinity Church in the Archives of the Maryland Province of the Society of Jesus.