Northumberland County had no marriage register before 1850, so these records, gathered from loose papers in the County Clerk's Office, are unique. About 3,000 marriage bonds are listed, giving the names of about 7,500 brides, grooms, parents and sureties, and the bond date. In a good many instances, proof of marriage is shown by the "consent" of either the contracting parties themselves or their parents, in some cases giving the dates of birth and the place of marriage. There is an index of brides' names.